I haven’t been a big fan of the Tea Party convention in Nashville. It seems to kind of go against what it felt like to be a part of it last year. Meaning, it felt grassroots. It felt organic. When I went to the tax day Tea Party in Nashville I figured I’d be with about 500 people. But thousands showed up through word or mouth. It didn’t seem all that organized and I liked that. Same with the DC Rally. It was surprising.
Now the Tea Party movement has gotten itself pseudo-organized I guess. This convention may or may not be a good thing. The Tea Party on one hand wants to be taken more seriously, and on the other it wants to stick to its disorganization.
And I think that may be the point. People who have participated in the Tea Party maybe feel like they are rebelling against the government. When a group tries to organize it, it feels less like a rebellion than an organization. But even as the original Tea Party patriots dumped tea in the harbor, the movement ended up being an organized army fighting the tyrannical British and a new government. Perhaps this is ultimately what needs to happen with the Tea Party.
Anyway, Sarah Palin had some sane thoughts about being a speaker at the convention. She makes some good points in USA Today:
The nature of the Tea Party movement means there may never be a “perfectly orchestrated” event: Democracy in action doesn’t come with a manual. But we must not get caught up in the politics or the controversies that some hope will distract from the heart of the movement. The focus must remain on our ideas and beliefs, and on supporting those ideas and beliefs however we can.
This weekend, it’s Nashville, but in March, I’ll head to Searchlight, Nev., for the kickoff rally at the Tea Party Express III. In April, I’ll be in Boston for a Tea Party gathering there. Across the country, tea-partiers will be sharing our vision for America’s future, a vision that promotes common sense solutions to out-of-control spending and an out-of-touch political establishment.
The process may not always be pretty or perfect, but the message is loud and clear: We want a government worthy of the fine Americans that it serves. And we’re going to keep spreading that message one convention, one town hall, one speech and one election at a time.
She’s right. The message needs to be heard and spread. Whether it is at some convention or rally downtown, the Tea Party needs to continue to get the word out that we are sick and tired of the spending and big government.
My home state is heading off health care “reform”. A few legislative patriots have introduced legislation that will nullify federal health care in TN and expand the choices available to Tennesseans. Hell yea.
In response to the overwhelming backlash of Tennesseans against pending federal health care legislation in Congress, members of the Tennessee General Assembly have introduced two bills in an attempt to challenge the federal legislation head on. These bills are designed to nullify potential federal health care legislation as well as expand the health care choices available to Tennesseans.
Tennessee Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act
Rep. Debra Young Maggart and Sen. Diane Black are leading the charge to nullify nationalized health care by sponsoring the Tennessee Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act (HB2654/SB2490). Their legislation is intended to nullify the pending federal health care legislation as well as any future legislation along the same lines. The Act states that:
A statute, common law or rule shall not compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care system. A person or employer may pay directly for lawful health care services and shall not be required to pay penalties or fines for paying directly for lawful health care services. A health care provider may accept direct payment for lawful health care services and shall not be required to pay penalties or fines for accepting direct payment from a person or employer for lawful health care services.
Additional verbiage is included to nullify any possible attempts to make the purchase or sale of private health insurance illegal. The Tennessee bill is modeled after similar legislation introduced in both Arizona and Florida.
Health Care Choice Act
Sen. Brian Kelsey has filed the Health Care Choice Act legislation (HB2417/SB3177), sponsored by Rep. Bob Ramsey in the House. According to Sen. Kelsey this bill would allow Tennesseans to purchase health insurance across state lines, potentially increasing the number of available health insurance plans from 127 to more than 5,000.
The new bill has already garnered a dozen co-sponsors to date in the House alone. Sen. Kelsey says that his bill is a response to the backlash against Obamacare in Tennessee. “We absolutely want health care reform, just not the government-run version,” states Sen. Kelsey.
Bought some video software and started playing around with it over the weekend. I intended to use it to create videos of the kids. But as I was messing around with it I decided to see what mischief I could do with my favorite clowns: Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Took some audio from TV and some Pelosi/Reid interviews and created a stupid mashup. Just having fun. We had a laugh and I thought I’d share.
Gateway Pundit reminds us that despite what the left wants you to think, Bush did not destroy the economy before Obama took office. Funny how the left wants to blame their failed regime on the previous administration. The mess they supposedly inherited. Well don’t believe everything the main stream media reports.
During the Bush years, despite the 2000 Recession, the attacks on 9-11, the stock market scandals, Hurricane Katrina, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush Administration was able to reduce the budget deficit from 412 billion dollars in 2004 to 162 billion dollars in 2007, a sixty percent drop. In 2004 the federal budget deficit was 412 billion dollars. In 2005 it dropped to 318 billion dollars. In 2006 the deficit dipped to 248 billion dollars. And, in 2007 it fell below 200 billion to 162 billion dollars. During the Bush years the average unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, the economy saw the strongest productivity growth in four decades and there was robust GDP growth. These were amazing accomplishments considering the unexpected challenges. You certainly didn’t read much about this in the press.
But, things changed in 2007. Democrats took over Congress, gas prices started to rise, and at the end of the year and into 2008 several financial institutions started to crumble as the housing bubble began to burst. Of course, it should be noted that President Bush publicly called for the reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac 17 times in 2008 alone before Congress acted. Democrats, on the other hand, blocked reform numerous times. It was later reported after the 2008 election that Bush had nothing to do with the financial crisis. Hoover Institution visiting fellow Scott S. Powell wrote in Barron’s in February of 2009 that the present crisis began in the 1970s, during the Carter administration, with passage of the Community Reinvestment Act to stem bank redlining and liberalize lending in order to extend home ownership in lower-income communities. This risk was acknowledged in the Bush administration’s first fiscal-year budget, released in April 2001. Sadly these warnings were ignored by Congress.
It’s weird how democrats always seem to forget those facts when talking about George W. Bush.
Love watching David Axelrod spin his failed policies. He appeared this morning on This Week and he was in full defense mode. He started out answering the questions saying that Obama inherited an economic mess. Still blaming Bush. That’s fine and all but didn’t they say that if the Congress just passed his budget and stimulus that everything would be OK? Could it be that his horrible policies were equally if not more so to blame. That would be, yes. He also couldn’t resist blaming wall street for good measure. The blame game message is a fail. No one wants to hear excuses. The Obama administration had a year to fix the problem while spending this country into oblivion. All they have accomplished is folks that have zero confidence in their administration.
The interviewer asked Axelrod what he had learned over the year given that the policies aren’t popular. Axelrod, bless his heart, still does not get it. It bodes well for meaningful change in November that they are still using the same tired talking points. He blamed health care costs as a burden on small businesses, families and government. No doubt health care costs are ridiculous so why didn’t they try to create a reform that would have worked instead of something no one understands that is full of bribes and kickbacks.
On health care he had the gall to say that if the bill would be allowed to pass that eventually the people would come to love it. That is exactly the type of elitist bullshit attitude we have been fighting against since Obama came to office. That they know better than me how to govern my life.
You know they keep coming back to Massachusetts and their health care plan. That Scott Brown comes from a state that has universal care. That the rest of the country deserves it to. I agree. If your state wants to fund health care then by all means the state should go for it. The people of Idaho should not have to pay for health care they don’t want for the people of California. The federal government should make it more competitive for states to offer health care to its citizens. Basically the feds need to stay the hell out of health care and let the states deal with it. I’m tired of Washington thinking they know what’s best. It’s all about an overbearing Socialist government’s rise in D.C. Stay the hell out of my life.
It’s funny to listen to them yap about “obstructionism”. Like the GOP is simply a party of no. Well, that may be. But how can you say yes to something you don’t agree with? The Dems definition of bi-partisanship is that you have to go along with whatever we propose and we aren’t going to listen to your ideas. Seems like they are just as much a party of no as well. Seems they say no to anything the GOP advises.
So after the big wins in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia, they continue to ignore the folks. Fine. We’re getting ready to kick the Progressives out in November.
I feel for liberals having to go to center to center right media outlets to uncover something to write about. I thought it would be fun to go have a look at Huffington Post to see what the far left media thought about their health care plan crashing and burning in a glorious ball of flame. It was tough reading. Lots of insults and whining. That’s all they have. So I take a deep breath and move along. Anyway, Pelosi says she doesn’t have the votes. You would think it would be front and center at HuffPo with all kinds of excuses involved.
No. My mistake. They’ve moved on. Health care was buried beneath the fold.
Obama has decided he needs to go back to campaign mode. Try to revive his populist message. He wants to regulate banks so they can’t be too big to fail. I have a great idea. Why not let them fail? How about stop running the banks? How about common sense regulation? How about stop hating capitalism?
No, the left got bitch slapped by the Tea Party movement, Mass., VA. and NJ. They have to try for victory somewhere.
It’s hilarious to watch these guys spin around trying to figure out how to advance their Socialist agenda with a country that is now wide awake to their shenanigans.
Scott Brown wins the Senate seat. That Ted freakin Kennedy held for decades. In blue state Massachusetts no less. Holy shit the Carvilles, Krugmans, Olbermanns, Pelosis, Reids, Obamas, Axelrods, Stewarts and Matthews must be FREAKIN’ out right now. It’s glorious. Their Socialist agenda is imploding.
They will still try to cram down healthcare and whatever else they can salvage of their liberal agenda. The White House promises to double down on their efforts. It will be fun watching them continue to smolder. Maybe they should all start packing for Venezuela if they are so intent on living in a Marxist society.
A beautiful screenshot:
The savior didn’t even make a year before his luster wore off. Unbelievable.
Scott Brown appears to have a good chance of winning in Massachusetts today. I’m not quite ready to say it’s lock. Never underestimate your opponent. The Democrats are and look where it’s getting them.
I have to laugh thinking back a year ago. James Carville, Paul Krugman and those pundits/elite intellectual basically said that the conservatives were dead. That the GOP was done for. Funny thing happened: They underestimated the will of the people to stand up when the liberal Socialists tried to take over the country. The people of this country apparently still yearn to be (mostly) free. I love to listen to them try to explain this. I love listenening to their mouthpieces on MSNBC show who they really are.
You really get a sense of who a person is when they are stressed. When the country was in danger of being taken over by Socialists and Marxists, people fought back. Tea Parties broke out all over the country. The left tried to dismiss it but the people knew the truth. Now the stress is on the liberals. And they are acting badly. They are lying and being corrupt. They only speak in insults or blame. It is truly pathetic.
They are losing. If they lose Mass. then the liberal agenda has truly crashed and burned. And how quick this occurred?! I am proud of what the Tea Party movement accomplished. We were awakened and helped awaken the rest of the country. I am proud to say I was at the Nashville Tea Party last April. Proud to say I was at the DC Rally in August. I took my young family. We rallied and were heard. The left tried to marjonialize the movement but they were gloriously ignored. The Tea Party movement and America awakened to a disgusting Pelosi/Obama/Reid agenda. We are fighting back successfully.
I hope Scott Brown wins. I think his message is bright enough to propel him to the upper reaches of national service. Couldn’t you see him as a candidate for President? He has to win today but I think there is that potential. Obama was only in the Senate for a short two years, all of which he campaigned through. Why not Brown?
I’ve been to a couple of Tea Party rallies and even made it to the big one in D.C. Now some group called Tea Party Nation is holding a for profit convention in Nashville. I think it is crap. The average grassroot guy and gal that supported these Tea Party rallies did so because they want to put an end to big government. Period. I can tell you that many people like me have no interest in some bureaucratic apparatus being set up to coattail on the Tea Party movement. It seems this convention takes advantage of the movement. If this is the direction it is headed I’m out.
I hate that Sarah Palin, Marsha Blackburn and Michele Bachmann are attached to this thing. It has the feeling of being disingenuous and fake.
The Tennessean reports:
The fact that Tea Party Nation would be structured as a for-profit organization prompted its former webmaster, Kevin Smith, to explain his decision to leave the organization in a blog post last week that continues to ripple across the Internet.
Smith said the Tea Party began as a grass-roots campaign favoring small government and responsible spending and was being overrun by the national Republican Party looking to use the fervor of Tea Party supporters to its advantage.
“It’s become clear to me that Judson and his for-profit Tea Party Nation Corporation are at the forefront of the GOP’s process of hijacking the Tea Party movement,” Smith wrote in his blog.
“What began as cries for true liberty and a public showing of frustration with the big government policies of both Democrats and Republicans has now been co-opted by mainstream Republican demagogues determined to use this as their 2010 election platform.”
Some groups are pulling out. I can tell you the grassroots folk have no interest in this direction of the Tea Party. Funny, you may see a swift split in the Tea Party movement. The GOP doesn’t get it. They haven’t earned anyone’s trust among Tea Party goers, yet they think they can come in and simply scoop us up. Ain’t gonna happen. Earn it.
If you read some of the blog comments people are talking about the collapse of the Tea Party. Whatever jokers. We aren’t about labels. Call us whatever the hell you want. The people that are opposing big government and Obama/Pelosi/Reid policies are still going to protest. You on the left have awakened all of us. This doesn’t change a thing except maybe you’ll have to come up with something more clever to insult us than “Tea Bagger”. The bigger issue is the Democrats are floundering and the Tea Party movement was/is a huge reason for it. Suck on it Dems.
Frankly I think the Tea Party is done. We had our say. Time to move on to something more lasting like “Constitutional Patriots” or something.
My wife asked about what we could do for the relief effort in Haiti last night. It’s a difficult question to answer. Ultimately we decided to give to the Red Cross as they will have the resources and organization to get the money to where it needs to go. I feel sorry for those folks down there. So much pain and suffering. It never ends for them. Ever.
Millions, if not billions, of dollars of aid has been given to Haiti over the last 10 years or so. The U.S. is a huge contributor. We are a country that is broke yet we are among the first to open up our wallets and hearts to help these victims. Of course the developing world will say we aren’t giving enough or doing enough.
The government of Haiti sucks. They have destroyed that country. It’s not like Haiti is a huge country. With all the money that has been funneled into that country, hell, every single citizen should be a business owner by now. Every kid should have an education that is among the world’s best. But no. Almost every single dollar sent to that hellhole is siphoned off by the corrupt leaders. It is pathetic.
We all feel compelled to do something but in a year from now we will see that it was a waste. The country has no government control. Now I’m no big government guy, but there are some things that government should do and that is protect the people. Protect the property. That Haiti government has failed and will continue to do so. We will be pumping millions more dollars from our own depleted Treasury years from now and those people will have nothing to show for it.
I was most shocked by the scenes of planes traveling over the Dominican Republic. Beautiful lush forests. Gorgeous part of the island. Then there is like a line demarcation where Haiti begins. A freaking dust bowl. Simply pathetic.
I hope the world can help these people. I did what little part I could.
Some of the generosity being shown to the people of Haiti:
The benevolent Gisele Bundchen yesterday wrote a $1.5 million check to the Red Cross to aid the relief effort in Haiti, according to a source close to the supermodel.
President Barack Obama pledged $100 million to relief efforts in Haiti on Thursday and promised more help is on the way as the initial wave of search and rescue teams, medical supplies, food and clean water reached the ground in a …
“My prayers are with the people of Haiti. I can’t imagine the terrible pain and suffering they are experiencing. Sadly the depths of the tragedy are just becoming known and the need for our support grows more urgent with every passing …
Update at 9:03 AM Friday: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover have now all announced that they will waive fees for some donations related to the crisis in Haiti.
Stanford Hospitals will match Haiti donations …fairly self-explanatory title. Stanford Hospitals will match any amount you donate to the last hospital standing in Port-Au-Prince. If you donate $10, you’re actually donating $20. …
US cell phone users have contributed more than $5 million in $10 increments to the Red Cross for Haiti disaster relief, by far the largest outpouring of support via mobile devices in history.
Many people want to donate but they are unable to decide how because there are so many appeals flying around print media, electronic media and Internet…
Kroger Co. grocery stores across the country are helping collect donations for the American Red Cross’ Haitian earthquake relief effort.
This is but a small sampling. Money, supplies, resources…all being provided to this country. Like Rahm Emmanuel said about the U.S. economy crisis: “Never let a crisis go to waste”. What I hope is that they use the outpouring of generosity from around the world and actually (re)build a country they and the rest of the world would be proud of.
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