Tea Partiers Sue over Party Name

By GottaLaff

Let's see if we can follow this: The Party of No unifies around a message of obstruction. But the Tea Baggers are obstructing too, only they're blocking each other. They aren't joining in each other's reindeer games. And within the Tea Bagger gang, there are a couple of different Tea Bagger gangs who sit at different lunch tables and won't share Twinkies with their brethren. But they do have the words "tea" and "party" in common.

And that turns out to be a problem:

On April 14, a U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, Florida, saw papers filed from more than one faction of the fractious movement each claiming the intellectual property rights to the name "Tea Party."

Intellectual? That must be a typo. There is nothing "intellectual" about Tea Tantrumers.

Let's recap:

The unruly group within a larger unruly group that won't play with the other unruly group but shares a common name wants control of the name that the various unruly groups claim ownership of as opposed to affiliating themselves with the GOP.

Clear?

Short version: They're going to federal court over the name "Tea Party".

That would be the same federal court that is "organized under the Constitution and laws of the federal government of the United States." The very same one that infringes on the Tea Tantrumers' liberties. Yeah, that one.

Will you excuse me for a minute? I need some popcorn and a refreshing beverage with a bendy straw.

And because it just wouldn't be millennial politics, or legal actions for that matter, without a little mud-slinging, each side is calling the other's political loyalties into question.

See how amusing splitting the Republican vote can be?

More here.

H/t: Coopster04

Tony Perkins warns GOP that supporters could switch to Tea Party

By GottaLaff

On April Fool's Day, Tony Perkins came out with this:

"If you can't run a party, you can't run a country."

He told donors to withhold their money, to refrain from donating to the RNC. And he wasn't April Fooling.

Today is April 8th. It only took Perkins a week to come up with a new quote or twelve:

“I think the Republicans have to realize they're not operating in a vacuum. Now, while Democrats may be in trouble coming into November's election, the Republicans are not the only game in town,” Perkins told us on ABC’s “Top Line” today.

“As we see the Tea Party movement taking on a life of its own, the Republicans have some competition, which I think is actually good for the conservative vote. And they're going to have to be responsible with how they spend their money, they're going to have to be I think very measured in their message, and that they are embracing a conservative message …. ”

Shorter Perkins: Shape up or we go all Tea Tantrum on you.

Shorter 2010 elections:

Tea Party movement threatened by internal rifts

By GottaLaff

If the Tea Partiers are more popular than the Rushpublics, and there is infighting and splintering, then this report must mean that the splintered are splintering. So maybe the splintery Tea Partiers and Rushpublics are reducing themselves to sawdust, which will save us a lot of work:

But there are fractures in the movement that threaten its future. And if history's any guide, such movements tend to flame out. [...]

The movement, made up of local, state and national groups, continues to protest what it considers fiscally unsound policies.

And the movement is well funded. Action groups like FreedomWorks -- chaired by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey -- helped organize and fund its April 15 rally in Washington.

Other groups, including Americans for Prosperity, Tea Party Nation and Tea Party Patriots, are also vying for the helm of the movement, and it's creating what some are calling "competitive chaos."

Some Tea Partiers have voiced anger and concern over whether the powerful groups are "astroturfing'' what is supposed to be a grass-roots coalition -- the idea that the movement is being organized by old-fashioned GOP bigwigs to promote their agenda.

There is much more here.

New Rx for Health Plan: Split Bill

By GottaLaff

Rachel Maddow is, coincidentally, discussing this very thing right now with Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sanders' take? If you have Republicans stonewalling, and have no support from them, then you have to say no to their filibusters, and come up with legislation. He goes on to say that America is disgusted with Big Insurance, and a million people are going bankrupt per year... so, you deal with reform, expand health service, get primary care doctors into rural areas, do more about prevention and quality control, so there's a lot to do quickly... and we can tackle the harder issues a few months down the line.

That said, here's the latest:

The White House and Senate Democratic leaders, seeing little chance of bipartisan support for their health-care overhaul, are considering a strategy shift that would break the legislation into two parts and pass the most expensive provisions solely with Democratic votes. [...]

Democrats hope a split-the-bill plan would speed up a vote and help President Barack Obama meet his goal of getting a final measure by year's end.

Most legislation in the Senate requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, but certain budget-related measures can pass with 51 votes through a piece of parliamentary sleight-of-hand called reconciliation.

In recent days, Democratic leaders have concluded they can pack more of their health overhaul plans under this procedure, congressional aides said. They might even be able to include a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers, a key demand of the party's liberal wing, but that remains uncertain.

Other parts of the Democratic plan would be put to a separate vote in the Senate, including the requirement that Americans have health insurance. It also would set new rules for insurers, such as requiring they accept anyone, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. This portion of the health-care overhaul has already drawn some Republican support and wouldn't involve new spending, leading Democratic leaders to believe they could clear the 60-vote hurdle.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the key decision-maker on whether to use the tactic, but several congressional aides said White House officials are being kept abreast of the talks. "We will not make a decision to pursue reconciliation until we have exhausted efforts to produce a bipartisan bill," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Mr. Reid. "However, patience is not unlimited, and we are determined to get something done this year by any legislative means necessary."

Privately, those involved in the talks now say there is a 60% chance the split-bill tactic will be used. Mr. Obama is huddling with aides next week, and Senate leaders are likely to review their options when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day.

The likelihood of a strategy shift has grown after the negative response of Republicans to overtures of compromise.

Much more here.