She is the only Republican in Wisconsin’s 8th District to appear on FOX programming and also the only candidate who has released poll data in the 8th Congressional district race.

“Freedom Watch” Host Judge Andrew Napolitano, FOX News Senior Judicial Analyst and former New Jersey Superior Court Justice, noted that McCormick is doing well in survey results and praised McCormick’s support of HR 1207, an effort to Audit the Federal Reserve.

“There is a stark difference between Republican voters and the establishment mentality that believes in entitlement to positions,” says McCormick.  “If we can get the press to focus on ideas and solving problems rather than on how much cash is coming from closed door deals, the people might actually have a decision in this race,” she concludes on the program.

McCormick was excited to be invited to appear on “Freedom Watch” for the second time. You can learn more about Terri McCormick at: TerriMcCormickforCongress.com.

Conservatives rage against what appears to be a creeping wave of “socialism,” while the opposite pole describes the shift in government as a steady move toward “facism.” Meanwhile, it seems that neither Republicans nor Democrats are minding the Treasury as billions of dollars are simply lost in what one writer calls the new American Kleptocracy… and voters are fed up.

This probably explains the rise of the Tea Party movement and the entry of a host of outsider candidates, like author and educator Terri McCormick in Wisconsin’s Eighth District.  The political establishment on both sides has dug in their heels, trying to hang on by supporting loyal incumbents or launching their own select opposition candidates. It seems that voters are simply disgusted to learn that the only thing both parties seem to have in common is their contributions from Wall Street.

Terri McCormick "Like Sarah Palin, only this fighter comes with a brain!" - Editor

In Wisconsin’s 8th CD, eight Republican primary candidates have stepped up to oppose Democratic incumbent, Rep. Steve Kagen. Former WI State Assembly Rep., Terri McCormick, though not the establishment favorite, has emerged as the District’s current lead candidate – as evidenced by a recent Dane and Assoc. tracking survey. According to Dane results, McCormick leads the primary field among Republicans with 14% followed by Roth with 11.1%, Trager with10.3%, Ribble with 4.5%, and the rest of the field with a 9.9%. The key factor that remains in this race is the large number of undecided voters at 50.2%.

The telephone survey of high-propensity registered voters within the 8th Congressional District, conducted in March 23-24, 2010 may make an old-school Republican favorites like Roger Roth, as well as Congressman Kagen himself a little “dazed and confused.”

“The real advantage to the McCormick campaign is the anti-incumbent mood of the 8th district coupled with a 60% opposition to Obamacare, spelling disaster for liberal Democrat Steve Kagen,” says pollster Tony Dane. Kagen’s favorable rating stands at 35.7% and his unfavorable opinion is at 47.6%  for a negative 12%.

Although McCormick is recognized as an experienced former Republican state legislator, she is perceived as an outsider even from within her own party from her reputation as a real “maverick,” one who reports and responds to her constituency first and her party second. Her grassroots loyalties and common sense message as expressed in her recent book seem to be resonating with disheartened voters of both major parties.  In this crowded field, McCormick stands out as the only candidate with electoral name recognition, true leadership experience and a measurable track record.

“These numbers clearly indicate that Steve Kagen is headed for retirement in this conservative district,” says polster Tony Dane. “From the Cap and Tax bill to a new economic stimulus bill, more bailouts for banks or businesses, and comprehensive immigration reform, Kagen is going to have a tough time,” says Dane.

GOP Primary, Republicans
McCormick …. 13.99%
Ribble  ……….. 4.53%
Roth ………….  11.11%
Trager ………… 10.29%
Other  ………… 9.88%
Undecided …… 50.21%

Gen. Election Ballot Test
Kagen …………. 37.94%
McCormick …… 44.58%
Undecided ……. 17.48%

Kagen Vitals
Favorable ……… 35.77%
Unfavorable …… 47.56%
Undecided ……. 16.67%

The sample size of 500 yields a sampling error of less than +/- 4.5%.

Terri McCormick supporters say she is well positioned to become the outsider with the name ID and experience to oust “Obama’s Doctor.”  She tops a large primary field primarily because she has a base and a strong conservative constituency.

“Although the primary is still months away, the smart money should be on McCormick,” concludes Dane.

Dane & Associates is one of the most experienced companies specializing in Automated Telecommunications. In the last election cycle Dane & Associates polling was accurate to within less than one percent. This is attributed to highly advanced proprietary software, and specialized knowledge of the proper use of Automated Telecommunications. Dane & Associates is a frequent speaker at Campaigns & Elections seminars on the most effective uses of Automated Telecommunications. Website: www.automatedcalling.com

Terri McCormick

Terri McCormick, Republican Congressional candidate in Wisconsin’s Eighth District, today signed an eight-plank pledge to the voters of northeast Wisconsin, promising she will never allow for the purchase of her vote in Congress by special interests, fend off legislation that is wrong for northeast Wisconsin (such as any government bailouts of private industry or expanding government control of private sector functions), and fight for limited government even if it requires her to buck political party lines.

“Washington, DC has become too much like a game of chess to the politicians and special interest groups,” says Terri McCormick, “Our country is in serious danger and northeast Wisconsin needs to elect a problem-solver who puts principles and country ahead of the powerbroker special interests.”

McCormick served in the legislature from 2001 to 2007 and has a record of passing bipartisan legislation that advances the free-market principles she holds dear.

“This pledge is a personal commitment from me to the voters.  I intend to be held to account and look forward to the opportunity to represent northeast Wisconsin in Congress,” says McCormick.  “Rest assured that I have a record of bucking the party line.  If the Republican Party is going to spend like it did during the George W. Bush Administration, I will be there to say, ‘Enough already’!” continues McCormick, “because our children’s future is at stake and we must stop the overspending now.”

View the full pledge here and learn more about Terri McCormick at her campaign Website.

In order of appearance (seated right to left) they include:

• Terri McCormick (6-year State Assembly Rep.)
• Andy Williams (Brown Co. Supervisor)
• Marc Savard (Door Co. Supervisor)
• Reid Ribble(Kaukauna businessman)
• Roger Roth (State Assembly Rep. from Grand Chute)

Candidates Kerry Thomas and Marc Trager were not present.

“Both parties are broken. Washington is broken and needs to be fixed,” says Sister Bay farmer Marc Savard. Calling himself the Tea Party Candidate after turning out 1,000 people for a Tea Party in Green Bay, Savard announced a second Tea Party on March 20, 2001.

Watch the entire candidate forum on live streaming video from greenbay at livestream.com.

There is an ever-increasing divide forming between the American people and “the system” that governs them. It’s not drawn in Red vs Blue, neither liberal nor conservative. No matter what side of that “aisle” you place yourself on, the average American feels like something is fundamentally wrong with the way policy is being formed and implemented on both a national and a global scale. The once silent majority has become much more vocal, empowered by blogs, social media communities and instant messaging, rallying at tea parties and launching money bombs.

Terri McCormick

Terri McCormick writes What Sex is a Republican? from that perspective and opens with a warning, “Do not be bamboozled into thinking that there is any difference between the elites in one political party and the elites in the other, they are all a part of the same club.”

In her book, she explains what we can and must do to rescue our once-enviable democracy, starting with, “a return to open and honest debate… now possible due to the the technology of the Internet. Today… we have the ability to create the kind of community that our Founding Fathers envisioned – that is a fully engaged citizenry involved in educating itself on the issues, providing private opinion and acting on behalf of the greater good.”

The Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll recently revealed that less than 10% of people surveyed have “a lot” of confidence in national banks, corporations, or the federal government.

“The real question,” she asks is, “When did we the people, as citizen leaders, take a backseat to war chests.” According to her research she traces this decline in populist control of elections to the 1960′s, “…when large amounts of monies poured into political campaigns to buy airtime and advertising messages.”

In her case, just following that money trail led her to an ongoing, head-to-head battle with the elite members of her own political party – from Madison all the way to the White House. First as a private citizen fighting for educational reforms and then as an elected official, serving in the WI State Assembly. For 6 years, Terri McCormick continuously matched wits and outmaneuvered many of her own Republican gatekeepers who tried to make her conform to their top-down management style.

She quotes one of her Neenah, Wisconsin constituents, Max Bowen who explains, “Since 2000 the GOP has been run like a street gang. All power is vested in the leaders, and others are to follow with unquestioning loyalty. Talking points are sent from above, and loyal followers are expected to stay on message. Dissent from the ranks is not tolerated.”

Terri McCormick blames elitism as one the fundamental reasons we are losing faith in our elected officials, “…the divide is not between left and right, but between the front row and the back row.”

In the Wisconsin Legislature and in her campaign bid for Congress in 2006, Terri McCormick found herself branded a maverick for not following that top-down model of acquiescence. Reading her book is like taking a long hot shower after more than a decade of being splattered with the dung of greedy pigs wallowing in the money-troughs of Wall Street’s swindlers, beneficent corporate lobbyists and wealthy campaign contributors.

“As you read this book,” Terri explains, “you will begin to understand that the politics of governance is not about political party and ideology as much as it is about obedience to the ‘front row’ – to those party bosses who pay for political elections… the party elites who hold the purse strings and command obedience – if you let them.”

Terri McCormick’s narrative is that of a conservative populist. She sprung from the grassroots rather than via the political machine, thus her loyalties remain first and foremost with her constituents. Sharing that top-rung in the order of importance is a belief and a track record of making ethical choices over adherence to dictates from Party bigwigs… perhaps the reason why many Republicans break rank and vote for Sen. Russ Feingold.

Populism should be a winning platform plank for members of either mainstream political party in any campaign, but populism doesn’t win party support, as fully evidenced by her last campaign for Wisconsin’s 8th CD in which she effectively ran as a Republican against George W. Bush. You may recall Terri McCormick was facing former Assembly Speaker John Gard in the 2006 Republican primary election when blessings were dispensed from the top down – before the voters ever had a chance to make their voices heard in the ballot box.

McCormick explains, ” …the White House’s spokesman cast me in a news article as an ‘irrelevant primary candidate.’ Despite my high polling numbers and popularity, the fact of the matter was that I was not a member of the political class. George W. Bush announced that he would be campaigning for my primary opponent – before the primary.”

Terri devotes only a portion of her book to her disillusioning experiences in the 2006 campaign because it is important to realize from where she springs. What happened to her was also foisted upon Republican primary candidates running in Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont. McCormick spends much more time explaining how she succeeded tactically as a political reformer:

• starting with the emerging charter school movement as a private citizen
• to overcome corporate manipulations in spearheading the defeat of lobbyists and big business seeking approval for the Crandon Mine Ammendment – a potentially devastating assault on the environment of northern Wisconsin.
• and as a legislator pushing for a bill that would save the State of Wisconsin millions of dollars each year in a Competitive Prescription Drugs Purchasing Pool

If and when we return to selecting our leaders and legislators following the McCormick model, as described in her book, we may begin to restore a government “by and for the people.” If you plan to campaign  for any elected office, please read this book. Then, make a pledge to follow its principles, because Terri McfCormick lays out the guidelines for rekindling faith in our fundamental democracy based on one simple word… integrity.

LINKS:

A Season Of Discontent

Terri McCormick

Smart parents know not to give in to spoiled children who try these shenanigans. If we gave kids everything they demand, our family budget would be as busted as last year’s toys under the couch. You know, the ones with batteries that are only made in China.

Each of us will soon pay for the Senate’s extravagant spending. In Senator Nelson’s case, his Nebraska voters will be exempted from the substantial cost increases generated by new Medicare patients mandated by this plan. And, Wisconsin taxpayers will foot the bill – not only for the additional costs for Wisconsinites, but for Nebraskans, too.

Senator Reid is like one of those parents that gives their screaming kids whatever they ask for. Here is what the Wall Street Journal reports:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Mr. Nelson didn’t get special treatment. “I worked with every Democratic senator” to make changes to the bill,” Mr. Reid said. “Ben Nelson was just like the rest of them.”

The majority leader added, “If you read the bill … you’ll find a number of states are treated differently from other states. That’s what legislation’s all about: compromise.”

So, giving a present to every one of the 60 Senate Democrats is how healthcare funding decisions are being handled in Washington. This is not the way that we did true healthcare reform in Wisconsin; at least not when I was in charge.

In 2002, I led the Speaker’s Taskforce for Local Government Healthcare Partnerships. We used a business model to address runaway healthcare costs that threatened state and local government. We held a dozen hearings around the State, listening to the people as they identified the reasons for cost spikes. With the help of private-sector talent, we crafted and passed the Competitive Prescription Drug Purchasing Pool, which saved $25 million for non-represented state employees alone, in the first year. We recommended the use of Internet transparency for healthcare cost bidding, as well as a quality control system of standards where communities can view provider ratings online.

This approach put free market mechanisms in place to ensure a level playing field for health care competition. Contrast this pork-free plan with the U.S. Senate Christmas-tree bill, and you can see that government can, and must, do better.

I have a simple solution for all sensible voters this Holiday season. Think about the permissive parents you see that give in to their spoiled children. Compare them to the incumbent politicians in your district and state. Vote out every one of them that can’t say no to more spending. In these economic hard times, that is the only way for our family budgets – and our nation – to survive.

We need to stop giving a “Tickle Me Nelson” to every U.S. Senator.

Terri McCormick is the author of the book “What Sex is a Republican?” She was a Wisconsin State Representative from 2001-2007, and Chaired the House Economic Development Committee and Chaired the House subcommittee on Healthcare Cost Reform from 2002-2007. She is a Republican candidate in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District with campaign information online at: www.TheMcCormickStandard.com.