I recently attended an event in Topeka, KS where Dr. Matthew Ladner, of the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, spoke on the importance of education reform.   Lander expressed his thoughts on Florida’s successful K-12 reform and how each state should take note.  Florida implemented a variety of improvements, and its students’ achievement levels increased.  In turn, Florida is continuing to raise its education standards, and students are reacting by meeting the goals expected of them.

Initially, one would think that Florida was able to increase its achievement levels by dummying down its state test.  Ladner was adamant that they were able to track state tests and their quality by looking at past tests and comparing them through NAEP and other sources.  It shocked me to even think that a school would dumb down their testing materials in order to make their students look smarter.  What an evil trick!  Yet, many schools lower their overall standards for one reason or another.  This part of Dr. Ladner’s lecture really hit home with me.  I took issue with this idea because I feel my high school had low standards for me, allowing me to operate well below my ceiling.

I am from a small southwest Kansas farm town with a population just under 30,000.  The town houses one large high school, which held 2,000 enrolled students my graduating year.  In 2006, my graduating year, our student body consisted of a population of 54.3% Hispanics, 35% White, 6% multi racial, and 4% other.  In 2002, a total of 577 students enrolled with me as freshmen.  Four years later, a total of 361 students enrolled as seniors with me.  Of these 361 students only 334 graduated 9 months later in May of 2006.  I cannot give you a true percentage of the drop-out rate due to other variables, but I am pretty sure that those missing 243 students did not move away from the school district.

Looking back on at my high school experience, I feel that I was underprepared for college and cheated out of learning.  I graduated high school with a 3.8 grade point average and spent little to no time at home studying or working on homework.  I believe that the teachers of my high school had low standards due to the drop-out rate and gave away good grades simply to keep kids in school and pass them along.  I graduated thinking I was an A student, I thought I was learning at a completive level, and I thought I was ready for college.

I started college in the fall of 2006 at a four-year university.  During my first month of school, I spent my time on anything but school work.  I thought that “going to school” meant just that – walking to class and walking home from class.  I didn’t realize (until I saw my semester grades) that going to school meant going to class, listening to the teacher, learning the material on your own time, and proving that you knew the material by passing a test at the end of the semester.  I could not pass my classes based on attendance and participation.  I could not pass my classes based on my university involvement or personal connections.  And I darn sure could not pass my classes based on my race or the fact that I wore a letter jacket.  I can easily say that college was a rude awakening, and my first semester grades haunted my grade point average for the many semesters that followed.

My high school created in me a false sense of confidence in my abilities and lacked the simplicity of teaching me how to learn; this did me an enormous disservice.  The lack of effort in preparing students for life after high school was not for a lack of funding.  As seen at KansasOpenGov.org, the teachers in my district are highly paid and the district is currently building the soon-to-be largest high school in the state.  This lack of effort was also not for lack of care.  The principal and deans truly cared about the school and its student’s wellbeing.  Many of the teachers were also well-liked and were very good at building relationships with students.   There was a small handful of teachers that no one cared for.  These were the teachers who could be quoted as saying, “I am only preparing you for college.”  It was true, they were preparing us for the next step; their standards were set high, and many students received bad grades in their classes.  Sadly, these teachers were far and few between.

It is extremely important that schools enforce standards of educational excellence and refuse to only teach to the drop-out level.  Quality teachers must keep their standards high and give the grades deserved by each individual student.  One way to enforce standards is through standardized testing.  Another way, is by holding back students who fall behind.  Continuing to pass these students along is cruel and continues to feed their false sense of confidence in their abilities.  Finally, a student should graduate from high school with the tools for the next step; whether that be the work force, technical school, or college.

I do not have the answers on how to fix our education system, nor do I have the knowledge on Florida’s education reform in order to give you Dr. Ladner’s lecture.  However, I do believe that some changes need to be made in Kansas.  (Did you know we were given a D+ rating based on our schools’ performance?) My experience is completely different from that of my co-worker, who thought college was a breeze after leaving a high school where teachers had much higher standards.  This is sad because our schools are in the same state.

Finally, I encourage you to do your research.  Find out your how your state ranks in education amongst the 50 states.  Educate yourself on Florida’s successful education reform. And find your government’s open records and checkbook for your school district.  Perhaps you will find something that inspires you to run for school board.

American Majority is pleased to announce that its Campus Majority training will be coming to the University of Kansas on Tuesday, November 16th.

Often over-looked and under-utilized by traditional political organizations, American Majority believes today’s college students are among the most effective and passionate activists. To help students increase their effectiveness on campus and prepare them for leadership roles upon graduation, American Majority created Campus Majority. Designed specifically for the college environment, Campus Majority equips students to be effective advocates for liberty and freedom by offering practical training, encouragement and resources.

The training will be held from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Kansas University Student Union in the Jayhawk Room located at 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. in Lawrence.  The cost of the training is FREE, pizza (of course) and refreshments to be served.  Space is limited.  Pre-registration on Facebook is strongly encouraged.

General topics include:

• On-Campus Activism (Engaging through building coaltions, promoting institutional transparency, holding meaningful events and causes, and much more)

• Off-Campus Activism (Engaging through political campaigns, issue advocacy, voter registration, community service, and much more)

• New and Traditional Media Activism (Communicating your message through social networking platforms and traditional media)

Please RSVP for the event here, by contacting Alex Ballinger at Alex@AmericanMajority.org or calling 913-940-7368.

We all have goals – goals to become more politically active, a goal to reach 1 million fans on Facebook, and of course the constant goal to lose “just ten pounds”.  Have you noticed when you set your goals, they don’t really get accomplished?  And if for some reason your goals are getting accomplished it’s because everything (by the grace of God) just fell into place? Sounds like my life.  I get excited, passionate, make all these great goals, and then slowly let things fade out.  And I know I’m not alone here, people!

Let’s break down this goal setting business and talk about how to make S.M.A.R.T.  goals.

First, it is important to set goals that are based on your values, beliefs, and interests.  Goals are not the same as wishes and dreams.  Goals are objectives that you are willing to work hard to achieve.  If you are passionate and willing to work to make a change, then it’s worth taking time to create a S.M.A.R.T. goal!

We need to realize that goals do not occur in isolation- meaning, when you set one goal, there are many other goals that are connected to accomplishing the goal.  For this reason you must make sure that your goals do not clash.  Will perusing one of your goals pull you away from completing your main goal?  It is important to specify what needs to be accomplished and how to accomplish it in the most effective steps.

Now that we have an idea as to what we want to achieve, let’s make sure our goals are S.M.A.R.T ones.  By  S.M.A.R.T. – I mean:

• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Attainable
• R = Relevant
• T = Timely

Specific

Your goal should be thorough and unambiguous.  When you set goals that are vague, it is hard to see progress.  How will you know when you reach your goal?  To make sure that your goal is specific write down the what, why, and how of the objective you wish to accomplish.

• What is the goal I wish to accomplish?
• Why is this goal important to me?
• How am I going to accomplish this goal?

Example- It is my goal to create a like-minded group in my city of Kansas City to discuss how to hold our elected officials accountable.

Measurable

We have all heard the saying, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”  What good is a goal if you can’t measure it?  It’s hard to stay motivated to complete your goal when there is nothing to indicate progress.  Therefore, make sure your goal has a number associated with your intent to help you see the process you have made and let you know when you have reached your target.

Example- It is my goal to create a like-minded group in my city of Kansas City, which will consist of at least 100 members.  In this group we will discuss how to hold our elected officials accountable.

Attainable

As I said before, goals are not the same as wishes and dreams.  Your goal needs to be not only desirable, but realistic, and reachable.  Goals that are set too high or too low become meaningless, and are soon forgotten.  For this reason, reach a little above your comfort zone, but make sure it is a realistic stretch.  Sit down and have an honest conversation with yourself (maybe not out loud) to see if you have the commitment and ability to make your goal a reality.

Unattainable Example- It is my goal to create a like-minded group in my small town, which will consist of at least 10,000 members.

Relevant

Normally, in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym the ‘R’ stands for realistic, but I think that relevance is pretty darn important, too.  What is the point of setting a goal if it’s not relevant?  Why coordinate a like-minded group to discuss something that occurred in politics 50 years ago?  People want to be a part of something where they can make an impact that matters.

Timely

Print a few calendars and create a time frame for your goal.  By placing an ending point on your goal you have a permanent date to work toward.  Without a time limit there is no sense of urgency and no reason to put your passion into action.

Example- It is my goal to create a like-minded group in my city of Kansas City, which will consist of at least 100 members by the 2010 November General Election.  In this group we will discuss holding our elected officials accountable.

Setting a goal is more than picking out something to do.  Setting a goal is deciding to attack an objective that will take up your time, energy, and possibly your money.  Now that you have your S.M.A.R.T. goal set, let it marinate for a day.  Make sure this is THE GOAL you want to achieve and that you are willing to make it happen.  In my next blog I will discuss how to effectively put your plan into action.

Here at American Majority it is one of our goals to educate activists on how to properly use online media.  During the presentation, Patriots 2.0, we attempt to teach the importance of getting actively involved in facebook, twitter, and other social networks.

After our Patriots 2.0 presentation, the questions come rolling in.  More often than not, the questions refer to facebook privacy settings.  Although, we spend an hour teaching the ins and outs of facebook it is difficult to go into depth on how to effectively establish your privacy settings.  For this reason I feel it is necessary to dig deeper and get down to the nitty gritty of facebook privacy.

According to the facebook page on facebook (that sounds silly), “Facebook has led the industry in giving people the tools to control the information they share and with whom they choose to share it. User privacy has always been a top priority for the company, which has worked with such organizations as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and WiredSafety. Facebook is TrustE certified. Users also have the ability to share and restrict information based on specific friends or friend lists.”  If their privacy settings are that great, let’s utilize them!

• Step One: Go to your facebook page and click “Account” in the top right corner.   Then click “Privacy Settings” in the drop box.  A page such as the one below should pop up on your screen.

• Step Two:  Click “View Setting” under the “Basic Directory Information” tab.  Here you can alter what others see when they search your name on facebook.  This is where you can stipulate who can search for you, add you as a friend, send you messages, and see your personal information.  Simply, click on the side tabs to change privacy settings.  Click “Preview My Profile” to see if your settings are to your liking.  This will show you the content that non-facebook friends see when they search your name.

• Step Three: Click “Back to Privacy” to continue onto the next section, “Sharing on Facebook”.  Here you can manage which of your day-to-day activity can be viewed by others on facebook.  This includes photos, links, status updates, and the content others share on your wall.  Facebook recently installed a one touch privacy setting that gives you the option to allow only your friends to see the content of your page.  This can be done by clicking “Fiends Only”. You can also customize your privacy settings by clicking “Customize Settings” (wouldn’t you have guessed it).  To preview how your profile appears to specific individuals, click “Preview My Profile” and insert a friend’s name into the given blank at the top of the screen.

Click here for a slow-paced video that will take you through

a step-by-step guide to facebook privacy settings.

• Step Four:   If you want to have various friends view your page differently from one another, you can utilize the list making tool.  Click “Account” in the top right corner, then “Edit Friends” in the drop box.  A page such as the one shown below will pop up on your screen.

• Step Five: Click “Create New List” and type in a title for a certain group.  For example, lists can be titled: family, work, college friends, strict profile people, church friends, or whatever your little heart desires.  Once you have the group titled, go through your friend list to find those who fit into that specific group.  You can type their names into the given blank.  Once your list is complete, click “Create List”.  Repeat this for as many groups as you would like.

• Step Six:  In order for a list to be able to view or be restricted from viewing certain parts of your facebook activity, go back to “Customize Settings” under “Privacy Settings”.  Click on the drop box for each setting and click “Customize”.   Then type in your list’s name to either hide or show your activity.  To ensure that you’ve performed these steps correctly, click “Preview My Profile” and type in a person’s name from that list.

As we all know, the creators of facebook are constantly working to make their site more user-friendly.   Unfortunately, this means that the layout of facebook changes on occasion.  This can be frustrating, but privacy settings are sticky.  Therefore, when the inevitable change occurs, your privacy settings will transfer accordingly.  However, it is always important to stay aware of your settings to ensure that everything transfers correctly.

If you are having trouble activating or navigating facebook

please see our Facebook Guide for Beginners.

All above information is correct as of 8-1-10

After spending four years in college in the Public Relations department I have come to understand the ins and outs of sending press releases, PR planning, and the importance of networking.  Now that I am out of school and working for American Majority, I have tried many of the techniques I spent four years learning.

I now see that the most effective form of PR is networking.  This is great news!  We are now surrounded by free networking sites (facebook, twitter, youtube, ect.), and if we use these tools in the correct manner we will be able to gain free press and create a larger base of followers

In this blog I will describe, point by point, how to effectively network in this day and age.  I admit I am not a professional facebooker, but I do spend a LARGE amount of time on it.  For this reason, I would consider myself seriously educated in the school of social media.

• PLAY ON THEIR COURT

When reaching out to certain people via social networks, find their preferred networking tool.  Look at a person’s online habits and how they spend their time.  Do they spend time on facebook or twitter?  Meet them where they are comfortable.

• SHARE THE LOVE

If you want your blogs, posts, and events to reach the masses then make sure to help others do the same.  Social networking works as a spider web, where everyone is linked through each other.  The goal of reaching large amounts of people is more easily reached by having other networks aiding you.  This can be accomplished by sharing other’s links, “liking” posts, re-tweeting, and inviting your friends to their events.  Remember, if you scratch their back, they will scratch yours.

• COMMUNICATE LIKE A HUMAN BEING, NOT A SALESMAN

There is a very fine line between networking and spamming.  When networking with others, make sure your message is genuine and person-specific.  Even if that means copying and pasting a person’s name into the title of your message; it’s better than a mass generic message.  I like to feel like the messenger took time to think of me, typed the message for me, and is waiting anxiously by their computer for my response.

• BE TRUSTWORTHY

Naturally, people talk, and if you do not stay true to your word – the news spreads.  In social networking, word spreads as fast as you can click the “post” button.  These days, it is important to build trust within your networking group.  You can gain trust by sharing valid content, refraining from spam, and by putting time into each relationship (i.e. replying to facebook messages in a timely manner). 

• DON’T OVERLOAD ON NONSENSE

We all have those friends on facebook and twitter who clog our newsfeeds.  If you are one of these people, odds are I have defriended you.   No, I don’t care that your bologna sandwich was yummy, I don’t care to see your daily pictures of yourself standing in front of the mirror, and I especially don’t care about your new acre of land that you acquired on Farmville.  I care about events you have attended, your professional interests, and your recommendations.  Therefore, when posting on social networking sites make sure your posts are significant and meaningful, or you might notice your friend list decreasing more and more with every “this sandwich is yummy” post.

• KEEP THE DOOR OPEN, EVEN IF NO ONE IS WALKING THROUGH

Always keep up to date on your social networking sites.  If no one is taking interest in your posts, give it time.  If your content, posts, and comments are up-to-date, others will soon catch on and become followers.  The popularity of social media is growing and maybe a newcomer will take interest in what you’re saying.

It is essential to have a functioning online network has become essential for success and we should treat our online friends with the same respect we treat our physical friends.  If you are still confused on how to effectively use online media you should 1) attend an American Majority training near you or 2) check out our online media guides. Jump on that social media bandwagon and start networking!

I was recently told an inspiring story by another Field Representative in the Kansas office, Mary Brown, which grabbed my attention and gave me hope.  Mary’s neighbor boy recently returned home from college for a weekend visit.  On arriving he noticed the Brown’s political campaign signs in their front yard.  The neighbor boy told his mother, “I don’t think the Brown’s are going to like me anymore because I do not agree with their political views.”   His mother laughed it off and soon told this to Don, Mary’s husband.  Instead of being upset, Don decided to invite his neighbor boy to walk door to door with him for a local conservative politician.  He thought that showing him how homeowners felt about our government, their local concerns, and what current office holders are doing wrong, would help him to understand the need for a liberty movement.

I was not only impressed, but inspired by his actions and feel we should all take a note from Don.  Instead of complaining about the youth in America, Don wanted to help educate the youth in America.   I wish that more people would act with the grace and understanding that Don did.  If more adults felt this way maybe more young adults would be more apt to share in our conservative beliefs, join our rallies, or simply research what we believe and why.

Recently our intern, Kara Evans, attended a conservative rally.  She was looking forward to attending this meeting, interacting with like-minded conservatives (young and old) and educating herself in the process.  When entering, she noticed that there were very few young conservatives in attendance.  Nevertheless, she walked into the room with confidence and excited for her weekend retreat.

As the weekend progressed, Kara recalls around five attendees asking her, “So, why are you here?” – referring to her age and recent graduation from high school.  When Kara mentioned that she would soon be interning for American Majority, the common reaction was first – a perplexed look, then silence, and finally a complete change of heart.  Kara continued to get these types of questions and blank stares throughout the weekend.  For this reason, Kara felt out of place and wondered if she should even have attended at all.

From my time spent with Kara, I have found that she is confident, well spoken, intelligent and exceptionally good at editing my grammar mistakes.  I believe it would take a lot to make her feel insecure.  As we discussed her weekend, I could definitely relate.   As a young conservative, I have felt this same type of judgment.

Just because we are young does not mean that we are uneducated, ungrateful, or swing voters.  If you feel we are uneducated…educate us.  If you feel we are lazy…give us responsibilities.  If you feel that we are clueless…clue us in.  We are longing to rise above the status quo and to exceed your expectations.

I fully understand how a lack in age can been seen as a lack in experience.  We ARE young and we ARE inexperienced, but that does not mean we are not ready, willing, and able. We have a lot to learn in life but with your help and patience we can win back this nation together.  After all we are all on the same team here.

I am not bashing on the generation before mine; in fact, I am doing the opposite.  I am beyond grateful for all of the hard work you all have done for the sake of liberty.  You guys have been the ones in the trenches and have graduated from the school of hard knocks.  You have fought in wars for our freedom, you have voted, campaigned, ran for office, and you have been the ones dealing with the ups and downs of our nation.   I cannot speak for my generation as a whole, but I am forever grateful and I feel that my generation has very big shoes to fill.  Yet, how can we be expected to live up to your standards when we are not expected to or even given the opportunity to help?

Sorry if it sounds like I am ranting, raving, or begging for acceptance.  I am just passionate about this topic.  Just think, if Kara and I, who are avid conservatives, felt that uncomfortable at conservative rallies, imagine how those who are “testing the conservative waters” would feel.  To quote Justin Williamson, intern for the Texas office, “Yesterday we were the volunteers, today we are the activists and campaign staff, but tomorrow we are the candidates.”

I recently started working at American Majority in the Kansas office as a Field Representative.  I came into this job feeling confident in myself and my ability to make an impact.  I felt as if I had been preparing for this opportunity since I realized my passion for politics.  The only part of this job that scared me was posting blogs here at AmericanMajority.org.  After working in the Topeka office for two weeks, I was not asked to blog.  I was thrilled, and I thought I was off the hook.

My thought process was: “I am new here at American Majority and I am not ready.  Anyway, why do they need me?  There are other more capable bloggers who survived without my weekly input.  Plus, who would find my point of view interesting?  They’re better off without my weekly jabber.”

When asked to blog once a week, I think my jaw hit the floor and my eyes almost popped out of my head.  With my voice shaking I tried to sound confident by responding, “Yea!  I would love to!”  I walked back to my desk thinking, “Why me?”

I finally built up an inkling of confidence, bit the bullet, and posted my first blog.

After my first blog posting, I realized that I have a point of view that some readers might relate to.  I was raised in a conservative household, new to the work force, perhaps a late bloomer in politics, and I am on fire for the liberty movement.  Maybe I am not the most qualified blogger, but I am here to bring something new to the table and hopefully inspire others to make a change in their community or grow a passion for the liberty movement as well.   And frankly, why not me?  I have the perfect platform!

This “Why me” attitude could apply to a lot of situations:

-Who am I?  Why should I write my politician a letter, telling him how I do not approve of his actions?  I bet there are more capable people in the community that are writing letters.  Who would listen to what I have to say anyway?

-Who am I?  Why should I start a group that meets once a week to discuss how to hold our city council accountable?  I’m sure someone who has more connections in the city will start a group soon.  Plus, who would want to come to my house once a week anyway?

-Who am I?  Why should I run for school board?  I’m sure a like-minded candidate will throw his hat in the ring soon.  Plus, who would even vote for me?

18^th century author, James Allen said it best, “For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?”  Where would we be without those who had a “Why not me” attitude?  History is being changed and made by these people.  The excuse of “Why me” should no longer apply because our country was not founded by “Why me” people and it will not remain the country they intended it to be by us having a “Why me” attitude.  We cannot bring this nation back to a “We the people” nation without confidence and those who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and create a change.

A great example of a person who thought, “Why not me?” is Amanda Grosserode.   Amanda is a wife and mother in Kansas City, KS.  Amanda was a school teacher turned home school teacher who attended a few of our activist trainings.

During her Valentine’s Day dinner with her husband, they started to talk politics.  She became upset and decided that it was time to stop talking about the problem and work on finding a solution.  That next day Amanda sent out a few emails to family and friends asking them to join her for a small Tea-Party demonstration in Kansas City.  Amanda expected 20 friends to attend the demonstration and unexpectedly 750 attended.  This Tea-Party was a huge success and helped start a big movement in Kansas.

This was all possible because Amanda thought “Why not me?”  Her simple act of inviting 20 friends and family had a big outcome and a huge impact on the surrounding Kansas City area.

I am not saying that I am “super cool” for posting a blog once a week, but if one person reads and acts then, it was worth it for me to feel uncomfortable in the beginning.  With that, are you tired of waiting for change?  Tired of waiting for your elected officials to see the error in their ways?  Tired of waiting for a Tea-Party group to start in your city?  THEN MAKE IT HAPPEN!  Step out of your comfort zone and make a difference no matter how small it is.  Why not you and why not now?

I’m sure all of you who are parents have heard it before; “Oh Dad” or “Oh Mom, not now” with the inevitable eye roll.  This might apply to a parent asking their child to clean their room, to come in when it gets dark outside, or even to stop making that annoying tapping noise.  The “Oh Mom” and eye roll was how I responded to my mother’s many attempts to instill in me an interest in “all things political”.

I spent many family dinners with the, “what happened in local, state and national politics today” talk going in one ear and out the other.  I remember playing on the church playground while my mother would be helping with voter registration or helping on election day.  I can even still hear the voice of Pat Robertson with the 700 Club on the TV every morning while my mother made me breakfast.

Throughout the years my mother became sneakier with her attempts to make me more politically aware.  Every car ride that lasted longer than ten minutes became the perfect opportunity for discussions concerning the political and social issues of the day.  And you can imagine, in Southwest Kansas there are endless opportunities for hours of driving.

I’m sure my mother became discouraged, but luckily she never gave up on me.  My mother understood the scripture in Proverbs 22:6, stating: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  My mother knew it was her job as a parent to make me politically aware so that once I was off on my own I would know what I believed and why.   One of her favorite sayings was, “If you don’t know what you stand for – you’ll fall for anything.”

In the last ten years something must have clicked.  Maybe it was one of our three hour trips to Wichita, Kansas, one of mom’s forwarded e-mails to my college student account, or maybe one of her nightly prayers.  I am now an on-fire mover and shaker for the liberty movement and best of all – working for the industry’s leader in conservative training here at American Majority.

For all of you parents out there who are feeling discouraged, this article should help you see that everything you do will shape your children.  If your children seem disinterested and impartial towards political issues, or they even do their share of eye rolling – don’t be discouraged.  A child’s first and most influential form of socialization is their family and what you do influences your children on a deeper level.

Who knows how one random event can influence your child’s outlook on life and politics?  Take your children door-to-door with you while you share information concerning the candidates you support and/or issues that are important to you.  Put on pretend election days at your house.  Or even get sneaky and take those long car rides with your kids and lock the door for a long discussion.  It will sink in and things will click when they are meant to.  Trust me.  The eye rolls are worth it and they will thank you later.

No matter which side you are on, it’s pretty easy to see that the White
House’s message of transparency has been, somewhat, well, hard to
decipher. Matt Kibbe wrote about a few of the back door deals and the
behind the scenes nature of the health care debate.

Despite the transparency rhetoric, promises of an open conversation and a
ban on lobbyists in the White House, there have been murky-at-best
explanations for documented White House visitors. President Obama pledged
not to work with lobbyists. So, naturally, lobbyists just delist, and
voila! No more lobbyists in the White House. Which unfortunately, doesn’t
make them any less of a lobbyist… just a lot more illegal.

Lobbyists are nothing new. The issue is that for a campaign that ran so
vehemently on not working with lobbyists and special interests, they seem
to be more than happy to blur the lines when it benefits their cause. But
what makes a lobbyist a lobbyist?

The Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) defines a lobbyist as a person who spends
more than 20% of their time on “lobbying activities” and has had more
then one “lobbying contact”. Pretty simple. What constitutes a
“lobbying activity”? Time spent on lobbying contacts, as well as any
planning, prep time, research, coordination, and dirt digging. A
“lobbying contact” is any communication, oral or written, with federal
officials regarding policy modification, formulation and adoption. That
goes for legislation, government officials, government contracts, and
nominations subject to Senate consent.

Andy Stern, a known lobbyist who delisted in 2007, has taken his share of
heat. He appeared on the White House visitor log 22 times last year for
meetings with President Obama, Joe Biden, Rahm Emanuel, and Peter Orzag.
News articles also report meetings with House members and Senators.

Apparently not the brightest bulb, Stern also reported his meetings on
Twitter. The Alliance for Worker Freedom and Americans for Tax Reform
collected tweets from February to June that mention White House meetings,
visits with Congressmen, and lobbying with Mayor Bloomberg.

Click here to view a clip from an interview with Stern.

“I don’t care if I went there once, or if I went there every single
day, they would say it’s too much. That’s because they have a different
vision of America than the people I work with every day.”

The assumed access to the White House is an incredible display of
arrogance. They never thought they would be denied access. This is what
happens when everything is negotiable and promises mean nothing. Washington
is doing what it wants, and the less we know the better.

Transparency redefined: We’ll actually show you nothing, and then say
that the reason nothing is working is because of the Republicans. Those
Republicans and their silly “Constitution” and “procedures”. That
is all that stands between you and utopia, people.