This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 29, 2011 - Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder asserted today that Americans are in danger of losing their liberty in much the same manner of a frog that is slowly boiled.
"They're boiling the 'frog' a degree at a time," Kinder said. Democrats now controlling the U.S. Senate and the White House, he explained, are undertaking "a series of almost unnoticable steps that can cause us to lose our liberty."
Kinder cited the federal health insurance changes that are gradually going into effect and other actions in Washington to impose more regulations on business.
He asserted that President Barack Obama is "laughing in the face of an American dream that is vanishing for millions of Americans."
Kinder's audience was about 200, mostly women, attending the national Smart Girl Summit at the Crowne Plaza hotel downtown. The event is sponsored by Smart Girl Politics, a conservative group seeking to encourage conservative women to run for office.
The two-day summit includes workshops and a series of like-minded speakers, including Kinder and Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly.
Saturday's speakers are to include two Missouri congressional candidates -- Republicans Ann Wagner, seeking the U.S. House seat in the 2nd District, and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, who is running for the U.S. Senate. Also to appear is GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain.
Schlafly ignited standing ovations as she blamed feminism for much of the federal spending problems. "Feminism ultimately leads to bigger government,'' said Schlafly, who first became famous 40 years when she successfully launched a movement against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment.
She contended that feminists advance the philosophy that big government is needed to protect women, which in turn leads to more federal spending. "We are using government money to support children in broken families,'' contended Schlafly, as she asserted that feminists are "anti-men'' and "anti-masculine."
"You cannot separate the social issues from the fiscal issues," Schlafly said.
Schlafly also related her own past, saying she experienced no discrimination when she attended Washington University for undergraduate and law degrees, or when she received a masters degree in government from Radcliffe College (now part of Harvard) in Boston.
Schlafly's advice to other women? "If you wake up in the morning believing you're a victim, you're probably not going to accomplish anything."
Kinder said in an interview after his address that the summit's attendees reflected the "third great awakening in American ... the genuine grassroots uprising of middle America."
"These folks are opinion leaders, aggregators and inspirational activists," Kinder said. "They have influence far and wide, greater than their numbers."
Kinder, a Republican, is expected to challenge Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, next year. Kinder said he planned to launch his candidacy after Labor Day.
Nixon, contended Kinder, has wrongly been silent on the fiscal issues facing Washington and the country. "He's been silent on the stimulus, silent on the piling of debt, silent on 'cap and trade,' " Kinder said. "Nixon's approach to the job is to be a governor by photo op, a governor by press conference. I fault him on a lack of leadership."
Kinder's criticisms of Nixon contrasted with the views advanced by Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who told summit attendees that her state's embattled governor, fellow Republican Scott Walker, is impressing the state and the country with his conservative leadership.
"We're learning that 'Walker's Way' is working," said Kleefisch, who defended his successful efforts to require many public employees to pay more for their pensions and health care, and to institute merit pay for public-school teachers. Trimming collective bargaining rights for most public employees, including teachers, also is saving Wisconsin money, she said.
Kleefisch called on her audience to help galvanize fellow conservatives, and donate money, to defend a half-dozen Republican state senators who are facing recall votes in less than two weeks.
"We think these recalls will send a very strong message, regardless of how they go," Kleefisch said.
