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Miller: We Don’t Know the Dignity of Their Births; We Know the Nobility of Their Deaths (+video)

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This Memorial Day we remember the over one million Americans who laid down their lives in military service to our country. To borrow a phrase from General Douglas MacArthur: we don’t know the dignity of their births, but we know the nobility of their deaths. They died serving in a cause greater than themselves, so that our country, dedicated to securing the peoples’ God-given rights, could move forward towards its high calling.

For all the times America has fallen short over its lifetime of nearly two-and-a-half centuries, none can deny the hope and the opportunity and the freedom this nation has brought forth not only on our shores, but to tens of millions of people around the world. We are blessed to live in such a land; it truly has been a “Shining City on a Hill. “

In a few weeks, we will commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day, which was one of the many decisive moments when Americans made the ultimate sacrifice to advance the cause of freedom. In Normandy, the United States and its allies fought to rescue an enslaved Europe from a maniacal dictator hell-bent on dominating the planet and eliminating an entire race of people. The scale of the operation was vast, involving over 5000 ships, 175,000 soldiers, and 10,000 aircraft.

General Dwight Eisenhower stated the mission clearly to his soldiers, sailors, and airmen soon to be engaged in Operation Overlord:

The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

In a nationwide radio broadcast that evening, President Franklin Roosevelt asked all Americans to join him in prayer for those in the battle:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith….Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom…Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Thousands gave their lives on Normandy’s shores on June 6th, 1944 and by the time the World War II was over, 400,000 Americans would never be returning home.

While thankfully in our time we have not had to endure that staggering loss of life, none-the-less thousands of homes this day will be missing the smile and the embrace of a father or mother, son or daughter, brother or sister who made the ultimate sacrifice.

As Ronald Reagan so eloquently stated on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day regarding the great heroes who fought for this country, “Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their valor, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.”

This beautiful song performed by the West Point Glee Club is a fitting tribute to those whom we have loved and lost in war:

Ronald Reagan’s Boys of Pointe Du Hoc Speech on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1984:

Joe Miller Wins Debate, Back-to-Back Straw Polls (+videos)

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Joe Miller’s victory in back-to-back straw polls and the last debate reflects his campaign’s strong grassroots support. This follows Joe’s successful Patriots Day launch when hundreds of supporters came out, continuing to build momentum statewide.

Joe Miller Wins Poll at Anchorage UFL-CPG U.S. Senate Debate

U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller got another boost this week after being voted the winner of a debate with Republican Mead Treadwell and Libertarian Mark Fish. The exit poll followed the United for Liberty – Alaska/Conservative Patriots Group U.S. Senate debate at the Wilda Marston Theater in Anchorage and was conducted by the debate’s sponsors. There were approximately 200 people in attendance. The other Republican in the race, Dan Sullivan was a no-show.
 
“Joe’s second straw poll win in less than a week reflects the growing momentum the campaign has been seeing on the ground,” said spokesman Randy DeSoto. “Joe turned in a strong performance in the debate, proving he is the true conservative/reform candidate and is the right choice to represent the Republican Party against Senator Begich in the fall.”


 
Some major differences between Miller and Lt. Gov. Treadwell were highlighted during the debate, including Treadwell’s support for a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (Amnesty), as well as his support for the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). Miller opposes both. Miller’s opposition to LOST is, in part, based on the authority it grants the United Nations to directly tax and regulate the American people. Treadwell also affirmed his belief in man-caused climate change, a theory for which Miller believes the science is inconclusive.

 
One of the highlights of the debate came near its close when the candidates were given the opportunity to ask direct questions of each other. Miller inquired into Treadwell’s past support, financially and otherwise, of left-leaning Republicans and liberal Democrats over conservative challengers, including Lisa Murkowski, Matt Claman and Sheila Selkregg. All three are ardent backers of the big-government agenda, as well as socially liberal policies such as abortion and special rights for homosexuals. Miller questioned how Treadwell could be trusted to support a consistent conservative agenda in Washington when he has been unable or unwilling to do so in Alaska.

Treadwell claimed personal friendship was the reason he chose to support candidates who work against his stated values.
 
“Joe believes principle must trump party, and even friendship,” said DeSoto. “Without strong core convictions concerning fundamental issues, the pressures in Washington will quickly turn campaign rhetoric into false promises.”

Joe Miller is a husband, father, combat veteran, and advocate of Constitutional liberty who believes in individual rights, private property, free markets and the sanctity of human life.
 

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Joe Miller Convincingly Wins the Alaska Republican Assembly Straw Poll

Over the weekend, U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller handily won the Alaska Republican Assembly’s straw poll, garnering 76 percent of the vote, with Mead Treadwell taking 18 percent, and Dan Sullivan 6 percent.

The Republican Assembly conducted the poll at its annual convention, which took place in Wasilla on Saturday. Other winners of the poll included Ted Cruz for President, Sean Parnell for Governor and now Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan for Lieutenant Governor.

“Joe’s victory in the Republican Assembly’s straw poll over the weekend reflects the campaign’s strong grassroots support,” said spokesman Randy DeSoto. “We also saw it last month when hundreds of supporters came out for the campaign launch, and the momentum continues to build statewide.”

The Alaska Republican Assembly, along with its parent organization the National Federal of Republican Assemblies “NFRA,” self describe as the “Republican Wing of the Republican Party.” The group is committed to keeping the Party true to its platform of limited constitutional government, free market capitalism, a strong national defense, and traditional values. It does so through grassroots activism and identifying and supporting true conservative candidates for office. The Republican Assembly aligns with the principles championed by Ronald Reagan.

Featured speakers at Saturday’s Alaska Republican Assembly Convention included Rev. Rafael Cruz (father of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz), Sharron Angel (current president of NFRA), Willes Lee (NW Vice President of NFRA) and Sheriff and author Richard Mack.

Miller carried a reform message, in the vein of the Republican Assembly, to the GOP state convention in Juneau last month. He exhorted the delegates to resist the temptation to water down the Party platform, especially with regards to traditional values (life and family), along with other core issues. Quoting Reagan’s call to raise a banner of “bold colors, no “pale pastels,” he said, “If you want to defeat Mark Begich this fall, getting rid of the Reagan coalition is the wrong way to do it.”

“People realize Joe is the real deal. I believe that was reflected in this past weekend’s Republican Assembly straw poll results,” said DeSoto. “What he says is not just campaign rhetoric, but a real commitment to help change the current disastrous direction of our country and to restore constitutional government.”

Senior Political Analyst: ‘Very Clear Path to Victory’ for Miller in Alaska

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Alaska Republican Senate candidates, Joe Miller and Mead Treadwell, met this week for a debate hosted by the United for Liberty – Alaska/Conservative Patriots Group. Libertarian Mark Fish also met at the Wilda Marston Theater in Anchorage, Alaska, where roughly 200 people were in attendance. However, Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan was a no-show, leaving unanswered the recent questions raised over his position on climate change.

Following the debate, Joe Miller won the straw poll conducted by the debate sponsors, which was the second straw poll win for Miller in less than a week. In Wasilla last Saturday, during the inaugural convention of the Alaska Republican Assembly, Miller easily won the convention’s U.S. Senate straw poll with a whopping 76 percent of the vote.

The candidates traded blows on issues such as immigration, same-sex marriage and climate change. Miller has been hammering his opponents on their positions regarding climate change. The Alaska Dispatch recently ran a puff-piece story that accused Miller of “trying once again to carve out the far-right territory as a climate change denier, though without directly saying so.”

During the debate, Treadwell affirmed his belief in man-made climate change, otherwise known as global warming or whatever name they have decided to call it this week. Sullivan, who didn’t show up to clarify his position, is trying to straddle the middle ground, claiming there is no consensus on the issue. Sullivan enjoys the endorsement of The Club for Growth, a group that would no doubt oppose climate change legislation. Still, Sullivan has made repeated statements in the past that suggest a flip-flop on the issue.

Read more from this story HERE.

Joe Miller Wins Poll at Anchorage UFL-CPG U.S. Senate Debate

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U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller got another boost this week after being voted the winner of a debate with Republican Mead Treadwell and Libertarian Mark Fish. The exit poll followed the United for Liberty – Alaska/Conservative Patriots Group U.S. Senate debate at the Wilda Marston Theater in Anchorage and was conducted by the debate’s sponsors. There were approximately 200 people in attendance. The other Republican in the race, Dan Sullivan was a no-show.
 
“Joe’s second straw poll win in less than a week reflects the growing momentum the campaign has been seeing on the ground,” said spokesman Randy DeSoto. “Joe turned in a strong performance in the debate, proving he is the true conservative/reform candidate and is the right choice to represent the Republican Party against Senator Begich in the fall.”
 
Some major differences between Miller and Lt. Gov. Treadwell were highlighted during the debate, including Treadwell’s support for a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (Amnesty), as well as his support for the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). Miller opposes both. Miller’s opposition to LOST is, in part, based on the authority it grants the United Nations to directly tax and regulate the American people. Treadwell also affirmed his belief in man-caused climate change, a theory for which Miller believes the science is inconclusive.

 
One of the highlights of the debate came near its close when the candidates were given the opportunity to ask direct questions of each other. Miller inquired into Treadwell’s past support, financially and otherwise, of left-leaning Republicans and liberal Democrats over conservative challengers, including Lisa Murkowski, Matt Claman and Sheila Selkregg. All three are ardent backers of the big-government agenda, as well as socially liberal policies such as abortion and special rights for homosexuals. Miller questioned how Treadwell could be trusted to support a consistent conservative agenda in Washington when he has been unable or unwilling to do so in Alaska.

Treadwell claimed personal friendship was the reason he chose to support candidates who work against his stated values.
 
“Joe believes principle must trump party, and even friendship,” said DeSoto. “Without strong core convictions concerning fundamental issues, the pressures in Washington will quickly turn campaign rhetoric into false promises.”

Joe Miller is a husband, father, combat veteran, and advocate of Constitutional liberty who believes in individual rights, private property, free markets and the sanctity of human life.
 

Sullivan, Begich Funding Sources Raise Red Flags

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US Senate Candidate Joe Miller warned today of dire consequences should Alaskans reward powerful outside special interests by cooperating with their designs to buy Alaska’s senate seat.  

“It is instructive to look at where the money is coming from,” Miller said. “If money talks, as they say, Alaskans should be concerned. Any time you have powerful outside special interests lining up to give millions of dollars to candidates who claim to disagree with them, there ought to be some red flags going up.”

Both Democrat Mark Begich and Republican Dan Sullivan have donors and Independent Expenditure groups supporting them that have policy objectives contradicting the candidates’ rhetoric.

Dan Sullivan is running as a small-government fiscal and social conservative. In fact, last Friday on Anchorage talk radio, he went so far as to claim an allegiance to Tea Party principles. Yet many of his most prominent donors are card-carrying members of the Republican Establishment and long-time advocates of big government crony capitalism and socially liberal policies. 

For instance: 

•    Dan Sullivan has claimed to support traditional family values, yet his campaign is funded by Paul Singer and Friends for an American Majority to the tune of more than $150K to date. Singer has openly pushed for fundamental changes to the Republican Party, to include embracing gay marriage and amnesty for illegal aliens. He is reported to have funded LGBT efforts with more than 10 million dollars in recent years. In addition, three of the corporate executives numbered among Sullivan’s personal donors put their names to an amicus brief submitted in a February case before the Supreme Court advocating for gay marriage. Are we to believe that these folks are supporting Sullivan because he will be an advocate for traditional family values?
•    Sullivan claims to stand firmly against the Surveillance State, yet one of its architects is a personal donor – John Negroponte, George W. Bush’s first National Intelligence Director, who oversaw the integration of all sixteen intelligence agencies (both military and civilian, foreign and domestic), inclusive of the modern-day NSA.
•    Sullivan claims to be aligned with the Tea Party, yet he is endorsed by the US Chamber of Commerce that has pledged no less than 50 million dollars to defeat Tea Party candidates across the country. He is also backed by Karl Rove’s American Crossroads SuperPAC, and has the strong backing of Lindsey Graham and John McCain’s Political Action Committees. In Alaska, he counts among his supporters infamous former ARP Chair Randy Ruedrich and current Party Vice-Chair Frank McQueary, both of whom have been at war with the conservative wing of the state party for years. 

•    Sullivan claims to be a fiscal conservative, yet counts among his personal donors many of the architects of the bailouts – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Big Banks, Wall Street and the IMF – and numerous other magnates of international finance. These include: former President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick; President and CEO of the Institute of International Finance, Timothy Adams; Goldman Sachs Executive, Faryar Shizad; former Chairman of the Board of the New York Federal Reserve, Stephan Friedman; Rockefeller and Co. CEO, Reuben Jeffrey III; the wife of former Bush Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson; and former Bush Chief of Staff Josh Bolton of Rock Creek Global. 
•    Sullivan claims to want to “fight for Alaska,” but his campaign is funded in large part by lobbyists, attorneys and executives from multinational corporations such as General Electric, Time Warner Cable, Facebook, Abercrombie and Fitch, Exxon Mobile, BP, Rio Tinto, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, The World Bank, The Institute of International Finance, JH Whitney and Co., Boeing, Microsoft, IMB, and more. When tough choices come regarding America’s financial future, who do you think he’ll listen to?

Senator Mark Begich, on the other hand, is circulating a petition on social media decrying the effects of the Citizens United decision on politics. 

However, just this week “Put Alaska First PAC,” a “dark money” group working for Begich’s re-election, transacted a $4 million media buy, a unprecedented amount for a small market like Alaska. The very next day, the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee announced that it had bought $3.5 million in advertising. When combined with Begich’s reported $2.8 million on hand, the junior senator already has more than $10 million dollars committed to his re-election.

Mark Begich’s hypocrisy in this regard is staggering. 

He has taken millions in PAC money from multinational corporations and big labor already, and it’s only May. Undoubtedly there will be more independent expenditures to come, as Barack Obama and Harry Reid pull out all the stops in an attempt to hold a Democrat Majority in the US Senate.

Joe Miller concluded, “There’s a lot of cognitive dissonance out there. But at the end of the day, whether one is propped up by big multinational corporations, big government crony capitalists, big labor, or other Washington special interests, what Alaskans want to know is who will stand and fight for their Constitutional liberties. It is apparent that the big-monied Washington interests believe they can buy Alaska’s senate seat. The consequences of that would be catastrophic. I don’t believe Alaskans will cooperate.”

Sullivan, Treadwell Try to Hide Their 2010 Support for Murkowski

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republican-democrat-battleIn an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, US Senate candidates Dan Sullivan and Mead Treadwell tried to deceive Alaskans about their support for one of the most liberal “Republicans” in the United States Senate during Alaska’s 2010 US Senate race.
 
According to the AP, “Sullivan, who was Alaska’s attorney general during the 2010 elections, told a reporter he didn’t publicly take sides in that race. He said he was neutral, as someone in his position at the time should be.”
 
Yet, just a few months back, Sullivan himself reportedly claimed in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that, acting as Attorney General, he spearheaded the effort to assist the write-in candidate by arguing – in clear violation of State Administrative Code – that write-in candidates’ information would be allowed in polling places.
 
His double-speak becomes even more outrageous when one considers the fact that the move was unprecedented in Alaska and opposed by both the state Democrat and Republican Parties. Sullivan was obviously under no legal obligation to support Murkowski’s write-in candidacy and argue the case from the same side her campaign did.
 
According to District Court Judge Frank Pfiffner, Sullivan’s argument was “illogical” and in clear violation of at least four separate laws: the relevant Administrative Code, the Administrative Procedures Act, electioneering Statutes, and the Voter Rights Act which required pre-clearance from the Department of Justice.
 
While the Alaska Supreme Court overturned the lower court decision, it is noteworthy that they chose not to address Judge Pfiffner’s concerns. The High Court issued no written opinion offering the legal justification why Pfiffner’s lengthy decision and interpretation of the clear requirements of the law was in error. This has led many to believe the Supreme Court’s decision was a purely political, and has only fed popular discontent with its activist proclivities.
 
United Press International also reported that the non-statutory standards deployed during the 2010 vote-count in Juneau, in direct violation of Alaska Statute, came at the advice of then-Attorney General Dan Sullivan.
 
Sullivan’s breaking with historic precedent to circumvent the plain text of the law in order to provide an advantage to one candidate is anything but remaining neutral. There is little doubt, if the shoe were on the other foot and Senator Murkowski was the party nominee facing a write-in challenger, the law would have been interpreted as it always had been.
 
Treadwell’s claim of neutrality is equally troubling. Not only did Treadwell make public statements in 2010 meant to convey the message that he supported the write-in campaign, he was reportedly pressuring Governor Parnell behind the scenes to endorse Murkowski over Miller, a charge he has declined to challenge in private conversation.
 
Further, Treadwell presided over a white-washing of the 2010 election, refusing to allow an independent investigation, despite serious allegations of fraud levied by eye-witnesses in sworn affidavits, under penalty of perjury.
 
Treadwell now travels the state peddling his wares as a Constitutional Conservative. Yet somehow he wants to forget that Lisa Murkowski went back to Washington and offered Barack Obama bi-partisan legitimacy by voting for every piece of his 2010 “lame duck” agenda immediately following the election (which included the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ the new START Treaty, the DREAM Act, and a partial repeal of the Bush era tax cuts), fought for funding for Planned Parenthood, accused Republicans of a “war on women,” came out in support of Anchorage Prop. 5 (ENDA), voted multiple times to raise the debt ceiling, helped confirm numerous activist judges . . . and the list goes on.
 
How did Mead Treadwell respond to all this? When asked by Politico Magazine last spring, Treadwell said, “I voted for Lisa Murkowski in the primary and in the general, and I think Alaskans made the right decision.”
 
Since then, Murkowski has come out in support of gay marriage, and continued her trajectory as a big spending, big government politician. It was reported in Roll Call earlier this year that Senator Murkowski voted with Barack Obama over 72 percent of the time, making her the second most likely Republican Senator to do so, falling only slightly behind Susan Collins of Maine. Indeed her support for the President’s agenda is far closer to Democrat Mark Begich than to most of the Republican caucus. Pretty hard to run against a Democrat whose voting record is similar to your Republican mentor.

Perhaps Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Treadwell need a civics lesson. We have a representative form of government. The folks we send to Washington represent us. If you vote to send someone to Washington to represent you, you are responsible for what they do. In a very real sense, you did it.
 
Forgive the Editorial team at Restoring Liberty if we don’t buy the claims of neutrality and high sounding rhetoric about Party loyalty coming from folks who selectively choose when it applies. From where we sit, it sounds a lot like the same political double-speak we’re used to hearing from big government politicians.

Miller Blasts Begich for Climate Change Deception

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Joe Miller today blasted Democrat Mark Begich for his full-on embrace this week of Barack Obama’s newly released Climate Change Assessment. Begich is calling for an end to scientific debate and for immediate action. 

“Mark Begich wants to have it both ways,” Miller said. “On the one hand, he uncritically accepts this administration’s alarmist conclusions and demands action. But on the other hand, he’s trying to distance himself from Obama’s proposed agenda, even to the point of disavowing ‘solutions’ he advocated for when it wasn’t election season.”

Mark Begich signed a 2010 letter to Harry Reid urging decisive action on climate change, stating, “We believe the scale of this challenge dictates the need for a comprehensive solution that includes making polluters pay through a price on greenhouse gas emissions.”

Apparently, our junior senator is unaware that there are good reasons to doubt the alarmists’ conclusions. For instance: 

•    A recent study conducted by the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks concluded that the average temperature in Alaska declined by 2.34 degrees between 2000-2010.

•    A Fox News story last fall cited a National Snow and Ice Data Center report of a 60% increase in Arctic sea ice just between 2012-2013.

•    In a CNSNews article this spring, a Canadian evolutionary biologist warned that Arctic polar bears could be threatened by too much sea ice.

President Obama and Mark Begich’s pronouncements of an end to the scientific debate regarding climate change are based not on any new or conclusive findings of the scientific community, but on a willingness of ideologically driven politicians to exercise raw power to move their agenda forward.

Miller concluded, “What’s important is not what Mark Begich says this year, it’s what we know he will do next year if we give him another term in the United States Senate. We have watched him carry the water for Barack Obama and Harry Reid for five years now. Last year alone, he voted with the President 97% of the time. If Mark Begich is not in agreement with Barack Obama’s policies, why has he not put up a fight against this administration’s enactment of its anti-development climate change agenda through unlawful executive actions and bureaucratic fiat?”

Miller: It’s Not Federal Overreach, It’s Tyranny (+video)

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Screen Shot 2014-04-27 at 1.57.34 AMThis past Friday, I joined the two other candidates vying for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate in the first televised forum of the campaign season. One of the questions put to us at the “Alaska Asks” forum, which aired on the local NBC affiliate, addressed the role the federal government should play in our state. I said, in contrast to my opponents, we are not dealing merely with an issue of federal overreach, but a form of tyranny.

The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to control over two-thirds of Alaska’s land, nor approximately 85 percent of Nevada’s. The stand-off in that state and the government shutdown last fall, during which Alaskans were denied the opportunity to hunt and provide for their families on these lands as an act of political retaliation, highlighted a federal government that exercises far too much control over our daily lives and livelihoods.

The federal government’s continued stranglehold on Alaska’s resource development, as other states like North Dakota boom economically, is unacceptable. The EPA’s armed raid of a family mining facility in Chicken, Alaska last fall demonstrates just how out of control Washington is. 

We need fundamental reform. Tweaking at the margins and increasing the go-along-to-get-along caucus in the Senate will do nothing to address the daunting challenges we face. 

Ronald Reagan said nearly 50 years ago, “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction.” 

Let us do our part to ensure America remains the land of “the free and the home of the brave” in our time, and let us set an example for generations yet to come.

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It the highlights below, the candidates field questions concerning the federal government’s blocking of resource development in Alaska, Senator Rand Paul’s “Life at Conception” Act, and the constitutional issues raised by the surveillance state.

 

Gen. Jerry Boykin Endorses Joe Miller for U.S. Senate

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BY12G01_NORMALFollowing Joe Miller’s successful campaign launch earlier this week in front of a crowd of over 200 supporters, Lieutenant General (Ret.) William G. “Jerry” Boykin announced his endorsement of Miller for U.S. Senate. Boykin currently serves as Executive Director of the Family Research Council and formerly served as commander of the U.S. Army’s elite “Delta Force” among his many leadership assignments during his 36 year military career.

General Boykin’s endorsement statement reads in full:

“It is a great privilege to express my sincere support for and endorsement of Joe Miller for the US Senate. At a time when America needs leaders rather than professional politicians, Joe Miller is the man that Alaskans should send to Washington. A West Point graduate, Joe has served his nation in the uniform of a United States Army officer, making him one of a dwindling number of leaders in America to have done so.

“As a dedicated father and devoted husband, Joe embraces the family values that will help keep America strong. Joe Miller is a strong conservative on issues of National Security, Smaller Government and fiscal constraint, and Social issues like life and family. On all the core issues that conservatives hold dear, Joe is rock solid. I will be doing all I can to support Joe and I will be watching the polls on election night with great anticipation of Joe Miller being chosen to represent the fine men and women of Alaska in the US Senate.”

Miller responded to the endorsement stating, “I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the endorsement of a man I respect so deeply and who has served our country with such distinction. General Boykin is at the forefront of the fight to restore our nation’s cultural foundations of faith and family.”

Ronald Reagan said nearly 50 years ago, “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.”

“I thank General Boykin for his support of my candidacy, and I pledge to do all I can to steer the government back towards its core mission of securing Americans’ God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said Miller.

U.S. Senate Candidate Joe Miller Draws Large Crowd for Campaign Kickoff (+video)

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Redemption makes for a powerful story. So does being an underdog who claims to speak truth to power. Of the three candidates running to be the Republican nominee in the U.S. Senate race–Joe Miller, Mead Treadwell and Dan Sullivan–only Miller can claim both. Both Treadwell and Sullivan have much going for them, but they don’t have the power of those two stories.

This wasn’t lost on the fired up crowd of as many as 200 on Monday night at the Wasilla Lake Resort where they gathered for Miller’s official campaign kickoff. As most know, Miller ran in 2010, won the primary, and then suffered a devastating loss to Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s write-in bid. It was a brutal campaign, and Miller’s reputation took a beating.

But some things are different this time. Miller’s official campaign kickoff in 2010 was in the town square in Anchorage. About 12 people showed, said Mark Fish, who has been one of Miller’s main volunteers from the beginning. “I think I begged six of my libertarian friends to come,” Fish said.

And Miller appears to be softer and more relaxed this time around. On the stage on Monday, he was even able to poke fun of the fact that in 2010, a member of his “security” detail handcuffed Alaska Dispatch editor Tony Hopfinger at a campaign event. Referring to his young children who were sitting next to him who are taking martial arts, Miller said that this time “we decided to have in-house security.”

It was probably the loudest laugh line of the night from a crowd that wasn’t shy about laughing, as well as yelling out an occasional “Amen,” or “Say it like it is Joe.”

The event lasted more than 2 hours, and featured national radio talk show host Lars Larson. Tim Macy, vice chairman of the Gun Owners of America, flew up that morning from California for the event. Adele Morgan and Paul Wainamo sang songs about God and country. Speeches about liberty, guns and God were made. It was a classic Wasilla tea party, with some beer on tap.

Before Miller spoke, they showed the above three minute video about Miller and his life. It’s easy to forget that Miller actually has an impressive resume. He went to West Point and has a law degree from Yale. He was awarded the Bronze Star in Desert Storm. He has a masters in economics from UAF. And he was raised by poor parents in Kansas. He has eight kids, and is now a grandfather. And he now will have run twice for U.S. Senate and has developed a large following.

Another thing that’s changed since 2010: Miller has developed a stump speech that is actually digestible. He still talks with passion about repealing ObamaCare, abolishing the IRS, and federal overreach. But he doesn’t go on and on. And on Monday, he peppered his speech with the personal. He told a story about being a little boy with a disfigured lip from a fall. He alluded to being bullied because of it. He talked about working for his father’s bookstore and mowing lawns to get enough money to pay for an operation to fix it. He raised the money, took the bus to Wichita, and got his lip fixed.

He was only in 7th grade.

The money is going to be tight for Miller. Although all told he has about $300,000 cash on hand, he only raised $101,000 last quarter. Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell has less cash on hand, but he has name recognition and long history in the state. The big money is on former DNR Commissioner Dan Sullivan, who raised $1.4 million last quarter alone and has about $2 million on hand.

But then again, Miller won the last primary with only $300,000 against Murkowski’s huge war chest.

Miller didn’t mention Sullivan in his speech, but it’s clear that he’s going to attack him as the establishment candidate who is supported by those partaking in “generational theft,” and by the “same forces” that fought him so hard in the last election.

I asked him what’s different since the last election and why he thinks he can win now when he didn’t then.

He pointed to the crowd. “Look at this,” he said. “This is different.”

Posted in full, courtesy of Amanda Coyne. You can visit her website here.

Contact Amanda Coyne at [email protected]