Archive for the ‘congress’ Category

Why we fight

Posted: December 18, 2010 by datechguy in congress, economy, elections, politics, tea parties
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Yesterday I was exchanging tweets with Melissa Clouthier and this rather surprising story was being discussed:

CNN is teaming up with the Tea Party Express for a first-of-its-kind presidential primary debate, both organizations announced Friday. The Tea Party debate, featuring 2012 Republican presidential candidates, is scheduled for Labor Day week 2011. It will take place in Tampa, Florida – the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention.

As a person who ever so briefly rode the tea party express I was tickled pink. Although Melissa knows some of the folks as well she had this to say:

I wasn’t happy with what happened in Nevada, though. Shoulda left that race well enough alone.

Quite a few conservatives say the same about Christine O’Donnell but (via Glenn) Kevin Williamson makes an excellent point:

Say what you like about Christine O’Donnell and her incompetent nut-cluster of a campaign, she showed the Republican establishment that the Tea Party, and the fiscally discontent at large, are willing to run a kamikaze candidate against any RINO target of opportunity. And not all of the challengers are going to be O’Donnell-type buffoons. Sharron Angle was a much more serious candidate and ran a much more serious campaign. Pat Toomey chased Arlen Specter out of the Republican party and then put the smackdown on his Democratic opponent — a retired admiral, let’s remember, not some wild-eyed hippie — in the general. Pat Toomey scares the old guard. They do not want to see a dozen Pat Toomeys showing up in Republican primaries next time around. Kay Bailey Hutchison does not want some Stetson-wearing Toomey showing up in her backyard.

This is the real reason why the GOP is holding the line on spending. Those primaries that ousted the GOP rinos (you know the No labels crowd) can easily be repeated and establishment candidates who know Tea Party supporters can muster both cash and votes in primaries have no desire to find themselves as an occasional commentator on a CNN panel rather than in the halls of power.

It would be nice if they did the right thing because it is right but if they do it out of fear that’s fine too.

Signs of the importance of Sarah Palin, the lame duck extravaganza

Posted: December 16, 2010 by datechguy in congress, opinion/news, politics
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SISU points out the following message from Washington concerning Sarah Palin:

“Seventy-nine percent of Washington elites believe Palin is a ‘negative influence in national politics’ while just 15 percent find her to be ‘a breath of fresh air,'” according to a new Politico poll that defines said elites as “those who live within the D.C. metro area, earn more than $75,000 per year, have at least a college degree and are involved in the political process or policymaking.”

Of course the beltway consider her a negative influence, she has helped lead a peasant’s revolt that threatens their ability to feed at the public though.

And when you look at the activity going on in the lame duck it speaks volumes concerning what people really think (not withstanding reminders that some conservative pundits who now worship at the altar of Ronald Reagan thought him a dunce in the past)

Let’s face it, if they didn’t think the culture of Washington was about to change they wouldn’t bother to be forcing all of the last-minute stuff that they are now. They would know that in the past republican congresses were easily co-oped and they would be able to make deals to keep their own prerogatives flowing.

Yet after a single election they are risking all. Why? I think it’s because their own internals on Sarah Palin and the tea party show she is a lot more popular than pseudo polls (and I guarantee that this poll will be a morning joe topic today to Mika’s delight, outlier or no) pretend she is and they are afraid of actual systemic change.

They are aware that before being picked as McCain’s running mate interviews not out to get her revealed her to be a bright and thoughtful woman and leader. Some people more interested in the party circuit than in actual conservatism hit her because they know her record in opposing Obama, taking substantial policy positions when others hang back, but to do so is to face rejection in Washington.

What’s worse snark not withstanding she doesn’t fear the media, in fact she considers them irrelevant.

The left will always tell you who they are afraid of, and the actions of this congress right now tell me that both the left and establishment republicans are afraid that Sarah Palin can win.

They are wise to believe so

Sometimes Joe Scarborough just NAILS  it!

Posted: December 13, 2010 by datechguy in congress, economy
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I’m very hard on Joe Scarborough mostly because I like him (I’m always harder on people I like because I expect more from them) but today he said something that is incredibly important.

He was going on about the hypocrisy of both right and left on deficits and said this:

“There are a couple of tea partiers who care about this (the deficit) Rand Paul and Jim DeMint,that’s it!”

Although Joe likely doesn’t know Porkbusters he has a point. The Tea Party crowd doesn’t actually trust the republicans. I could not find a single person in the crowd at the Washington Freedom Works rally who would say they trusted republicans.

A lot of the newly elected republicans in congress got little or no help from the national GOP. This was due to several factors, they were not professional pols, the party didn’t expect them to win, but also because they are committed controlling spending.

Trent Lott gave the game away in July:

the last thing Lott needs is a bunch of unwashed, Tea-Partying right-wingers coming to Washington on a wave of anti-establishment, free-market populism, and messing up the good thing he has going.

“We don’t need a lot of Jim DeMint disciples,” Lott told the Washington Post, referring to the conservative South Carolina senator who has been a gadfly for party leadership and a champion for upstart conservative candidates. “As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them.”

But Lott is no longer in the Republican leadership — he resigned from the Senate in December 2007, mid-term, just before a law kicked in that would have required him to wait two years before lobbying the Senate. So who is he talking about when he says “we need to co-opt them”?

“We” means the K Street wing of the Republican Party.

There are an awful lot of republicans who are more interested in chairmanships and favors than controlling spending and lowering taxes (and yes they are connected). That group needs to keep the good will of the Tea Party voters who brought them over the top for now so they will play ball, but if they get the chance they will try to turn the newly elected reps.

This is going to be the fight that will dominate Washington over the next 2 years and will determine the party and the country’s future longterm and will actually have a lot to do with both the presidential elections in 2012 and if we have a tea party 3rd party in 2014.

If Morning Joe follows this story, they will have a jump on the rest of the MSM.

Gateway pundit reports the natives are getting Restless

Posted: December 10, 2010 by datechguy in congress, politics
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When Dem reps are opening talking against Pelosi.

As I keep saying

“Ride right through them, they’re demoralized as hell”

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