Guess we just have to keep an eye out and make sure we support our local tea bagger candidates.
Washington (CNN)- Democrats will get a boost if the Tea Party movement fields its own candidates in this year's Congressional elections, according to a new national poll.
A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday morning also indicates that the 13 percent of American voters who say they are part of the Tea Party movement tend to be mainly white and Republican.
According to the poll, Americans say they'll vote for a Republican over a Democrat in the November elections by a 44 to 39 percent margin.
But the addition of a Tea Party candidate to the ballot changes the dynamic: The Republican candidate drops dramatically to 25 percent and the Democrat only slightly to 36 percent, while 15 percent would back the Tea Party candidate.
(snip)
According to the Quinnipiac University poll, nearly three-quarters of the voters who consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement say they are Republicans or Independents who lean Republican, and just 16 percent say they are Democrats or Independents who lean Democratic. More than 75 percent who say they are part of the Tea Party movement say they voted for John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, and 15 percent say they voted for Barack Obama. Nearly 9 in 10 are white.
The new Coffee Party movement deemed its official kickoff Saturday a "huge success," with dozens of talks held at coast-to-coast coffee shops as members came together to discuss the issues most important to them.
Billed by many as an answer to the conservative Tea Party movement, the Coffee Party was born on Facebook just six weeks ago. While the group has become an instant hit online -- it boasts more than 141,000 Facebook fans as of Saturday -- gauging the success of this weekend's coffee meetups was predicted to be an indicator of the group's strength.
Who knew beverages would generate such political involvement? I feel like I'm gonna burst from all these liquids. Give me a solid Progressive party any time.
Tawk amongst y'selves:
At Java Monkey in Decatur, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, coordinator Stacey Hopkins said turnout far exceeded expectations, with around 60 people participating at the "very productive" meeting where health care reform was the overriding issue. [...]
Coffee Party founder Annabel Park, who worked as a volunteer for Barack Obama's presidential campaign and Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia's 2006 campaign, says the group is not "aligned" with any party and calls the two-party system out of date.
If you link to the article, you'll see they have a few things in common with the Tea Tantrumers, except for that whole civility thing. It's all about a revolution.
If you thought there was a punch line coming, you were right:
So what does the Tea Party movement think of this new sensation?
"This Coffee Party looks like a weak attempt at satire or a manufactured response to a legitimate widespread grassroots movement," says Brendan Steinhauser, director of federal and state campaigns for FreedomWorks, a nonprofit conservative organization that helps train volunteer activists and has provided much of the organizational heft behind the Tea Party movement.
"It's driven from the top down and it's not a grass-roots movement driven from the bottom up," Jim Hoft of the St. Louis Tea Party said.
Oh oh, I don't think this will do any of them any good with their rabid base. Looks like JD has that all sewn up.
(CNN) - The newest member of the Senate will soon hit the 2010 campaign trail for Arizona Sen. John McCain.
A McCain source confirms Sen. Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, will campaign with the 2008 Republican presidential nominee in early March. McCain is facing a primary challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth.
(snip)
Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will also hit the campaign trail for McCain at the end of March.
The next major Capitol Hill protest, planned for Tuesday, plans to simulate dying inside the Senate office buildings. Here's a direct quote:
"So here's the plan... We call this plan 'Government Waiting Rooms.' The intention is to go inside the Senate offices and hallways, and play out the role of patients waiting for treatment in government controlled medical facilities. As the day goes on some of us will pretend to die from our untreated illnesses and collapse on the floor. Many of us plan to stay there until they force us to leave."
The next words out of Carlson’s mouth were “ You’re looking at footage from when the bus rolled through Las Vegas last month.” What? They did not have any footage of the “thousands” at the kickoff rally? After the absolutely shameless promotion of the first Tea Party Express, including embedding Griff Jenkins on the bus and live coverage of its numerous stops as it rolled inexorably towards Washington D.C. and culminating with a Fox producer whipping up the crowd for the live shots, Fox did not use live footage of the kickoff of Tea Party II. Even the local Fox affiliate does not have live footage on their web site. A quick perusal of the front page of Fox News website revealed no mention of the bus, though Fox Nation had a mention.
(snip)
And what is the reason for going from such heavy promotion of the Tea Parties to such light coverage? Is Fox embarrassed at the antics of the crowds, with the Obama as Hitler and the “We came unarmed, this time” signs? Or did the slap from the Obama administration cause them to rethink their overt role in creating the news instead of just reporting it? We may never know. Julie's recent post about the weekend Fox & Friends notwithstanding, it seems obvious to this observer that, at least in relation to the Tea Party bus, there has been a sea change in the way that Fox is covering this story.
Transcript of Tea Tantrumer Crabill, who makes Sarah the Quitter look nearly sane:
Resolutions passed at the 2009 state convention, resolution number seven in recognition of the tea parties.
Whereas citizens of the United States of American have begun to recognize the destructive nature of the Democrat administration, and the Democrat congress’ taxing and spending and borrowing policies; Whereas under the first amendment of the United States Constitution citizens have taken upon themselves the task of organizing and attending the tea party protests; Whereas the ideals expressed in the Virginia Republican creed reflect the ideals, goals, and spirt of these tea parties.
[snip]
"If war is inevitable, then let it come. I repeat, sir, let it come."
We have a chance to fight this battle at the ballot box, before we have to resort to the bullet box. But that is the beauty of our second amendment right. I am glad all of us enjoy our firearms for hunting, but make no mistake, that was not the intent of the Founding Fathers. Our second amendment right was to guard against tyranny.
"I think it is important for all of us to remember that Americans are not the enemy. The terrorists are," the American Legion's national commander, David K. Rehbein, said in a letter to Napolitano.
With friends like Crabill...
If we're lucky, she'll join forces with Michele Bachmann. Bachmann/Crabill 2012! And that's only because Sarah the Quitter is too busy making money to get on the ticket. And even if she did, she'd drop out before the race was over.
Roeder's ex-wife, Lindsey Roeder, said her husband became obsessed with anti-government theories and abortion in the early '90s and that it poisoned their 10-year marriage. The couple had one son and Lindsey Roeder told reporters Monday she insisted on custody because she feared for the child's safety.
"The anti-tax stuff came first, and then it grew and grew. He became very antiabortion," she told the Associated Press. "That's all he cared about is antiabortion. 'The church is this. God is this. Yadda yadda.' "
Anti-tax? Why, that has a familiar ring to it? Think, think... who else is anti-tax?
CNN is still carrying President Obama's Missouri town hall meeting. MSNBC cut away after one question, and seems to be picking up bits and pieces instead. Apparently, the president's efforts to communicate with America isn't worth their time. It's more important to scare the daylights out of us about swine flu in between ads for erectile dysfunction meds.
I paraphrased the second half of this quote, because Blogger wouldn't open up quickly enough for me type/catch it all. But here's the gist:
"When you see folks wave tea bags around", [I am happy to talk rationally to them about health care].
Mark Karlin, my pal from BuzzFlash, wrote this post. I will offer you a teaser:
When a man steps up to a urinal, he doesn't expect bodily harm.
But such were the number of male teabaggers with styrofoam posters standing astride each other in a washroom at a downtown Chicago commuter station that I was poked and prodded as I relieved myself.
Amidst the jostling, a man yelled out "Any teabaggers in here or what?"
For a moment, I thought it was Michael (Steve Carell) from "The Office," but it wasn't. This wasn't a droll comedy; it was a sad for-real one.
For the rest of Mark's first-hand account, go here.
And for the record, let me add that I am proud to be a socialist, communist, pinko, fascist, liberal, America-hating, pajama-clad blogger.
FOX News wants you to Teabag the White House. The GOP mouthpiece is blatantly promoting mock tea parties across the country and is sending its anchors out to rally the Teabaggers. As such, it’s your patriotic duty to Teabag FOX News and spread the truth.
FOX News anchor Griff Jenkins invites you to “Teabag the White House.”
But, to quote Twisted Sister, we ain't gonna take it any more:
FOX wants you to believe the tea parties are part of a grassroots movement, but these events are being organized by the corporate lobbyists at FreedomWorks. [...]
The RNC is distorting the truth with the help of ally FOX News, and some misguided Americans are buying it.
Our goal is to let FOX News know that Americans are fed up with their bias and misinformation.
With your help, we will build a coalition which proves that the Teabaggers are not the silent majority but far-right radicals.
Feel free to send tips or inquiries to info@teabagfoxnews.com
Fox incited the teabag throwers. Um, Fox? That's a huge no-no. So much for all that patriotism and respect for the office of the presidency.
Tomorrow, tea baggers in Pittsburg, KS, plan to hold their protest at the Pittsburg State University Veterans Memorial Amphitheater. Speaking at that event will be Rep. Lynne Jenkins (R-KS). Veterans are expressing concerns at having a partisan event on this “hallowed ground“:
– “It’s everybody’s right to have a protest, but our complaint is that it’s at the Veterans Memorial. Most people think of the Veterans Memorial as a sacred place. It’s a place to reflect, to remember why we’re here today and the people who have sacrificed for that.” [Bob Torbett, director of the American Legion Riders and a member of the Kansas Patriot Guard]
– “I’m not so sure the Veterans Memorial is the appropriate place for a tax protest.” [Charles Heath, Commander of American Legion Post 64]
– “This is something that really upset me. The Veterans Memorial, as far as I’m concerned, is hallowed ground. To have a partisan, political ‘tea party’ there really offends my sensibilities.” [Bob Torbett, veteran of the Korean War]
When asked for comment, Jenkins’s spokesperson said that while the congresswoman has the “utmost respect” for veterans, “What’s going on in Washington now, with spending and taxes, affects everyone – from veterans to small businesses and single moms and working families. The congresswoman feels it’s important to talk about these issues.”
One prominent Rushpublic coughed up the lame excuse that it was one of the only places that was big enough for a sizeable crowd of bigots tea partiers.
Here's an idea, Teabaggers: Use a Wal-Mart parking lot.
At one of the many "Tea Party" protests, this one in Cleveland, not a single participant believes that President Obama was born in the US. Numerous McCain Palin voters, even the organizer, refused to say Barack Obama was born in the US.
The following is a very astute post and should be required reading for anyone who doesn't get (and even those who do) exactly what is behind the so-called Tea Parties.
We can make all the "teabagger" jokes we want (And I am not suggesting we stop... I sure won't. I live for the Rachel Maddows and Ana Marie Coxes, among others.), but the underlying motives, per the lengthy copy-and-paste below, are hateful, racist, and dangerous. Think: John McCain's/Sarah Palin's 2008 election crowds on crack:
Many white supremacists report planning to attend Tea Parties or already have and some are looking for a way to recruit into their White Nationalist movement. There’s an awful lot of Tea Party chatter among these folks. Why doesn’t the media cover this angle? Here’s a telling and typical comment from Stormfront.org:
Ladies and gentlemen, I think every WN needs to not only attend the April 15th Tea Party nearest you (I’m going to the Alamo in San Antonio) but then stay involved and help provide leadership to this movement.
I believe that this is the white revolution we’ve been waiting for.
It doesn’t look what we expected but this is it.
I’ve seen probably 50 videos on TV showing previous marches and what strikes me is that the participants are all WHITE. It stands to reason . . . we’re the ones being taxed to support Affirmative Action, Welfare and other worthless social programs. It’s our tax dollars going to ACORN and supporting the 12 million illegals swarming into our neighborhoods.
I would urge news media and citizen journalists covering the tea parties to scratch below the surface to get at the rotting racist underbelly of these protests and ask revealing questions like these top five:
“How do you know Obama is a socialist?”,
“Do you believe Obama’s presidency is a conspiracy by the Jews and Blacks?”,
“Who do you think Obama takes his orders from?”,
“Is Barack Obama an American citizen like you?”,
“How do you feel about having a black president in the White House - what’s the worst that could happen?”
1) Is it unique to Obama, i.e. is it a phrase we’ve never heard before applied to any other presidential candidate ever or is it something we haven’t heard in recent memory? For example: elitist or drug seller.
2) Is it illogical or impossible - does the assertion plainly contradict the facts? For example: elitist, drug seller or tax raiser.
3) Is it repeated, over and over, by a desperate person whose team is falling in the polls & who adopts a wide-eyed, credulous, nodding stare pronouncing the lie slowly and precisely with a watchful eye to see if the listeners are buying it. For example: elitist, drug seller, tax raiser or terrorist.
Optional: Does the assertion cause nervousness, embarrassment or confusion among non-blacks? When other white people such as Tom Brokaw sense something wrong and start to ask questions like “Do you really believe that?”, you know for sure you’re in the racist attack zone.
Here’s the new criteria for an undercover racist attack:
1) Is it unique to Obama, i.e. is it a phrase we’ve never heard before applied to any other president or is it something we haven’t heard in recent memory? For example: he’s not an American citizen or he’s a socialist who’s planning re-education camps for young people.
2) Is it illogical or impossible - does the assertion plainly contradict the facts? For example: not an American citizen, socialist, tax raiser, re-education camps for young people.
3) Is it repeated, over and over, by a desperate person whose team lost badly in the last election & who adopts a wide-eyed, credulous, nodding stare pronouncing the lie slowly and precisely with a watchful eye to see if the listeners are buying it. For example: not an American citizen, socialist, elitist, drug seller, tax raiser or terrorist.
Optional: Does the assertion cause nervousness, embarrassment or confusion among non-blacks? When other white people such as Tom Brokaw or John Stewart sense something wrong and start to ask questions like “Do you really believe that?”, you know for sure you’re in the racist attack zone.
[...] My main concern here is that the heated rhetoric around the protests could lead to violence against African-Americans, Jews and Latinos if some Tea Party recruits go from non-violent to violent. That’s why it’s important to drag the masked racism here out into the daylight so we can deal with it and force denials from their movement leaders before certain elements become more brazen and people start getting hurt.
I share those concerns. The corporate media have concentrated on crowd sizes, jump-cut-laden visual loops, montages of hand-painted signs, endless shots of tea bag-waving protesters, and the word "taxes". Unsurprisingly, they have yet to investigate anything beyond the superficial.
While peaceful protest is perfectly acceptable and healthy, it's time to put a stop to bloodthirsty extremists who encourage and fuel blatant hostility, hatred, and outright violence.
Radio and television host Glenn Beck has decided to back out as keynote speaker for the San Antonio Tea Party. He announced on his radio program on Thursday morning that he is concerned his presence may distract from the message the organizers are trying to send.
If there's one thing Crying Glenn wouldn't want to do, it's distract a crowd that's into teabagging.
Beck will host his TV show live from Alamo Plaza from 4 to 5 p.m.. He will also be hosting a fund-raising luncheon at the Menger Hotel. Attendees will have a chance to meet with him, have their picture taken and receive an autographed copy of his book, “An Inconvenient Book.” [...] All funds raised through this event will go to cover the costs of putting on the event, which the San Antonio Tea Party planners estimate to be well over $60,000.
Ted Nugent will be attending the Tea Party and performing the National Anthem.
Despite these attempts to make the “movement” appear organic, the principle organizers of the local events are actually the lobbyist-run think tanks Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Works. The two groups are heavily staffed and well funded, and are providing all the logistical and public relations work necessary for planning coast-to-coast protests:
– Freedom Works staffers coordinate conference calls among protesters, contacting conservative activists to give them “sign ideas, sample press releases, and a map of events around the country.”
– Freedom Works staffers apparently moved to “take over” the planning of local events in Florida.
– Freedom Works provides how-to guides for delivering a “clear message” to the public and media.
– Freedom Works has severaldomain addresses — some of them made to look like they were set up by amateurs — to promote the protests.
This type of corporate ‘astroturfing‘ is nothing new to either organization. While working to promote Social Security privatization, Freedom Works was caught planting one of its operatives as a “single mom” to ask questions to President Bush in a town hall on the subject. Last year, the Wall Street Journal exposed Freedom Works for similarly building “amateur-looking” websites to promote the lobbying interests of Dick Armey, the former Republican Majority Leader who now leads Freedom Works and is a lobbyist for the firm DLA Piper.
Americans for Prosperity is run by Tim Phillips, who was Ralph Reed’s former partner in the lobbying firm Century Strategies. The group is funded by Koch family foundations — a family whose wealth is derived from the oil industry. Indeed Americans for Prosperity has coordinated pro-drilling ‘grassroots‘ events around the country.
This afternoon, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, leader of the corporate-funded American Solutions for Winning the Futures (ASWF), blasted an e-mail to his supporters with a reminder to attend the protests, along with a "Toolkit" of talking points. Gingrich's ASWF is funded by polluters and helped orchestrate the "Drill Here, Drill Now" campaign last summer. ASWF has been an official "partner" in the tea party effort since at least March.
All that so-called Rushpublic folksiness (think: Sarah Palin's Rushpublic convention speech) and grassrootsiness amount to nothing but a front for the usual corporate puppeteers pulling the usual strings of the usual Stepford puppets who carry out their usual destructive, psycho tasks.
Will the corporate media call them out? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear your answer. It was drowned out by a big, loud, ear-splitting corporate "No!"
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