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5/5/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

RMA Blog Talk Radio at 8:30 Tonight: Blue Collar Muse and More …

Tune in tonight at 8:30 PM local Mountain time for the 25th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. Our confirmed guest for this week is Ken Marrero, an entrepreneur and one of the leading bloggers on the Right, better known to many as Tennessee's Blue Collar Muse. A possible guest from the Colorado state legislature also may join us, but these being the final hectic hours of the session we're playing it by ear. If you miss the live show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: Blog Talk Radio, bloggers, Blue Collar Muse, Colorado, entrepreneur, hectic, Ken Marrero, legislative session, playing it by ear, podcast, Right, Rocky Mountain Alliance, state legislature, Tennessee

4/28/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Ryan Frazier Out Stronger than Ken Buck – Don’t Expect to See Beauprez

If the earliest of trends are any indication, Ryan Frazier has come out of the gate looking the strongest in Colorado's Republican primary to challenge Michael Bennet for the U.S. Senate. After all, the rollout of the Ken Buck campaign could have been handled much more adeptly. But then again, the earliest of trends don't amount to much more than something for bloggers to write about. In the end, it should be a very interesting and competitive showdown between Frazier and Buck (with perhaps something to be heard from Cleve Tidwell). That's right. Count me among those who doesn't see former Congressman Bob Beauprez getting in this race. (At least as much as I can gather from a few fans on Ken Buck's Facebook page, and various … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: adeptly, attorney, bloggers, Bob Beauprez, campaign, Cleve Tidwell, clue, Colorado, competitive, Congressman, contributions, credit, Dan Caplis, earliest, Facebook, former, guess, handled, hazard, indication, interesting, Ken Buck, luck, Michael Bennet, nomination, occur, page, paying attention, primary, race, radio, rebirth, Republican, Right, rollout, scuttlebutt, showdown, significant, strength, talk show host, transformation, trends, U.S. Senate, victory, write, wrong

4/8/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Thanks to What?: Posing a Clear Litmus Test Between Left and Right

Blogging for the Heritage Foundation, Conn Carroll points readers to a clear litmus test between the Left and the Right. If you followed that link and said, "Hey, that's not a bad idea, why didn't I think of that?" -- it's pretty safe to say you're on the Left. On the other hand, if you laughed out loud and/or your stomach turned upon reading it, you must be on the Right. But here's my thought: If we're going to be showing our gratitude for painful certainties that show no sign of abating, why not a campaign to get people to say Thanks for this? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: abating, campaign, certainty, clear, Conn Carroll, death, gratitude, Heritage Foundation, laugh, Left, link, litmus test, Right, stomach, taxes, thanks, turned

4/6/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Ari Armstrong, Modern-Day Sam Adams, Helping Fill the Watchdog Gap

Sign of the times ... The American Journalism Review has released its annual survey of statehouse reporters. The unsurprising result? Forty-four states - including Colorado - have fewer full-time journalistic watchdogs tracking how elected legislatures are doing the people's business. As much as the Right pines about the liberally-biased media, this is not entirely a phenomenon to be rejoiced over. The news-gathering local media terrain is shifting under our feet as we move. A clear reason why we need more of the Modern-Day Sam Adams variety: Congratulations to Ari Armstrong for his well-deserved award and the lucrative success it brings. We don't always agree, but no one can deny Ari's diligent and persistent advocacy on behalf of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: advocacy, American Journalism Review, annual, Ari Armstrong, breach, citizens, clear reason, Colorado, Congratulations, diligent, economic liberty, elected, fewer, full-time, intellectual activism, journalistic, kudos, legislatures, liberally-biased, lucrative, media, media terrain, Modern-Day Sam Adams, news-gathering, people's business, persistent, personal liberty, phenomenon, pro-freedom, professional, rejoiced over, reporters, result, Right, statehouse, states, success, survey, unsurprising, watchdogs, well-deserved

12/7/2008 By Ben 2 Comments

What I Want to See for the United States, Conservatism, and the GOP

Looking ahead to 2010 and beyond, this is what I want to see in the United States of America: A biblical, spiritual revival ... something for which I pray to God The revitalization of conservatism (a shared value in the Founders' "constrained vision") in American public life ... something of which I seek to persuade others A Republican Party more informed by conservative, limited government principles ... also something of which I seek to persuade others A governing Republican Party majority ...something for which I volunteer and vote Where incompatibilities between the above priorities can be proven with a reasonable degree of likelihood, the higher priority wins. (And no, I can't think of any situation where voting for or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Christianity and Faith, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, History, My Life Tagged With: 2010, aborition, agenda, belittle, biblical, boundaries, broader principles, clarification, Colorado, common opponent, compatible, Conservatism, conservative coalition, Constitution, constrained vision, debate, demonize, disagreements, discrepancy, educate, effective, electoral success, eschewed, exhaustive, falter, federal legislation, fidelity, fiscally conservative, Founders, governing majority, healthy, History, hollow badge, incompabitilities, incremental, lasting changes, limited government, Mark Hillman, national level, nostalgia, obsess, persuade, political illusion, political sphere, pragmatic issues, pray, pre-emption, principled humility, principles, priorities, productive conversation, promises, public life, purity, Reagan Republican, reasonable degree, religious aspiration, religious speech, Republican Party, respectful, restrictions, revitalization, revival, Right, Ronald Reagan, school choice, slash-and-burn politics, smile, social conservatism, social moderates, socialism, strong dose, taxpayer funding, tested, thoughts, throw under the bus, unaffiliated voter, United States, United States of America, vocal minority, volunteer, vote

12/4/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Finding the Common Ties that Bind the Conservative Movement

The Next Right has posted a thoughtful essay that seeks to put the current intra-conservative debates into perspective. The whole thing is a worthwhile read, but the conclusion especially is interesting:Conservatives, thankfully, are nowhere near as afflicted by tunnel-vision, as the current debates on the Right show. However, it is essential that, being conservative, we remember that these debates were not settled in 1964 or 1980 and are not going to be settled in 2008, 2012 or any other year. These debates are timeless elements of the American conservative tradition, and will probably never be resolved completely. However, another timeless element which we must also be careful not to forget is the fact that these debates have always ended … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultural Conservatism, General, My Life Tagged With: academic, affirmation, belittle, brass figures, co-exist, common, common interests, conservative, dark corners, debates, educate, essay, fiscal conservatism, futile effort, Hillsdale College, humility, icons, intra-conservative, Leo Strauss, libertarian, limited government, listen, Ludwig von Mises, movement, neoconservative, paleoconservative, personal responsibility, poli sci geek, political coalition, purge, renewed commitment, ridicule, Right, Russell Kirk, social conservatives, statues, tent, The Next Right, timeless, tradition, unlikelihood

11/25/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio Returns Tonight at 9 PM

Tune in at 9 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the second edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio, as Joshua, El Presidente, Night Twister, and I work to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump (also known as proving "you may be right, we (really) may be crazy.") Special guest is slated to be Red County's Michael Kerr from the great Pacific Northwest. Perhaps Michael can cite experiences from King County, Washington, to shed light on the current recount in Minnesota. Don't forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight's show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, General, My Life, National Politics Tagged With: Blog Talk Radio, crazy, download, El Presidente, Joshua Sharf, King County, Michael Kerr, Minnesota, Night Twister, Pacific Northwest, podcast, recount, Red County, Right, Rocky Mountain Alliance, sidebar, sophomore slump, special guest, widget

11/20/2008 By Ben 3 Comments

Colorado GOP Should Heed Kafer and Hillman, Not Parker and Huckabee

This week's two prime examples of self-serving guns on the Right pointing inward? On the one hand, Kathleen Parker caricaturing and lambasting me and millions of evangelical Christians:To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh. Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party.... It isn't that culture doesn't matter. It does. But preaching to the choir produces no converts. And shifting demographics suggest that the Republican Party -- and conservatism with it -- eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one's heart … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics Tagged With: annoying, armband religion, Beltway cocktailk parties, caricaturing, Colorado, culture, demagogic, economic populism, evangelical Christians, Faux-Cons, fiscal conservative, former presidential candidate, GOP coalition, gripe, humility, influential voices, Jon Henke, Kathleen Parker, Krista Kafer, lambasting, leaders, Liberalism, libertarianism, Mark Hillman, Mike Huckabee, political action, political wilderness, preaching to the choir, privacy, publish, religious faith, Republican Party, reservation, Right, right-wing, Ron Paul, self-serving guns, shifting demographics, shut up, social conservatives, tax increase, Time magazine

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About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

Recent Posts

  • AI-Enhanced Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of Teen Innovation
  • My Baker’s Dozen of Top 2023 Reads
  • Common Learning Disabilities in Children
  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition

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Completing the Blogroll

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bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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