This week begins a countdown. Next Friday, the Take Back Washington Rally featuring Michele Bachmann is set to kick off in Bismarck…and I can’t possibly overstate how important it is. Together, we can lead the nation in the effort to educate, excite and organize concern citizens, desperately yearning to restore this government to its original principals and intent. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, a new hope dawns, and North Dakota is leading the effort to take back Washington. It’s coming up, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

Forgive me if I sound a little Pollyanna, but I can’t help but suspect that fate is playing an intervening hand in the development of common-sense grassroots activism that’s spreading like wildfire throughout the nation. Think of it: townhall meetings, the tea party nation; none of this would have happened if McCain had won. Earl Pomeroy is flat on the mat. Kent Conrad will be shopping his resume around next. John Hoeven has a free pass to the United States Senate, for crying out loud! In one years’ time, we‘ve witnessed seismic change in the North Dakota political scene. And North Dakota is the tip of the spear that will return this country to the principals of its founding.

Now there IS hope. I’m not sure that was the hope President Obama had in mind, but it was for you, Common Sense Faithful. So many of you have sacrificed—personally and financially—under this administration; as victims of the Democrats’ assault on business and prosperity. Well you’re not alone. I too share in your anxiety…but I also feel your passion. It’s that passion that makes me cling to the hope that just one more show, one more morning commentary, one more defense of common sense or a reflection on what the Founding Fathers risked so much to preserve, and it’ll be enough to awake that sleeping giant, and move it into action. Well now’s your chance to join me. Next Friday, I implore all Common Sense faithful: gather with me, Michele Bachmann and your fellow concerned compatriots in Bismarck for the Take Back Washington Rally. It’s our best chance in decades to bring common sense back to Washington—be a part of it! Sign up now at takebackwashington.net, or head over to scotthennen.com for more details.

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING!

As a professional talker, it’s not very often your Chairman finds himself struggling for words to express an opinion. But the main story in yesterday’s paper almost reduced me to silence. After prolonged delay, North Dakota finally has a new U.S. Attorney….and the controversial selection is making Democrats take aim inside a circular firing squad. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, meet Tim Purdon: N.D.’s new Democrat Party-Man (ahem, I mean, U.S. Attorney). It’s coming up, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

Story in the Fargo Forum yesterday tells us that Tim Purdon will replace Drew Wrigley as the new U.S. Attorney for North Dakota. The headline says it very well: North Dakota finally has US Attorney nominee. Sub-head: Democrat Party activist chosen.

Remember the shrieks from the left, condemning the Bush Administration for politicizing the Justice Department back in the Alberto Gonzales days? Fast forward to today. Here we have Tim Purdon…a sitting member of the Democratic National Committee…a criminal defense attorney (who by the way, has deliberated cases against the same office he’ll now lead) nominated as our top law official in North Dakota. Talk about the fox guarding the hen house.

But it gets better, folks—in addition to being a trial lawyer and big-time democratic fundraiser, Purdon also rubs elbows with the most disgraced figure in contemporary politics. That’s right, he’s a John Edwards confidant! I’m absolutely stunned. Has there ever been a sitting member of the upper echelon of a national political party nominated for a top law enforcement post? Another reason change is coming from ND! Looks like Purdon’s lifetime service to the Democrats—raising mega bucks for big government-loving tax- hiking liberals—is getting rewarded. Never mind the rule of law. Never mind other qualified, even historic candidates (Janice Morley would have been North Dakota’s first female US Attorney and only the second Native American to serve that office in our nation’s history) the Delegation has got their man. Let’s hope this nomination gets a much needed hearing to air this out. We need an explanation, and I’m sure the powers-at-be will offer their bogus, “purely non-political” reasoning soon. Until then, just sit back and enjoy the show.

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING!

What’s the number one, universal quality of your typical elitist liberal? What do you call it, when they champion the merits of education—then banish poor children benefitting on voucher programs from entering the distinguished schools their kids attend? Or when they rail against the West for the damage we’ve caused to the environment—only to board their private jets destined for the next global warming conference? If you said “hypocrisy,” you’re 100% correct…and wait until you hear the latest example of it. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, a visit from a neighbor to the north. Coming up, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

Surfing the web last night, your Chairman happened to come across the healthcare information section on barackobama.com. There, I discovered the “Obama Plan”: a series of trite, almost laughable promises cobbled together to achieve three main goals:

a) Provide coverage for those who aren’t insured,
b) Offer more security and stability to those who are, and
c) Lower healthcare costs for “our families, businesses and government”

In case you haven’t noticed, these three concerns represent the biggest limitations to America’s healthcare system. They are legitimate issues; and the President and the left—including Pomeroy, Conrad and Dorgan—have offered their solution in the form of radical, government takeover akin to the socialist health ministries we see in Canada. Funny that a member of the Common Sense Club shot me this article while I was still scouring the webpage powered by “hope”. Here’s the headline: Premier of Newfoundland going to U.S. for heart surgery. Apparently, the hard-left “progressive” leader of the Newfoundland Province is sacrificing his own wellbeing by abandoning the greatest system in the world to enter the crisis-loaded mediocrity of American healthcare. But if Canada’s system is so wonderful—which it must be since Washington is trying to emulate it—why isn’t he going to be treated there? The official response: the procedure isn’t offered in his province. How about somewhere else in Canada? The official response: no response. Bottom line: the liberal elite say they know what’s best for you…but they really only know what’s best for them. That’s why the leftist Premier of Newfoundland is finding himself in a U.S. operating room.

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING!

The President unveiled his 2011 budget in characteristic fashion this Monday, by (you guessed it), blaming Bush. Bush is to blame for the deficit…Bush is to blame for the recession…follow the logic and naturally, Bush is to blame for the failed fiscal policies Obama has been forced to enact. Under normal economic circumstances, the President claims, he would have (cue the laugh track) reduced the deficits he inherited, immediately. But through no fault of his own, our Whiner in Chief regrettably issued this year’s budget: a $3.8 trillion dollar juggernaut of taxpayers’ wealth. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, why fiscal conservatism is in vogue, but not in practice. I’ll explain, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

LISTEN

“Just as it would be a terrible mistake to borrow against our children’s future to pay our way today, it would be equally wrong to neglect their future by failing to invest in areas that will determine our economic success in this new century.”

I think even the teleprompter was blushing after that one. That was our President, using the interesting pretext of “borrowing against our children’s future” to issue a budget of $3.8 trillion dollars, proving once and for all that this guy is nothing but talk. But before you get concerned about a record budget adding to the $12 trillion we already owe in national debt, there’s good news: Obama is enacting a spending freeze.

More talk.

House Leader Boeher equated it to the pie-eating prizewinner going on a diet, but it may be even worse than that. This “freeze” the administration is hoping to placate you with have the following exceptions:

· It won’t start until 2011

· It only applies to non-defense related discretionary spending (or about 17% of the budget)

· It won’t affect education or job creating “investments” (anything with the word “stimulus” in it)

Meaningless as this “freeze” appears, when it comes to personal politics, I think Obama considers this a pretty big concession. You’d think other democrats would jump on the bandwagon, right? Wrong. Last Thursday, every Senate Democrat—every one—voted to raise the debt ceiling to $14.3 trillion, or forty-five grand of debt for every citizen. It goes to show you—both literally and figuratively—we simply can’t afford Democrats leadership any more.

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Amidst freefalling poll numbers, a declining economy, Republican resurgence and a God-sent halt to nationalizing America’s healthcare system, the President  and his Democratic allies in North Dakota (see Earl Pomeroy, Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad) have decided to shift focus. Where it once displayed meaningless rhetoric suited for his personal agenda, the teleprompter now pledges the President’s number one priority will be to create jobs and get the economy back on track. My take? The biggest boost for the economy occurs when a stake gets hammered through Obama’s big government-loving, tax-hiking, regulation-laden health care and energy proposals. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, “help wanted, no private sector experience required”…I’ll explain, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

With extraordinary volatility in today’s markets, anyone with an ounce of business sense would tell you what the private sector needs to get back on its feet: certainty. Under President Obama, we’ve seen the most ambitious expansion of government since the Great Society. And with more big-government budget question marks looming in the distance—from health care costs to the cap and tax disaster—the unfortunate question facing most employers is, “Why would I hire anyone in this climate of uncertainty?”

Now if Obama actually surrounded himself with experts who’ve actually made a payroll—real-life private sector veterans—someone in his staff could tell him that.  Instead, his cabinet is filled with Ivy League academics who only know what works “in theory.” Well your Chairman doesn’t work in the theoretical world; I like to deal in reality. And here’s the sad truth: compared to previous administrations within the past 100 years, President Obama and his cabinet have virtually zero private sector experience. Check out the numbers: In the Bush administration, 55% of cabinet members came from the private sector. Under Clinton? 48%. Under Kennedy? 33%. And today, under Obama? A woeful 8%. Is it any wonder why his policies have been a disaster for unemployment and the economy?

70% off all jobs created in a recovery come from businesses that are less than five years old.  But they’re all waiting for this “change” to end so they can get back to expanding their enterprise. It’s a no brainer (that is, if you know what it’s like to sign the front of a payroll check instead of the back of a government check).

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Last Wednesday during his State of the Union address, President Obama implored all of us to “Seize the moment to start anew.” Consider the context: you’re the emblematic spokesman of “hope” and “change” who’s managed to triple the national deficit and double the unemployment rate from the previous administration’s averages. Your radical agenda is prompting widespread anger and opposition across the nation, leading to profound Congressional losses in formerly democrat-controlled districts. And now that the public has responded in-kind to your lack of leadership, you want a do-over. So do we. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, we examine the President’s State of the Union Address, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

Unless you’re pretty savvy when it comes to the political scene (as Common Sense Faithful typically are), you probably wouldn’t have realized last Wednesday was Obama’s State of the Union Address. Since inauguration, the President has been smothering us with primetime media spotlights, and this 70-minute doozy captured the same theme in all of his speeches: himself. Perhaps it was that unsurprising message—delivered in his characteristic eloquence and self-satisfaction—that made this State of the Union so uninspiring Harry Reid could barely keep awake.

What was he promising now? A commitment. Not to pivoting to the center (as so many of us hoped), but instead a commitment to his own agenda presented in a smoke-and-mirrors populist pretense. Meaningless throwbacks (like a spending freeze) mixed with ludicrous promises (more bills…more “investments”). Before taking pot-shots at the Supreme Court, the President stood before Congress in true Clintonesque fashion, assuring us he felt our pain. And he claimed responsibility. It was his fault that the voices of his ill-intentioned partisan opponents distorted his plans. The complex process… the politicians in “permanent campaign mode”… all these factors confused his agenda for you and me, and that’s why we’re rejecting it. Once “temperatures cool”, we’ll get back to our senses . After all, he “never suggested change was easy;” another worthless anecdote that boosts his vision over what you and I think. You’re right Mr. President, change isn’t easy…but when 2012 rolls around, you’re making one change very easy to make.

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Well instead of acknowledging public dissatisfaction for his policies—dramatically realized in last week’s Massachusetts election—President Obama reverted to old form and blamed Bush. Big surprise. So since this administration continues to point to their predecessor for all of their current failures, I say we take a page in their book and revisit the past. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute we compare Bush and Obama spending. It’s coming up, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

A slumping economy, a terrible job market, unsustainable deficits and now a Republican in a green pickup named Scott Brown, heading to Washington as Massachusetts’s new Senator. Political realities caused by runaway government spending, or consequences of George Bush’s prior leadership? The President and his conspirators in the media want you to believe the latter, but let’s look at the facts: From Jan. 20, 2001, to Jan. 20, 2009, the debt held by the public grew $3 trillion under George Bush, from $3.3 to $6.3. While certainly nothing to be proud about, put it into context, and consider the economic implications of 911, Hurricane Katrina, and the War on Terror fomenting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

President Obama, on the other hand, will add another $3.3 trillion in debt from the day he took office last year to the end of the current fiscal year, according to the Office of Management and Budget. As Karl Rove points out in a Wall Street Journal piece, “…In 20 months, Mr. Obama will add as much debt as Mr. Bush ran up in eight years.” Staggering. The left and even some conservative libertarians are quick to condemn Bush’s fiscal conservatism by pointing to his endorsement of the TARP program, which loaned over $240 billion to banks. But did you know these loans are currently being replayed at a profit to the Treasury? Instead of using that money to pay down the debt, the President wants it for additional spending. As if he hasn’t spent enough on bailouts, a failed stimulus plan, and heaven knows how many other liberal lobbying interests we’ll never hear about. We, our children, and our children’s children are paying dearly for this administration’s fiscal policies; it’s about time they own them and stop blaming Bush.

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING

Last week the voters of Massachusetts sent a message to the White House: no mas. This time, we aren’t going to let entrenched big-government politics dominate our state and secure the final vote for destroying the greatest healthcare system in the world. The President rightly explained the results as an expression of anger (then of course said that Bush was the source of it). I told you back in August that our grassroots activism in Tea Parties and townhall meetings throughout the country was part of a movement—not a moment—and Brown’s victory last week was a dramatic confirmation that the sleeping giant is still awake. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, another opportunity for you to get involved…the Take Back Washington Rally is on its way. Details, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

We may not have them “on the run,” but after denying President Obama the crown jewel of his domestic agenda—government takeover of the healthcare system—your continued participation in grassroots activism like this is paying dividends. I’m talking about the “Take Back Washington” Rally and Town Hall Meeting, slated for February 12 in Bismarck. There, you’ll join concerned citizens from across North Dakota in a kick-off of the state’s 2010 Congressional elections. They’re hosting two keynote speakers: you, the grass-roots-voices of North Dakota (whose opinions haven’t been heard in Washington) and the conservative superstar herself, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann!

The event features panel workshops throughout the day on the issues that concern you the most: Agriculture…Economic Growth and Taxes…Health Care…Energy…Preserving the Family…Protecting Second Amendment Freedoms and more. Conducting panels on these subjects are respected conservative institutions that you’ll be able to collaborate with and learn from: The Coalition for Responsible Growth….Concerned Women for America, North Dakota’s Farm Bureau, Family Alliance, NRA, and GOP. They’ll be sponsoring the event, with Rep. Bachmann set to deliver her keynote after the seminars conclude. Plus: the Johnny Holm Band will provide entertainment in the evening! It’s going to be a fun, important, educational meeting of compatriots and concerned citizens…don’t be left behind. Visit the website takebackwashington.net for more information and how you can register. And we’ll see you there!

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING

In the words of the great Irish poet Oscar Wilde, “the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about,” so I guess I should feel flattered. This, after a local paper ran a story about  a personal email your Chairman authored, expressing my opinion of who should be selected as the Republican candidate for the U.S. House seat.  It headlined last Tuesday’s front page of the Fargo Forum (in a shallow attempt by the local media to gin up some division within the GOP). Well it’s time to set the record straight. Hi friends, I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, I’ll explain, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

The purpose of my now very public email was two-fold:

First, to simply share the views of many Republicans. Who would be the best candidate to defeat Earl Pomeroy—Rick Berg or Kevin Cramer? Most suggested the latter. Now many people have misrepresented my critique of Rick as a personal opinion, rather than a collaboration of voices that are not being heard. I thought it was necessary to amplify those opinions, and speak on behalf of their concerns. That was my second intention. Some are now saying that Kevin Cramer or Gary Emineth “Put me up to it;” that rumor is ridiculous, and it’s unfortunate that my candor is being used by some of Rick’s supporters to criticize members of their own party.

I stand by everything I wrote in that email. It was reflective of those opinions shared by a vast majority of passionate Republicans, many of whom have spent a lifetime trying to build the ND GOP. This was NOT about short-circuiting the process; it was about being honest with Rick about his chances to get the nomination. But he’s officially entered into the race now…so it doesn’t matter anymore. And to prove it, since this faux-controversy broke, Rick’s been a guest on the program, where he’s had the opportunity to share his vision for the future as well as to promote his impressive credentials. So the hatchet has been buried…now it’s time to work together. Bottom line: we need to defeat Earl Pomeroy with our endorsed candidate come March…no matter who that candidate is.

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING

A moment of silence, ladies and gentlemen, for Obamacare. A few exhilarating days after Republican underdog Scott Brown shocked the nation with a Senate win in Massachusetts, an official omission has been disclosed, straight from Speaker Pelosi herself. Without any changes, she bemoans, it’s “[not] possible to pass the Senate bill.” Music to our ears. Hi friends I’m Scott Hennen, Chairman of the Common Sense Club sounding off. In a minute, while the bell still tolls for the original bill, Congressional leaders prepare the next version. What it will look like—and who’s leading the charge—is coming up, in today’s Common Sense Commentary!

So the Senate Obamacare bill is dead, courtesy of Scott Brown and the people of Massachusetts. As you know, it’s a huge loss for the President and his liberal cohorts in Congress (like Senators Conrad, Dorgan and Congressman Pomeroy). But before we get too ahead of ourselves, we need to pay close attention to how the Democrats are going to regroup and push their agenda forward. For insight into that that, enter Senator Conrad, who according to “The Hill” newspaper said on Wednesday he’s willing to use special rules to force changes through the Senate with a simple majority vote in a parliamentary maneuver called “Reconciliation.” His office claims this is untrue, but at the least this smells like a trial balloon.  Congressman Paul Ryan has since said he is convinced they will use it!

Here’s the strategy for Senator Conrad and other left-leaning members of Congress: pass the current, wildly-unpopular Senate bill through the House, than pass another bill—with modifications to the original— hashed out between leaders from both chambers. If Democrats go through with this, it won’t be long before the President fires up his teleprompter and tells the country this is a bipartisan solution. Buyer beware. While we don’t know what the final bill will look like, I think we got a taste of how bipartisan it will be from the President’s original reaction to Brown’s stunning victory…that it wasn’t a obvious referendum of the government’s takeover of healthcare, it was Bush’s fault.

Americans don’t want the same bill repackaged and sprinkled with concessions; we want Congress to start over. And if Conrad and the left still want to destroy the greatest healthcare system in the world, let them convince their opponents through dialogue…not backroom deals, political payoffs, or half-hearted support from a few RHINOs. This time around, we know better.

THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT’S YOURS? WRITE TO ME AT BOX 23, MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA 58645 OR SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AT SCOTTHENNEN.COM, AND THANKS FOR LISTENING