Pajamas Media

159 Comments

1. Paul M Hupf:

It’s a great day. People assembled to give voice to their dislike of what is going on in legislatures where incumbents are difficult if not almost impossible to unseat. It is particularly noteworthy that partisan public or quasi public figures who sought to inject themselves in the hope of capitalizing on the Tea Party Protest were denied permission to speak. Let’s keep it going. It’s time “to turn the rascals out.”

Apr 15, 2009 - 1:48 pm 2. FLMom:

“But Republicans should not be rejoicing quite yet. Many protesters went out of their way to say they are upset with both parties and hold George W. Bush equally responsible for launching the now never-ending stream of bailouts.”

This came as a surprise?

This is what we have been saying as clearly as humanly possible. We are very upset with BOTH parties. We hold BOTH parties accountable. We want RESPONSIBLE government, regardless of party. It is time to stop voting party and start voting for the most fiscally responsible individuals.

We are finished with party identification. We must have representation for the people and by the people.

Apr 15, 2009 - 1:50 pm 3. Mikey:

Correct. Republicans should not be rejoicing. But Conservatives should be. The problem with Republicans is that too many are not Conservatives. The ones who are not—go away, we don’t want you.

Apr 15, 2009 - 1:54 pm 4. one of my own:

Amateurs.

Before I forget, can somebody get me Neil Cavuto’s autograph?

Apr 15, 2009 - 1:59 pm 5. one of my own:

FL Mom . . . “We must have representation for the people and by the people.”

We already have it. It’s called the Democratic Party. By the way, I hear Ross Perot is available.

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:01 pm 6. DWalla:

Salt Lake City’s Tea Party was covered by all of the local media.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=6164354

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:05 pm 7. Pat J:

It would be safe to bet there’s going to be an upcoming South Park episode about all this teabagging nonsense.

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:06 pm 8. Larry J:

The Republicans had their chance and they blew it. It’ll take a lot of time before they prove they can be trusted again, if ever.

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:14 pm 9. bobdog:

One of your own – why don’t you go crap in somebody else’s punchbowl?

I swear somebody’s handing out troll assignments to go annoy the conservatives. This isn’t about disagreeing with somebody else. All you seem to be interested in is deliberately annoying as many people as possible.

That makes you a jerk.

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:21 pm 10. Michael:

Aye, just as stupid as all the left leaning protests. No, wait, they are exercising their right to freedom of speech. I’m sorry I guess I don’t see that as nonesense.

If the Obama administration hadn’t shown up as a group of the most corrupt in our history you might have been right Larry, and if the Obama/Pelosi/Reid budget wasn’t so economically suicidal. Likely the Dems will be in it much deeper than the Republicans when 2012 comes around.

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:31 pm 11. FLMom:

“We already have it. It’s called the Democratic Party.”

Are you talking about the gang that currently control congress? This is your definition of fiscal responsibility? Good grief.

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:42 pm 12. Derek:

Of course the movement was libertarian in bent. The only real popular movement on the right is libertarian (see: Ron Paul). There was an attempted hijacking of the tea parties by the conservative powers that be, but that doesn’t make the movement magically in line with most conservatives.

But I agree with the gist of the article. What the right in america has to do is own up to it’s divisions, not try to paper over them. Putting your name on something doesn’t make it yours. Eventually you will have to listen to what these people have to say.

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:47 pm 13. mark:

I’m watching Beck in San Antonio and they are cheering just as loud when he rips Republicans as when he rips Democrats. It should be a wake up call to all politicians.

Apr 15, 2009 - 2:55 pm 14. Jim Baker:

Pat J,
There were 15 TEA parties in Colorado. It is likely that there was a TEA party in the actual South Park, Fairplay. The cartoon, which you watch, is lame.

Pat J, David S, Steve P, Larry J. These are Obama blogger pen names, eh?

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:02 pm 15. Magis:

Sooo….

Lemme see, 95% percent of the people protesting have had a tax cut (the ones that have a job). They’re protesting taxation WITH representation. Whadda bunch of squirrels. What sad, patheic, sour-grape squirrels. Go start a squirrel party, seriously. Get a life. BTW, you look silly in a tri-corn hat.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:22 pm 16. westerncanadian:

Why can’t regular Americans be self governing according to the constitution? The answer is that federal politicians, who are not regular Americans and don’t follow the constitution, have stolen government from the people. The politicians in Washington have plainly subverted government to their own venal ends. Ordinary people think that is disgusting and they are protesting. Is this the start of a thorough review of Government by Joe Public, or just a petulant outburst? I hope it’s the former and I hope it spreads north to Canada.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:28 pm 17. ColoradanForFreedom:

Over 5,000 attended the Denver Tea Party on the capitol steps. It was a great crowd. Very polite and respectful. Many including myself were first time protesters. Many libertarians. The signs and speakers kept the focus for the most part on stopping Obama’s march to socialism and runaway government spending. The state house of representatives was in session and shut the balcony to keep the noise out. The people were heard.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:42 pm 18. Leon:

What tax cut?
I haven’t seen a tax cut. Neither has anyone else.
I’ve seen a WITHHOLDING cut.
The tax schedules haven’t been adjusted 1 dollar.
Ask your accountant.

We’ll all owe the same tax (or more) come next Apr 15.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:46 pm 19. Northern Light:

All through this I’ve been wondering about how many people would turn out for the “parties”.

Washington’s numbers seem to be 1000-1500. I’ve also heard that Philadelphia had rain and only about 300 protesters.

Neither of these events seems to be that mass a movement. I’ve seen bigger crowds for pro-marijuana rallies and everyone knows that potheads are apathetic.

But there are hundreds of protests in cites that didn’t have rain so I’m sure some cities will have successful turnouts. I’ve just heard that Sacramento has had a lot more people than Washington and Philly combined.

Of course if there is another round of parties on July 4th more people will have the day off work and the weather is bound to be better than it was today.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:52 pm 20. Benson:

I love the litards who unintentionally flash their moral and intellectuall nakedness. It is common fare on open forums, and seems to be some kind of vain attempt to get the attention that they constantly crave with such devotion that they are happy even if the attention is negative.

Garbage in and garbage out.

When you voice your derision of a particular viewpoint, and source South Park, the Simpsons, or whatever other comic book thought machine you watch in the basement, you betray the underlying tendency of your ilk to gather bits and pieces of stupidity, paste them together with playdoh, polish them on MSLSD, and pass them off as an intelligent world view.

You are watching too much MadCow and Doberman.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:52 pm 21. Northern Light:

5000 in Denver? Thanks ColoradanForFreedom. I’ll compare that to the numbers the MSM gives. I always believe the actual figure is somewhere between what the supporters say and what the media reports.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:54 pm 22. John:

Guys get real. And forget some of the exaggeration of crowd sizes. I’ve seen a lot of pictures. If 50,000 people turned out across the country for these events I’d be surprised. At the lasting impression left behind. Was it of strength and clarity of purpose or of weirdness and marginality. I’ll leave you to decide.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:54 pm 23. Dolph T:

Try to maintain contact with the Mother Ship. There IS no groundswell of discontent here. There are a few far-right Republicans trying desperately not to be irrelevant and not a single one of them was in the majority in the last election groundswell for change. There is discontent to be sure — with the disasterous remanants of 8 years of rule by idiots who thought they could cut taxes, increase spending, deregulate the financial markets and all would be fine. Despite the best promotional efforts of Fox “News,” there were tiny crowds for these pathetic demonstrations. Everyone other than the top 2% of the U.S. just got a tax cut. The spending w/o paying is a legacy of Reagan and the Bushes. Where were these bozos when first Reagan and then the Bushes went on frenzies of spending based on borrowing from the Chinese and Saudi’s? They were enjoying the leverage that excessive borrowing brings. Now that it is time to pay the bills, they want to object? Get a life. Your idiot financial policies have done more than enough damage to the U.S. middle class; learn to live with the clean-up process.

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:57 pm 24. Benson:

Thank you for a lucid assesment of the current movement.

You identify the overriding dynamic that is at work, which as it plays out will see a new demographic at work. Lines are forming which will be less red and blue and more producer/consummer, liberal/conservative in their deliniations.

As it happens the demoncrat party serves their liberl/consummer base much more faithfully than the repubiks who are divided in their loyalties, and do not have the devotion to conservatism that the demoncrats show to liberalism/progressivism.

That is why they are in trouble, and no one gives a damn. People are past the blackmail of a “two party” system because they realize they are not represented AT ALL, by either mainstream party, (with some exceptions)

Apr 15, 2009 - 3:59 pm 25. Benson:

DolphT…
Did you read the article? Your comment shows a lack of reading comprehesion attainable only in the government school system.

As to your facts, they too are simply a regurgitation of Jon Stewart and Rosie ODonnell.
1-What specific deregulatory action caused the finacial collapse?

2-If Bush borrowed and spent wrongly, (which he did) how in the twisted world that you live in can you say that the promise to reverse his failed policies has been delivered? Given that the war in Iraq has been won, the war in Afscrewedupstan is escalating with NO help from allies, no mission statement, and the first 70 days a distaterrama has seen more government spending that the previous 200 years of the nations history?

3-Check the CBO numbers! If Bush spent like a drunken sailor, this guy is spending like a platoon of them, to the factor of 400%.

Apr 15, 2009 - 4:15 pm 26. Jack Okie:

Dolph T -

Yeah, you just keep on whistling past the graveyard.

There are state sovereignty bills percolating in several states already. It seems pretty clear we wouldn’t be in this mess if the federal government hadn’t been able to vastly overreach its Constitutional powers. I expect the state sovereignty approach to be a powerful weapon to roll back the federal encroachment. Who knows, we might eventually be able to repeal the 17th amendment.

Apr 15, 2009 - 4:27 pm 27. Jack Okie:

And Jennifer -

It’s not a left / right, Democrat / Republican thing anymore. Its Imperial Washington vs the People.

Apr 15, 2009 - 4:29 pm 28. Northern Light:

As I’m watching video from various events I can’t help but notice how many children there are in the crowds. Is there a school holiday in the US I don’t know about?

Apr 15, 2009 - 4:36 pm 29. Oscar the Grump:

We were trying to figure out what our tax bracket really is with Federal income tax, State income tax, Social Security tax, State property tax, State and local sales tax, special taxes on other things in our life. We figure out that over half of our income is being taxed. We’re trying to go John Galt but its hard to do.

This tea party is just an expression for a lot of us who are so frustrated. Who ever says GM will go bankrupt is insane. They could shut down completely and make an enormous profit on their overseas holdings. This corporation paid less taxes the last twenty years than my wife did. All the big corporations were allowed to skip paying taxes just so we can now bail them out. I don’t know how many good people I know were taxed into bankruptcy and I didn’t see the government give a damn. Instead they were pursue until the government got every nickle out of them.

Apr 15, 2009 - 4:42 pm 30. ted k.:

I’ll have to give credit where it is due – the one in Sacramento was a decent size. Although, logic and conservative thought still doesn’t jive. At the rally, they talked up Ronald Reagan, who was a big deficit spender, called for tax cuts, which is happening to 95% of peoples income, and cried about big deficits, which always mushroom under conservative leadership. At one point, they rolled out a school teacher and Republican congressmen, then called for an end to taxes! Where do those yahoos get their paychecks? They are full of hate with no vision and not an ounce of reason. So many old white folks howling out there – why do they hate democracy and America?

Apr 15, 2009 - 4:48 pm 31. JL:

Turn out was estimated to be over 4,000 here in Cincinnati. It was incredible.

Apr 15, 2009 - 4:56 pm 32. Lucy:

Tracht gut, zain gut, Jennifer.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:04 pm 33. cajuncocoa:

“But Republicans should not be rejoicing quite yet. Many protesters went out of their way to say they are upset with both parties and hold George W. Bush equally responsible for launching the now never-ending stream of bailouts.”

Good!! Everyone here knows Democrats spend and spend and spend. But Republicans are almost as responsible as Democrats for the current mess we’re in. The GOP was in control of all branches of government for 6 of 8 years of the GWB administration. Instead of taking the opportunity to FINALLY reduce the size of government, they INCREASED it instead.

Republicans claim to admire Ronald Reagan, but they only seem to remember Reagan’s principles when a Democrat gets elected to the Oval Office.

I’m through with both Democrats AND Republicans.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:10 pm 34. Rocky:

I agree this isn’t about Party identification, it is about the difference between a Progressive Worldview that believes Government can Engineer society and the economy and a Libertarian view that believes the role of government is more like that of a farmer that cultivates the soil to allow individuals to collectively make decisions that generally enhance society. More simply, Capitalism vs socialism. If Socialism were such a good deal the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics would have burried Reagan when He went of on a Libertarian/Capitalist bent. We know what works, this mess in DC won’t work, it’s been tried and failed before.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:11 pm 35. steveg:

I had not watched MSNBC for years until a couple of hours ago for their reporting of the tea parties. In headlines on MSNBC they identified the protest as being organized by the Republican party along with Fox News. Amazingly, I turned it over to Fox News and Glen Beck was blasting the Republican and Democrat party for out of control spending and the protesters were applauding on both counts. So the republican party organized an event where they were to be criticized severely by a Fox News host? I know the republican party can be stupid at times, but this would be off the scale stupid. Needless to say, I will never venture over to MSNBC again.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:15 pm 36. RAH:

What many are missing is that these people who turned out for these TEA PARTIES have never attended a protest before. They definably are not leftists but more conservative and libertarian. The people who showed up many will now become activists. I would say that most are anti illegal immigration and anti stimulus spending. They are against big government that is taking their liberty and forcing generations of debt on them, their children and grandchildren

Just like the reduce taxes movement that Reagan latched on and rode to the presidency, this is a new energy that some charismatic conservative politician will latch on and ride to prominence.

DON”T TREAD ON ME is a flag that I have seen flown at all these protests and it means exactly that. The federal government bills that they are passing will tread on our freedoms and own money and property.

I find it awesome that conservative’s gays have broken with the liberal Log Cabin Republicans since they violate the conservative principles this same day.

This is a conservative movement that is increasing in energy by the silent majority. When the white middle class protests, the federal government should wake up and pay attention to the grievances.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:15 pm 37. RAH:

IT is probable that a new party will arise from this and the basic principles will have to be decided and agreed to and then get candidates to promote those principles

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:17 pm 38. Derek:

5000 in Denver? Whoopdy doo. That’s about 10 times smaller than the immigration rallies held there in 2006.

Do not underestimate the climb ahead of you.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:18 pm 39. Blackwell:

Yes the tea party people are amateurs. That’s what makes these demonstrations so powerful. Not union workers dragooned into appearing with the same sign or indignant public school teachers rattling the cup as ordered by the teacher’s union. These people are used to working diligently to pay taxes and support their families. They are appalled at the idea that they have to mill about in the streets like so many mindless Code Pink protestors with no jobs to remind public officials that deficit spending got us into this mess and won’t get us out.

“Amateurs” is what the mainline Democrats called Eugene McCarthy volunteers, McGovern volunteers and what the GOP used to sneeringly classify the West Coast Reaganites.

The worst of it is that the GOP has no one who can run with it: their credibility is still in tatters. Their “frontrunners” are insider-pushed nonpeople like Jindal or tired people in search of relevance like McCain. That’s the sad part. Poor McCain can’t even stand up for Palin, who he told us was qualified to be a VP. But the off year elections are coming. We’ll see how the amateurs do then.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:35 pm 40. therealist:

Republicans will very possibly see their party nuked with the structure still existing but all the people wiped out. Then all the positions will be replaced by conservatives. That ticket will run and pull in the independents and roll back Obamanomics in its tracks. Well, let’s hope so.

(DHS eavesdroppers: Please be advised that “nuked” is a widely used metaphor. I am not advocating that right-wing extremists acquire any sort of nuclear materials. Only responsible nation-states should possess those, like Iran, Pakistan, and N. Korea.)

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:37 pm 41. Karen:

It’s kind of funny how wigged out the left has gotten over the tea parties. It’s like they can’t stand the spotlight being on someone else for 5 seconds. They’re in a rage over the tea parties–it’s hysterical. Chill lefties.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:39 pm 42. Harry Schell:

I am in CA, where “our” Republican minority went along to get along with the Democrat majority to enact the single largest tax increase by a state since 1776…and then tried to pretend they voted against it. My momma raised some stupid children, but they is my brother and sister. This is not working for me any more than Trent Lott bellying up to the federal trough. Rather vote for a raving socialist…at least they are honest about their goals.

The state Rep organization is paying to promote the hoax “spending cap” bill and its trailers, while the official information booklet on these measures was edited by the public employee unions and does not mention the extension of certain tax increases for another two years, so that the baseline spending budget for the legislature is higher. And the savants in Sacramento walk about crowing about solving the budget problem when in fact they are still $8B short over the next 18 months.

Both parties are lying, trying to keep their jobs as “professional legislators” in preference to any inkling of real economics, the impact of marginal tax rates or any fiduciary duty to taxpayers.

So, a third party appears very attractive. My guess is CA will end up like western NY state…a single party (Democrat) wilderness with very little business activity and very high marginal tax rates. The Reps who turned their coats will be appreciated by Dems only as long as it takes to unseat them. Then the Rep party will disappear functionally. Rather die on my feet than live on my knees, so to speak.

When my time comes, I am out of here.

Esentially the same paradigm applies at the federal level. If the Reps cannot get their manure into one mail sack. they are dead meat.

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:44 pm 43. Bilgeman:

#4 grodious little blog-slave:
“Before I forget, can somebody get me Neil Cavuto’s autograph?”

I AM Neil Cavuto, mutant, and the only thing you’re getting from me is my ridicule and scorn…

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:50 pm 44. Donna V.:

5000 in Denver? Whoopdy doo.

Well, that’s not bad when you consider that most of the people attending have never protested anything before and there was no Soros money or Moveon crowd behind them organizing the whole thing and busing people in. Also take into consideration that these were held across the country. Where this will lead, I don’t know, but I think it went quite well for a movement that is taking its first baby steps.

Up in Madison, I’m sure the locals were thinking, “Oh come on. A protest rally where everyone is employed and bathed and nobody’s yelling obscenities? No stink of body odor and patchouli? No signs with dirty words on them? Why, this can’t be a real protest!”

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:54 pm 45. Donna V.:

And isn’t it hilarious to see these lefties arguing for the Establishment? They’re on the side of the status quo. They want us to shut up and listen to The Man now.

My, what dreary little conformists. Dissent is patriotic, don’t they know that?

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:59 pm 46. Blackwell:

#41 Harry Schell: Hey, come back here! Who’s going to pay all these taxes? Besides, Gavin Newsome is a fiscal conservative. Honest!

Apr 15, 2009 - 5:59 pm 47. PAR:

I read that Obama “was not aware” of the Tea Parties” either they are terrible liars (most likely the case) or these guys are really out of touch (a distinct possibility). In any case, we should all send BO an email to explain it to him. Please type slowly, I don’t think his staff reads real good.

I would suggest the Governor of Texas as the leader of this movement. He sounds like my kind of guy. He said Texas has the right to leave the Union and is a firm believer in State’s rights and the 10th Amendment. If things get too bad we can always move to Texas.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:10 pm 48. Frank:

I love all the lib trolls going on about how 95% of Americans are getting tax cuts. I guess the morons forget that 40% of Americans don’t pay taxes. How can you cut something that doesn’t exist, you socialist pieces of garbage? Care to answer me that, or are you going to return to your age old tradition of autofellatio?

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:12 pm 49. MBS:

There were 5,000 in OKC at the state capitol. I was shocked, to be honest, although Oklahoma is a conservative state, we are not really the protesting type. There is a lot of very strong feeling out there, I think. People are sick and tired of the corruption, the out of control spending, the sense of entitlement politicians seem to have when it comes to our hard-earned money. It doesn’t start with the current administration, Obama just seems to have pushed people over the edge, with the huge increases in spending and expansion of government, so quickly. If he had slowed it down, probably no one would have noticed. Thanks, Obama, for waking people up. Maybe we can still take our country back to what it was intended to be.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:14 pm 50. MBS:

Also, I think the turnout was incredible for a work day. If this carries over to a 4th of July protest, it could be huge.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:15 pm 51. Air2air:

I am hoping for Texas secession so this lifelong Californian can be the first in line at U-Haul. The line that would go around the block.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:33 pm 52. Praetorian:

Looks like Loserpalooza ‘09 attracted the full spectrum of knuckle-draggers. A cornucopia of diversity, if you will. White, middle-aged men from all walks of life, including Redneck, Hillbilly and Country Bumpkin. All ethnicities too, including English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, British, Scots-Irish and Northern Irish. Fortunately, these old bulls are dying off. As they die off they are systematically replaced with young Obama liberals ready to straighten out the mess conservative irresponsibility and failed leadership created.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:41 pm 53. ricpic:

The lefties ARE the establishment. The People know they’re being robbed. If the lefties don’t stop robbing us there’ll be hell to pay.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:44 pm 54. Barb:

# 27…yes there are lots of kids out of school for “Spring Break”…we’re not allowed to call it Easter Break anymore…but most schools in our area (East Coast) close the week after Easter.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:45 pm 55. john from cinncinatti:

yes i am a child and i need someone to tell me how to act. i need someone to control my money and make sure that they save me from myself.
i don’t attend these rallies because there was probably someone from homeland security there taking pictures, worrying about right wing terrorist. sounds a bit paranoid but these last two years have been amazing. the amount of baldfaced lies coming from our now in charge administration, i just don’t put it past them to do something like this. don’t worry i will still vote, politicians , i am watching you, better behave.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:53 pm 56. Old Soldier:

I’m guessing there was close to 1,000 in Morristown, NJ despite some nasty sleet. There was definitely a Libertarian theme to the crowd. People were far more concerned about spending than taxes. They know that the taxes will follow the spending eventually.

Either the Republican Party will be reformed like therealist alluded to – the Rino’s all picked off by conservative primary challengers. Or, a conservative third party will be formed and the Republican Party will go the way of the Whigs.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:55 pm 57. Yehudit:

I’m going to respond to the liberal scoffers here, because they are repeating MSM & Robert Gibbs talking points, which are false.

1) 40% percent of Americans pay no fed income tax because of all the deductions. Therefore their “tax cut” is a PAYMENT from the gov taken from the other 60% who make enough to pay. This is redistributionism, also Democrat city-machine Chicago-style patronage. Everyone should pay SOME tax to have a stake in their own government and more important not become a bought off constituency of the Democratic Party who gives them free goodies at the expense of everyone else.

Likewise bailouts, which yes, Bush and some Pubs ALSO voted for, which was wrong.

2) the wealthy pay proportionally more taxes than everyone else, but they are demonized by Obama’s class warfare. He also treats the Republicans like shit. Mr “Unity” who was supposed to bring us together is the most divisive president of all time, according to polls.

3) anyone who has money in the markets (half the adults in the US) have seen their savings and investments plummet as a result of Obama’s and Pelosi’s fiscal mismanagement. (This is not the “wealthy” this is ordinary people with 401Ks.)

The economy began to go sour in 2007. Obama inherited the 2006 huge majority Democratic Congress. Congress makes the laws, the President can influence them but esp if he is of the opposite party and if they have such a huge majority. Reagan faced the same problem which is why he had trouble reducing the deficit. Clinton had a strongly Republican Congress after 1994, which is why at the end of his term the deficit was paid off. Obama blames Bush but either he is stupid or he lies. He also said economists agree with his program but 200 of them including several Nobel winners put full page ads in the NYT & WaPo saying his econ policies are bunk.

4) If you are indicting the Republican spending under Bush (which I & teaparty protesters agree was a bad thing) why do you approve the same thing under Obama? His deficit is 4x that of Bush, to the extent that we are way more in hock to the Chinese and they are now uneasy about the worth of our dollar. His/Pelosi’s proposed spending will create a deficit of $12 trillion, higher than all previous spending from the founding of this nation until now, combined. That includes the Depression, WWII, and the Iraq War. The CBO says this will depress the US economy for years to come. How can you indict Bush for doing a little of this and call it a stimulus under Obama?

5) How is this a stimulus when most of it won’t be spent for 2 years? Most of the spending kicks in 2010, just in time for mid-term elections, and most of the spending is pork, 1/7th of it is going to IL. This is vote buying. Where do taxes come from? People who work in private industry, which is the generator of wealth. So half the population has money taken from them to a slush fund for the Dems to hand out to their friends, plus organizations like ACORN who commit vote fraud for them. How is there a net increase in jobs?

(Yes, Republicans do this too, but the only people standing against this are Republicans. Dems have traditionally been the tax & spend party, Pubs have traditionally been the small gov/pro biz party. And to the extent the teapartiers are disgusted with both, they want the Pubs to return to their roots, that’s why they voted them in.)

Yes corporate and capital gains tax cuts – the taxes Obama is RAISING – stimulate business to invest which creates jobs and raises investment returns to all those households with 401Ks (50% of the US) who then have more money to buy things. Because more people have more taxable income, you can lower individual taxes but still bring in more revenue. Every time those kind of taxes have been cut, that has been the result. Obama was aksed about this during a debate and said that didn’t matter because he cared more about being “fair.” What is “fair” to him, creating $12 trillion debt and putting half the country on welfare? The guy has NO understanding of private enterprise at all.

Cutting the deficit is independent of this income. Once you get the tax income you can spend it different ways, but cutting the deficit and cutting borrowing from despotic regimes is a good choice. Obama is creating the worst of both worlds by expanding the deficit hugely at the same time he depresses creation of wealth = huge debt. No economist agrees he can pay down that kind of deficit, there aren’t that many rich people in the country. All he can do is borrow and print money. We did that in the 30s, dictators like Mugabe and Chavez do it, and it doesn’t work except to consolidate their power.

BTW both McCain and Palin have track records of fiscal responsibility and resisting deficit spending, and Palin was the only candidate last year who had run a business. One of many reasons I voted for them.

6) As someone already said, Republicans didn’t organize the event, although some tried to ride on its coattails and in some cases were politely rebuffed. Unlike Moveon and Obama’s canvassing groups and Podesta’s coordinated attack on Rush Limbaugh, it was NOT organized from the top down.

7) Estimates at Teaparty HQ are 200,000 nationwide. Based on reports I have seen verified by police and local news, they are correct.

I could go on about the unconstitutionality of taking over and strong-arming private businesses, passing bills of attainder, appointing czars to report directly to him and shutting out Congress, trying to move the census out of Commerce, attempting to increase fed power over the states, trying to appoint transnational progressives who believe US sovereignty should be subject to “international law” …

One of the things I love about the tea parties is the emphasis on the Constitution, which means people understand it and appreciate it and want to educate on it. They understand WHY the Constitution is mostly negative rights, why that is supportive of dignity and freedom and is our precious unique heritage, for which people from all over the world try to emigrate here. They understand that a government which has power to do things FOR has power to do things TO you. And always will, if history is any guide.

It is so hopeful to me that even after years of constant leftist messaging and Gramscian “march through the institutions” so many people remember who we are.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:58 pm 58. Yehudit:

PS I see since I wrote this more people have made the same points. So good.

Apr 15, 2009 - 6:59 pm 59. ted k.:

I was in Sacramento – Neil Cavuto lied! I even posted earlier that they had a decent turn out – a few thousand. Cavuto claims triple that! What a d.b.! He is even on camera saying 5,000 of air, then turns around and says triple that. The police will report the actual numbers. Let me tell you Neil sooner or later the girls will eventually know how small your t-bag actually is.

Apr 15, 2009 - 7:07 pm 60. ic:

Vote for opponents of those who voted for the “stimulus” porkfest, regardless of their party affiliations.

55. john from cinncinatti, your votes are probably neutralized by those voting from the grave yards (Chicago style), and votes found in garages and empty warehouses (State of Washington and Minnesota), and numerous Snow Whites and Goofys signed up by ACORN.

Apr 15, 2009 - 7:25 pm 61. cajuncocoa:

So the tea parties were attended by a lot of white people…so what?

I’ve never understood why the Left believes it’s necessary to disenfranchise white men in order to make up for the disenfranchisement that women and people of color had to suffer during our nation’s history. No one alive today is responsible for the injustices that happened hundreds of years ago, and we ALL have to live here NOW. The political concerns of white men are just as legitimate as the concerns of any other group of Americans.

Apr 15, 2009 - 7:31 pm 62. Войска ПВО:

Ted K, one of [his] own, and the other trolls here sure sound desparate.

Keep it up, you zit-infested gorts, the pendulum is swinging back the other way and you will have to find some other means to earn your swag besides blogging in the basement until mommy calls you for her rancid meatloaf din-din.

Apr 15, 2009 - 7:34 pm 63. Войска ПВО:

Excellent post, Yehudit!

Yours is a “cut and paste” manifesto. By that, I mean no disrespect. What I am trying to say is that it has been screen-scraped and printed and goes into my wallet and tacked up on my bulleting board.

Some real classy stuff! Keep it coming!

Apr 15, 2009 - 7:37 pm 64. Fantom:

“9. bobdog:
One of your own – why don’t you go crap in somebody else’s punchbowl?

I swear somebody’s handing out troll assignments to go annoy the conservatives. This isn’t about disagreeing with somebody else. All you seem to be interested in is deliberately annoying as many people as possible.

That makes you a jerk.”

Just point your finger at him and laugh. Just like we did in the OKC Tea Party I attended today. That is a few dozen obamanuts , replete with eye piercing and such showed up… mere comic relief.

Apr 15, 2009 - 7:46 pm 65. Ellen K:

The only people who are surprised that Tea Party Protests were against members of both parties is the largely liberal press that came late to the game. Since its inception, this has been above party lines and into the protection of our very basic rights and freedoms. These are being breached every day by a press that panders to left wing causes and candidates at the expense of truth and mob rule that creates a terrorist like atmosphere on some college campuses. The only media voice that paid attention is Fox. Now MSNBC and CNN want to chime in with smug double entredres and provocative shrill debates instead of interviews. And they wonder why so many of us no longer trust the media. The MEDIA LIED.

Apr 15, 2009 - 7:50 pm 66. Fantom:

65. Ellen K: ……The MEDIA LIED.

Yep.

Apr 15, 2009 - 7:56 pm 67. elvis:

Politicians SUCK. They all suck. But they suck because of the media.
The media needs a real horse whipping…..first. They are a pathetic casncer.

As far as tolls go… none of your protests have ever had this spontaneous energy or geographical breadth.

You suck like the politicians. You have over reached and invaded our lives.
We are done with your nonsense! What is great about us freedom loving people that hate text book tyranny,is that we have a spine. You want to mess with me or us ??? KEEP IT UP!

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:04 pm 68. elvis:

btw… repubs should not be rejoicing they were sent to the wood shed quite awhile ago!

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:05 pm 69. Hexan:

The greatest parts of this whole tea party issue:

Liberals are remarkably unhappy about being “shouted down”.

Liberals only reply to legitimate protest is “shut up” or childish name calling.

Liberals believe the same tactics they used are employed by the GOP today. News Flash – the GOP is far too dumb and uncoordinated.

Republicans are dying to get in front of this movement, but are still money drunk from the Bush years.

The people who are expected to pay for the exorbitant spending spree are disinclined to do so.

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:07 pm 70. Войска ПВО:

“7) Estimates at Teaparty HQ are 200,000 nationwide. Based on reports I have seen verified by police and local news, they are correct.”

By the way, Yehudit, another troll theme seems to be downplaying the crowd size. Aside from the fact that this was a week day and most of the folks who can’t stand what the government is doing ARE WORKING, it really doesn’t matter what the crowd size was. It was the spirit that counted.

I attended a Tea Party in Santa Ana, California and there were probably “only” 2,000 there but the signs were all home made, the seething rage was real, and/but the spirit ebullient. The people who organized this soiree ran out of forms for volunteers to sign up as many of us were motivated to take this to the next level ~~ which, you can bet the ranch, we will be doing.

Small numbers? Just remember, on April 19th, the colonists started out with 77 at Lexington and 400 at Concord and they ended up with 3,800 by the end of the day. What’s more, from such diminutive numbers came the will and resolve to stand up (and defeat) the world’s great super power of the day.

So got tell “”one of his own” to suck on that!

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:08 pm 71. Carmen:

Great article. I also read another awesome article called “Drawing Battle Lines” at http://www.noleftturnz.com. Check it out!

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:27 pm 72. ted k.:

Desperate? I’m not the one protesting tax cuts for 95% of the public while wearing a funny hat and writing illogical political slogans. It is a good laugh to see you people worshiping R. Regan today – R. Reagan raised taxes and increased the deficit. Fiscal conservatism is a myth. Name an era conservatives spent down the deficit! I actually enjoy pointing out the irony. Right-wingers don’t have any ideas, but they do have a lot of double standards.

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:31 pm 73. Oscar the Grump:

Hey, I just heard this. The government is compiling lists of people on conservative blog sites. Ain’t that sweet. I suppose we’ll all be classified as unAmerican. Can you imagine, lists. The new Gespato has arrived. If a Republican administration did this, the entire world would be screaming. Talk about trying to destroy the two party system.

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:32 pm 74. Nat:

I was at the Lafayette Square event in DC with the cold, hard rain. Very committed crowd, but not so many just anti-Obama. It was clearly much broader than that.

For a workday afternoon in miserable rain, impressive turnout.

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:42 pm 75. Eowyn:

#52 Praetorian: “Looks like Loserpalooza ‘09 attracted the full spectrum of knuckle-draggers. A cornucopia of diversity, if you will. White, middle-aged men from all walks of life, including Redneck, Hillbilly and Country Bumpkin. All ethnicities too, including English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, British, Scots-Irish and Northern Irish. Fortunately, these old bulls are dying off. As they die off they are systematically replaced with young Obama liberals ready to straighten out the mess conservative irresponsibility and failed leadership created.”

Have you any idea how intolerant you sound? How elitist? If you’re a Leftist, isn’t it a point of pride that tolerance of EVERYONE is a prime directive? “Knuckle-draggers?” Tsk, tsk.

Your “systematic replacement” with “young Obama liberals” sounds an awful lot like Hitler’s Brownshirts. One wonders if you don’t have secret sympathy with “systematically” eliminating those who don’t fall in line, once and for all, a la the Final Solution. And since when is “irresponsibility and failed leadership” an exclusive province of conservatives?

The truth is, there are an awful lot of hard-working, ordinary “knuckle-draggers” who are fed up with the “system” in general. Both of the traditional parties have sold us down the river. No one knows whether this will result in a third party, or not; but I’m one “knuckle-dragger” who simply wants us all to go back to our Constitutional roots, and stay there.

(What a sub-human concept. No doubt Ugh is on his way now to drag me into his cave by my hair.)

Apr 15, 2009 - 8:59 pm 76. elvis:

Ted K
get a life and spine.

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:03 pm 77. elvis:

The Tea Party has just started.
The trolls will cower in their moldy ,dark corners.

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:05 pm 78. carol:

Well I just got back from the San Antonio Tea Party and there were 15,000 people at that one! It was amazing, and there were black, hispanic, korean, canadian, columbian, jewish, and yes white people there. The crowd was so diverse. One of our speakers was an immigrant from Columbia. Her story was beautiful and poignient. It was amazing to see to many people filling the streets. They stood out there in front of the Alamo for 4 hours.

The Alamo was a beautiful scene to have the tea party. Freedom, liberty and peaceful protests were the theme of the whole event. People were very polite and very fired up.

Those of you who are trying to deny this movement are just looking pretty stupid right now. I think the turnout across the nation was more like 2.5 million. Just a guess, but I think it really was that many.

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:07 pm 79. Jeff:

Tea party gave me the final confirmation not to watch CNN, MSNCB and others.. I cant believed what these people were saying about Fox, a significant news like this, NO COVERAGE. SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE. No wonder why, their ratings combined is not enough to beat Fox. Good Job. Let the geniuses that watches the other networks laugh at Fox… he he he, but who will be smiling to the bank. John Stewart, Colbert,etc.. you are no longer funny. Conservatives should start flexing its muscles, let us all stop tuning to these morons. No more CNN, MSNBC, CNBC in our house. Let that jerk John Stewarts advertiser feel that he is no longer funny. BOYCOT

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:07 pm 80. AntiMagis:

Magis you are a fool. A raving,foaming, sarcastic, mendacious, idiotic, prissy, lout-headed, pointy-headed, hare brained, sociopathic, myopic, preening fool. And those are your better qualities. Some posters should not be ignored but excoriated relentlessly.

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:13 pm 81. kdman:

I love how all the leftists are obsessed with their mythical “tax cut for 95%” of the people. their ignorance on this is breath-taking (as it is on almost anything requiring a functioning cerebral cortex).

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:28 pm 82. one of my own:

200,000 nationwide! . . . ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ . .

- Hell, Obama drew half that in one night in Denver.
- At an immigration rally in Los Angeles police estimated that a morning march to City Hall drew 250,000 people and a second afternoon march drew an estimated 400,000 people.
- Between January 3 and April 12, 2003, 36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war.

Guess what, it didn’t change a thing. Know why? Because other people had the power and they didn’t give a damn what we thought. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.

So congratulations on this half-assed, boring, media-packaged, white bread, Lawrence Welk display of dispassionate lemmings. I told you I wasn’t worried. Now you know why. You idiots couldn’t stage a meaningful protest at Auschwitz.

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:31 pm 83. one of my own:

73. Oscar the Grump: . . . What do you mean, “IF a Republican administration did this . . . ? IF? IF?

And yes, we were screaming.

Are you sure your name isn’t Rip Van Grumple?

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:35 pm 84. one of my own:

#43 Bitchpump . . .Thanks for the update. Now quit stalking me.

Apr 15, 2009 - 9:40 pm 85. Chanel #5:

Why not rejoice? People spoke up against tyranny from both sides of the isle!

Apr 15, 2009 - 10:13 pm 86. Chanel #5:

There were almost no brown or black faces in any of the tea party crowds whatsoever. I guess this confirms who pays the taxes and who wants socialism handouts from said hard working tax-payers.

The turnout was great considering these people work for a living and aren\’t funded by community organizers ala ACORN and their ilk.

Apr 15, 2009 - 10:14 pm 87. Oakley:

As Bob Dylan once said, “There’s a slow train comin’ up around the bend.”

Apr 15, 2009 - 10:37 pm 88. Phoenix48:

Gracious thank you to Yehudit – an awsome post. Clear, concise, and well prioritized. I was a teenager when the last movement of this sort rooted and took off – Jarvits in California. That Tax revolt profoundly changed America for the better. Reagan wasn’t disadvantaged to tap the wellspring – he didn’t have to cravenly try and harness the movement like either Ford or Rockefeller ‘followers’- because his core beliefs were simpatico.

This Tea Bag thing has been both hopeful and uplifting. The lib trolls here and elsewhere contorting language and logic to dismissively write off Tea Baggers only further illustrates how effective the campaign has been.

Obama & Pelosi/Reid were determined to immulate Reagan’s first year by dramatically steering the country leftward. But they miscalculated. Despite dire financial problems – they had a relatively slim majority with Obama’s election.

The contrast with Reagans genuine mandate in ‘80 and the Dem’s this time around was dramatically illustrated today. The libs have an overwhelming majority in the House. But their razor thin hold on the Senate, plus the fact that our state legislatures are roughly split, belies the kind of power grabbing rampant in their actions.

Less than 100 days into Obama and the country is giving voice to opposition. We have seen how ACORN is but the tip of the disingenuous spear of the Dem’s attack machine – yes they ‘got out the vote’ in Fla, Virginia, Colorado, PA & Virginia – a regrettably commendable electorial accomplishment. Yet Obama didn’t waltz into Washington with a Ronald Reagan landslide for change.

And where have they gone when given the first oppertunity to govern? Off the cliff with liberal facism.

Add to the grass rooting the Stevens indictment and taking down Norm Colman in Minn – the dedicated attack on Rush – the post Prop 8 targeting – the circus seal cloying populism aimed at AIG execs – and it’s understandable that Americans not completely in the Kool Aid camp are pulling back and re-thinking the hopey changy.

The ’stimulus’ has been revealed for what it was – blatant power grabbing pork barrel politics – congressional payola – and a farce as far as economic policy.

Jen Rubin is absolutely right that the GOP has little to enjoy in this – because the rest of the country is beginning to look remarkably like the electorial make-up of Arizona.

We HAVE A THIRD PARTY HERE. Registered Independents are 5 to 8 percent lagging the two majors, depending on whose facts and figures you best trust. Such a change isn’t a Lou Dobbs accomplishment in my view – its as profound a generational drift from party affiliation as is actual church-going amoung those who identify themselves as christian.

I don’t buy the lurch leftward even among the twenty-somethings. The GOP has a simple task to make itself relevent again – and it’s not in need of the second comming of Ronald Reagan to do it.

Distingush itself again as a responsible conservative party with solutions to America’s problems & earn back the trust of the people to lead us away from where the idiot Dem’s want to take us.

The oppertunities are every bit as golden as they were in California in 1978.

Apr 15, 2009 - 10:39 pm 89. jodetoad:

I went to the Bakersfield CA tea party. I have no experience at estimating crowds, but it was thousands. We were absolutely jam packed.

A couple Congressmen were present, but not allowed to speak. The crowd was polite, clean, friendly, but very serious. About 8 or 10 libs showed up with some silly signs, they were booed, but not interfered with.

They asked for a show of hands – for how many was this the first rally, demonstration, or protest, and almost every hand, including mine, went up. I think many of us first-timers realize that unless we stand up, America as we know it is over.

Apr 15, 2009 - 10:46 pm 90. Chanel #5:

For those of you wishing for a third party, be careful what you wish for or we will end up with Obama for yet another four years because of the vote split and the ACORN cheats. Let us not forget Ross Perot who gave us the Clintons because of the vote split.

Both parties suck but if we can clean up the Repubs for now and rid the party of as much corruption as we can we can try and rescue our Country. After that, a plausible third party could be possible if the next Republican president fails us.

Apr 15, 2009 - 11:05 pm 91. Deagle:

Amateurs… Yep…that is what should scare the crap out of you! This is NOT a Republican or Democratic revolt but an American revolt against Federal government.

Yes, that should actually really scare you – both parties, things are finally changing..

Apr 16, 2009 - 12:06 am 92. mrmgp:

I used to always vote Republican. But after watching these idiots basically self-destruct year after year after year, I just couldn’t vote for them any more. And I will never vote Democrat even though I agree with them on more issues than I agree with Republicans simply because I can’t stand the way they talk and act as though they are benighted with special wisdom the rest of us poor schlubs just don’t posess, and if we disagree with them, then we are either gun nuts, racists, homophobes, religious kooks, sexists, or environmental despoilers. I have just had enough of the gross political incompetence of both parties, and am basically feeling that every election we keep voting for Neros who fiddle while Rome burns or voting for idiots who think fires are fought with something spelled G-A-S-O-L-I-N-E. I’m sick of runaway spending, I’m sick of how our politicians line their pockets with lobbyist money and vote themselves pay increases, and I’m sick of both parties using the Constitution as toilet paper. I am also sick of the millions of idiots in this country who keep re-electing these worthless bags of water and hot air. It is high time for some serious change in this country while we still have a country. The Libertarians will now have my vote as they stand for true liberty and governmental common sense.

Apr 16, 2009 - 12:35 am 93. Matthew Goggins:

President Obama, Senator Reid, and Speaker Pelosi have radically overplayed their hands.

Voters will pressure their representatives to repeal the worst of the spending, by replacing those who don’t cooperate. The American experiment in representative democracy can survive the current crisis and start to work its way back to a sustainable level of government. The Tea Party protests, like the original in 1773, are just the opening round.

Apr 16, 2009 - 12:56 am 94. Some Guy:

The Republican party was stripped of its credibility by its failure to uphold its own platform. Now that the party has had such a staggering defeat, the Robert Taft/Barry Goldwater/Ron Paul Republicans will have the opportunity to take it back from the Bush/Rockefeller/New World Order clowns.

This is a cycle that major parties go through. The first time it happened to the Republicans was when they were infiltrated by the Whigs, who morphed them from an anti-slavery party into a federal supremacy party.

Apr 16, 2009 - 1:11 am 95. Deet:

To the IP holder of the “posters” known as Ted K, Pat J, Larry J, Praetorian, and One of my own.

Does ACORN pay you per post, or do you receive a cash stipend for each fake account you can create on a Pajamas Media.

Also do you need to belong to a labor union, or are you outsourced child labor operating from a call center located somewhere in Pakistan?

Apr 16, 2009 - 1:37 am 96. john galt 185:

i attended the party in omaha alone with 2,000 of my fellow taxpayers. i found it intersesting that all the signs were handmade and not the usual signs seen at protests (read acorn, afl-cio etc) these people are mad at any government that can impose unlimited taxes to support personel beliefs of the leaders. this is not a republican/democratic protest but a protest against the whole lot of them. i note that the nay sayers in this post resort to name calling and use time worn phrases that add no real value to the discussion. it appears many have never even take econ 101 and fail to see the implications of the spending course we are on not only for the present generation but our future generations.

Apr 16, 2009 - 2:00 am 97. Akatsukami:

As commentary during the Presidetial campaign showed, leftypigs get more shrill and vicious as they perceive themselves to be in greater danger of defeat. The leftypig trolling at the moment reveals a level of discomfort, but it won’t be until they unfailingly equate peaceful pro-American protests such as these with calls for armed revolution against the Obamist cabal that we’ll know that we are within striking distance of our goals.

Apr 16, 2009 - 2:42 am 98. David Govett:

The coming reaction to the Tea Party protesters will swell membership in the party. It can’t be ignored and it can’t be countered. It will not be a third party. Rather, it will obviate parties altogether. America will become more a direct democracy than a democratic republic. Seismic.

Apr 16, 2009 - 2:45 am 99. Gary Ogletree:

My hometown of Lawton, OK surprised me just by having a tea party. Our Senators and local Rep. are among the most steadfast conservatives in D.C. Then 160 (KSWO estimate) turned out, another surprise. Jim The Painter gave a passionate and well informed speech. Then it was open mic. No politicians spoke. Next time I hope it’s after work so students and the soldiers at Fort Sill will be able to come.

Apr 16, 2009 - 3:18 am 100. mik:

I was in tx and the crazies were out! I almost miss them. haven’t seen them since the elections.

we need a new party. repubs are represented by crazies. and if they’re not, then they need to have new reps on tv….not the usual numbers making no sense on tv. we know who they are. dems need to get rid of…basically everybody in congress. they think they’re doing the right thing, but they’re ruled by who they know and lining of their pockets.

only people I still kinda prefer over them is obama and true conservatives. I don’t think true conservatives even associate themselves with repubs anymore.

and forget the media. it’s so hard to find truly unbiased media anymore.

Apr 16, 2009 - 3:36 am 101. Phil:

“Northern Light: As I’m watching video from various events I can’t help but notice how many children there are in the crowds. Is there a school holiday in the US I don’t know about?”

Actually, yes there is.

Apr 16, 2009 - 3:44 am 102. Terrye:

Say what you will about George Bush, the spending we see today is on an order of magnitude way beyond anything Bush ever conceived of. I also think that if the only bail out had been some short term loans to shore up the banks when the markets melted down…people would not have been so upset about it all. This is just way and beyond anything we have seen before. That scares people and makes them want to act.

Apr 16, 2009 - 4:10 am 103. Rich Casebolt:

“Desperate? I’m not the one protesting tax cuts for 95% of the public while wearing a funny hat and writing illogical political slogans.”

The typical broad-brush of the greedy Leftist … greedy to take from others, simply because he can, thinking that he’s getting something for nothing.

Where are those tax cuts, Ted … and even if they are there, how much will they be more than offset by the inflation and other negative economic effects of Obama’s MASSIVE deficit spending?

Also understand that when you increase taxes on businessmen, they pass that along to the rest of us as a cost of doing business … so “soaking the rich” means soaking YOU and me.

And not just in higher prices … I work for a single-owner business with about 200 other people. At the end of the year, this owner shares the profits with us in the form of both retirement contributions and cash bonuses. If his taxes are raised, those bonuses decrease … and I have yet to see how much better our lives are going to be by letting our government spend that money, instead of us.

In fact, given the history of the kinds of socioeconomic intervention by government these tax increases appear to be destined to pay for, I’d say we’d be better off if the owner just built a bonfire with that bonus money.

It is a good laugh to see you people worshiping R. Regan today – R. Reagan raised taxes and increased the deficit. Fiscal conservatism is a myth. Name an era conservatives spent down the deficit!”

Name me an era where Leftists didn’t thwart fiscal conservatism … especially during the Reagan years, when — in order to grease the wheels for the NECESSARY, and EFFECTIVE, spending needed to rebuild a gutted military — he had to let the Democrat Congress engage in INEFFECTIVE social spending.

Reagan’s spending brought an end to the Cold War (ask the Russians … who weren’t left to collapse in a neutron-rich blaze-of-glory).

The Dim’s spending perpetuated poverty.

Whose spending delivered more positive results to We the People?

And don’t forget that those Clinton surpluses occurred with a GOP Congress … today’s problems, though, started when that Congress became Democrat Lite when it came to spending.

“I actually enjoy pointing out the irony. Right-wingers don’t have any ideas, but they do have a lot of double standards.”

I find it ironic that someone from the political disposition that has embraced moral relativism would talk of standards at all.

OTOH, the criticism of the GOP yesterday was the beginning of the reinforcement of conservative standards upon our elected leadership.

Republicans, admittedly, don’t always get it right.

Democrats … and apparently, you, Ted … still don’t get it at all.

Apr 16, 2009 - 4:24 am 104. Walter Darby:

It is apparent that these protestors are decent, ordinary folks who are exercising the American right to express anger at their government and their feeling of urgency that it needs to get better. It appears to be right in line with our hallowed political traditions.

They seemed calm and orderly and I saw no low-level nastiness or nuttiness whatsoever. Their detractors seem bent on characterizing them as right-wing crazies but it is evident that this is nothing more than an expression of fear about a perfectly reasonable and patriotic uprising of public sentiment. I think it is a completely healthy phenomenon and I hope it grows into an effective political movement

Apr 16, 2009 - 4:24 am 105. Northern Light:

#54 Barb, Thank you for clearing that up. In Canada the school holiday is the week before Easter, not after. Under the circumstances it makes perfect sense to bring the kids to the protest. It’s not only educational, but cheaper than trying to find a babysitter.

Although I’m going to keep checking out video of various events and look at numbers, the number who turned out was not that impressive. If the organizers claim (and organizers always pad these figures) 200,000 as a combined total for “over 300 different communities” (CNN) that’s not so good when people are claiming this was a groundswell grassroots event where the silent majority was rising up.

I can’t help but feel that reading these posts that ACORN is the only group out there working for the left. Is ACORN really that scary? In any case, this protest didn’t have as many community organizers working for it as other protests, but it did have some heavy backing from the FOX Network. Protests from the left don’t usually get any broadcast media giving them publicity like FOX gave to this. I am pretty sure that Lou Dobbs wasn’t hyping the huge pro-immigration rallies America had a few years ago.

I am not surprised that Republican leaders wanted to look like they are leading the movement. It is a politicians job to jump out in front of a parade and act like they are leading it. I am also not surprised that many at the gatherings didn’t want to be affiliated with the Republican Party. When it comes to wasteful spending and running up the debt, the Republicans aren’t exactly innocent of those charges. If I was a conservative I would be either trying to clean up the GOP or thinking of the voting alternatives on the right.

As for the future of the movement, the jury is still out. I kept saying that most conservatives are virgins when it comes to things like this and like many virgins, you weren’t very good your first time out. On the other hand, I have only seen a bit of the fringe nuttery that any protest will attract and that’s a good thing. There were no stories of violence I could see last night (I just woke up) and that’s a very good thing considering that this protest had angry people and probably had more NRA members than the anti-war protests tend to get. This was the first time out and I was curious to see what kinds of crowds would gather. A few hundred or even a couple of thousand isn’t that impressive, but it’s a start.

The reasons I am reading for the low turnout are mainly that people had to go to work and this protest wasn’t sponsored by ACORN (again, can’t anyone mention any other boogymen?). I’d also add that bad weather in some areas didn’t help on the turnout issue (It was raining in Washington, Philadelphia, and Virginia). Boston’s turnout was disappointing considering that the events were named after an incident from Boston.

So on we go to July 4th. The weather is bound to be better and many more people will have the day off work. They can bring their kids again because school will be out for the summer. If the numbers go up and a couple of places have spectacular numbers than this protest will gain steam. If the numbers don’t change too much then we have to assume this mass-movement isn’t backed by the masses.

I had heard that Alan Keyes was going to speak at the event in Washington. Does anybody know if he did, or did the organizers have a bout of sanity and keep him away from the microphone? Alan Keyes does not help your cause. I guess there was nothing anyone could do about Jeff Beck speaking in San Antonio.

For those who attended I hope you had fun.

Enjoy July 4th

Apr 16, 2009 - 4:35 am 106. Teri:

I attended the Lansing, Michigan tea party – the very first time I have ever gone to a protest. There were people from all walks of life there. Everyone was polite, encouraging, passionate and all voiced the major theme – STOP the crazy, stupid SPENDING that will lead to inflation and much higher taxes as well as major increases in interest rates.
There were also plenty of signs that were against cap and trade, nationalized health care, bailouts, and signs stating that ALL people should have to pay SOME income tax on what they earn.
There were people with signs there calling for a fair tax, for term limits and for demanding that the boarders be enforced and no amnesty for illegal immigrates.
Many, many people were talking about how they were going to follow-up – lots of networking going on – lots of trading e-mails and talking about getting together in their towns and cities – to stay in touch and to let the local, state and national politicians know about where we all stand – stop the insane out of control vote buying spending.
There was very little talk of people being in favor of Democrats or Republicans – there was plenty of talk about voting them ALL out of office unless they hear what we are saying.
BTW, a state policeman told us that there was between 4,500 to 5,000 people there.
There were no groups coming in a bus, there were no mass arrivals, just everyday people from all walks of life expressing their disgust with all of the politicians, from both sides of the aisle.
This is NOT going away.

Apr 16, 2009 - 4:36 am 107. Brian Macker:

“Republicans should not be rejoicing. But Conservatives should be. The problem with Republicans is that too many are not Conservatives.”

I call baloney.

Conservatives are identified by more than one attribute and George Bush meets most of them. In fact, it’s because of Conservative voting power that the Republicans have a very hard time fielding libertarian candidates. Libertarian candidates are far more financially conservative than conservatives. So instead we get knuckle dragging candidates who are anti-evolution, anti-abortion, anti-gay, and anti-personal liberty.

I was at a tea party yesterday and talking with people carrying “conservative” signs. None of them had a clue as to the real causes of the economic crisis, and in fact got offended when I suggested it wasn’t only about subprime morgages, but a more pervasive lowering of interest rates and leverage (such as fractional reserve banking).

Most of the conservatives I’ve heard talk at both tea parties were off message. They provided lots of religious talk but little substance. For example, this crazy sounding lady “Chaplain Desiree Bernstein” which you can read about in the village voice.

If you want a movement of fiscal responsibility then that needs to be the main and only message. Economics and only economics should be the message. When you start injecting all your other conservative issues that are more tied to bronze age superstition than fiscal responsibility then you won’t have the votes to get government under control.

Apr 16, 2009 - 4:56 am 108. red:

The troll activity definitely shows the liberals are scared. Sounds like there was somewhere between fifty and seventy-five thousand protesters. And for every one of them there are 10 that couldn’t make it – as we learn in marketing.

Both parties better figure out what they are doing wrong.

Apr 16, 2009 - 5:00 am 109. geoffgo:

kdman@81,

To call them “ignorant” grants undeserved forgiveness. Since they know precisely what they do, then they are intentionally disinforming.

Every zerobot troll here (and at every conservative blog) has had every one of their talking points refuted innumerable times. It’s not ignorance!

What’s the penalty going to have to be for all these kapos-in-training? The Left is already floating balloons at DHS about “right wing extremism,” and seeking to pass laws to suppress it. Flash new bill introduced today by Democrats to ban automatic weapons, because 3 police officers were killed by some kook wanting to commit suicide by cop.

Unless the freedom lovers get an intellectual grip on the requirements for survival and face up to the inevitable consequences of having to go into that mode, they remain ill-prepared to compete.

Do most of you actually believe the NOW freedom-loving minority can take back our gov’t without a real fight?

It becomes ever clearer, that a whole lot of hangings and incarcerations gonna happen, no matter which side prevails. IOW, it can only get uglier from now on.

I mean having won back some semblance of individual freedom, smaller gov’t, etc., would a rational party in power allow any Leftist to EVER AGAIN be re-elected? They’ll have to be banned, or freedom loses.

Apr 16, 2009 - 5:07 am 110. Lili von Shtupp:

mrmgp, thanks for posting that. I’ll be right behind you voting the same way.

Apr 16, 2009 - 5:15 am 111. AYankInOz:

“Northern Light: As I’m watching video from various events I can’t help but notice how many children there are in the crowds. Is there a school holiday in the US I don’t know about?”

Indeed. Spring Break. Clearly, Northern Light has no children. Thank God for small mercies.

Apr 16, 2009 - 5:33 am 112. typos_R_us:

It’s good that the tea parties are happening, even though they won’t change anything.
The MSM has a death grip on the coverage of the tea parties. They will throttle any ‘change’ thru the normal political process. So the soap box will not make a difference. Between ACORN and Diabold, the left owns the ballot box, so there can be no relief there. The jury box is just as corrupt as the ballot box. That leaves the cartridge box.
The Usurper’s make work program will stop the bleeding for a while. Til summer, maybe. Make work jobs don’t create revenue. Once the make work is done, the economy continues it’s death spiral. When the misry index, now about 10, hits 25 or so, there will be a revolution. They left has reduced all options to the cartridge box. We will face civil war. After all, when americans are faced with starve or revolt, they will do the same thing other societies do when given those choices.
There has never been a civil war ( that dust up in the 19th century WAS NOT a civil war) in American history because Americans always were able to throw out a failed administration with the ballot box. With that no longer an option, there will be no other recourse.

Apr 16, 2009 - 5:43 am 113. Cannoneer No. 4:

The Tea Party has the potential to turn into the Politically Incorrect Political Party.

A coalition of Rugged Individualists, Entrepreneurial Frontiersmen, Cultural Revolutionaries, American Exceptionalists, Gulchers, Constitutionalists, Appleseeds, Bitter Clingers, Christians, Patriots, libertarians, people who want to be left the hell alone, blue collar men, married women, suburban marrieds, small business owners, independent professionals, and others out of the endless PC-status game and status wars would be one helluva herd of self-herding cats.

Apr 16, 2009 - 5:46 am 114. Cannoneer No. 4:

The Tea Party has the potential to turn into the Politically Incorrect Political Party.

A coalition of Rugged Individualists, Entrepreneurial Frontiersmen, Cultural Revolutionaries, American Exceptionalists, Gulchers, Constitutionalists, Appleseeds, Bitter Clingers, Christians, Patriots, libertarians, people who want to be left the hell alone, blue collar men, married women, suburban marrieds, small business owners, independent professionals, and others out of the endless PC-status game and status wars would be one helluva herd of self-herding cats.

Apr 16, 2009 - 5:50 am 115. Bilgeman:

#107 Brian Macker:
“In fact, it’s because of Conservative voting power that the Republicans have a very hard time fielding libertarian candidates. Libertarian candidates are far more financially conservative than conservatives. So instead we get knuckle dragging candidates who are anti-evolution, anti-abortion, anti-gay, and anti-personal liberty.”

Izzatso? How would you then explain Johm McCain’s candidacy?

Was he not “pro-” or at least neutral on all of the very issues that you enumerated?

And where is he now?

Conservative ideology is what gets people “into the theater”, but is Libertarianism, as you define it here, enough to keep their butts in the seats?

Apparently not.

Folks buy a ticket to a Conservative show, they want a Conservative show. Not some faux “Liberaltarianist” extravaganza which, as you have defined it, is nothing more than threadbare Leftism.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:21 am 116. Larry J:

Pat J, David S, Steve P, Larry J. These are Obama blogger pen names, eh?

I can’t speak for the others, just myself. When Republicans had control of Congress and the White House, they had the opportunity to actually lead. Instead, their highest priority one year (IIRC, 2005) was a massive pork-laden highway bill. Their spending was about as bad as the Democrats, just on different things. Now that they’ve lost power, they want me to believe they’re in favor of fiscal responsibility and small government? Yeah, pull my other finger.

Trust has to be earned. Once lost, it’s very difficult to regain. The Republican Party leadership has lost my trust (and the Democrats have never had it). Maybe it’s time for the Republican Party to go the way of the Whigs. There are several Republicans that are good but the leadership has to go. Either that, or I will go.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:21 am 117. Dee:

Yesterday was great. Oberlin can weep instead of screaming now! This well organized and it was for all the people.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:25 am 118. Anthony:

I say keep the GOP out of it! The GOP (and yes, I am a regular GOP voter) was a large part of the problem. Where was fiscal repsonsibility during the Bush years? Lott, Stevens, Abromovich, they were all Republcians.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:36 am 119. Dee:

This has nothing to do with the Democrat and Republican Parties. It’s about the government spending money out of control. And taxing the people for it. All of you who voted for this President or the last president, get over it. Don’t take this personally, in this way. Demanding less spending for hidden projects and groups over the years should make all the citizens of America mad. We are not ignorant. We should all stand together for this great country. The policitians are taking advantage of America’s busy lives…..but we have more references today at our finger tips…to learn government doings. Use these references, please.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:39 am 120. newton:

This is the beginning. Only the Beginning.

Democrats should consider yourselves warned.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:43 am 121. The Historian:

THE LEFT IS LYING ABOUT THE ECONOMY
Tea Parties are a pushback against manipulation

http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/economic-reality-minus-manipulation.html

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:44 am 122. David:

Republicans are idiots. Where was The Tea Party for King George with his billions of wasteful spending on the phony Iraq war? Get a life losers.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:49 am 123. newton:

You are the loser, David. We screamed at Bush for years about spending, including that Medicare Part B prescription entitlement – to no avail. We screamed at Congress last October because of the first bailout – we shut their phone and e-mail lines, remember? Yet Congress and Bush CHOSE not to listen to us.

We’re mad as hell and we’re not taking it anymore. Besides, your friends’ monopoly on protests has ended. This is only the beginning, and you better be scared of us.

Only the beginning.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:56 am 124. newton:

What are YOU going to do, David? Send DHS on us? Bring them on! They need to be given The Speech. They don’t work for Obama. They work for US! Congress should remember the same thing.

We’ll make sure they remember.

Apr 16, 2009 - 6:58 am 125. newton:

Hey, all of you Leftist jerks!

We will continue to SCREAM. You no longer hold the monopoly on protests. It is OUR RIGHT under the First Amendment.

This is Only the Beginning.

Consider yourselves warned.

Apr 16, 2009 - 7:00 am 126. Night Owl:

A lot of people are laughing at this Tea Party movement. A lot of people laugh when they’re nervous.

Apr 16, 2009 - 7:01 am 127. Dee:

David is NERVOUS.

Apr 16, 2009 - 7:15 am 128. Foont:

I can’t help but laugh at all the “Republicans are losers, get a life!” entries interspersed among dozens of posts stating that the protest was aimed at BOTH parties and basically proclaiming “A pox on both your houses!”.

Some people are so blinded by ideology, anger and resentment that they can’t read or understand plain English.

The minute a viable political leader and/of movement comes forth and champions the Constitutiion and the people against overbearing, lawless government there will be a coalescence and either a revolution within one of the two major parties or the rise of new party. It remains to be seen whether or not the American people are too ignorant, degraded or indifferent to take advantage of the opportunity.

Apr 16, 2009 - 7:20 am 129. COL.SEBASTIAN MORAN:

PRAETORIAN
#52
Would that lib trolls such as yourself would die off firast and rid the world of your ilk of ignorant liberal
scum…!!!
S.M.

Apr 16, 2009 - 7:44 am 130. MarkD:

This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue. We have two parties which are supposed to represent us in Washington. These parties, almost uniformly, are more concerned with using our money to buy favors to get themselves reelected, than they are with our interests.

The Republicans should take no solace from the tea parties. They are part of the problem.

I want a fiscally conservative government that sticks to its responsibilites as ennumerated in the Constitution. The Republicans used to pay lip service to that ideal, even if they were not very good in practice.

Now we have the wolves and the foxes raiding the hen house. I’m voting against every incumbent. I suggest we all do the same, until they get the message. It is our money, not their money.

Liberals can cue stupid comments about not funding defense, etc here. There is a huge difference between essential spending mandated by the Constitution and what we are wasting now.

Apr 16, 2009 - 7:44 am 131. Jack Okie:

#107 Brian Macker

The current out-of-control federal spending is the catalyst, but the focus of the tea parties is the Constitution. Direct election of senators broke a vital check on the federal government, depriving the states of the means to limit federal expansion. The misuse of the interstate commerce clause was another factor. Until this power imbalance is redressed, there will be no effective way to restrain the Congress, regardless of party.

Apr 16, 2009 - 7:59 am 132. Jack Okie:

Consider earmarks. We have earmarks because the feds are busy hoovering all the money they can from the states. If the feds were limited to only the funds required to meed the national government’s enumerated powers, the ratio of federal to state tax collections would at the minimum be reversed. We have earmarks because rather than the money remaining in the state, we have to pluck at the fed’s sleeve and say, like Oliver Twist, “Please, sir, I want some more”.

Apr 16, 2009 - 8:12 am 133. Jack Okie:

“meed” = “meet”

Apr 16, 2009 - 8:13 am 134. Don't Deny Tha Funk:

Newton, just remember:

“First they ignore you,
then they laugh at you,
then they fight you,
then you win. ”

-Mohandas K. Gandhi

Apr 16, 2009 - 8:23 am 135. one of my own:

134 Faux Funk . . . remember

An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

Apr 16, 2009 - 8:45 am 136. therealist:

The answer is to get more involved in the primaries. Otherwise you’re just choosing between tweedledum and tweedledee – or maybe not even choosing at all if your representative has a party lock and can run unopposed. I’ve voted all my life in elections but never in a primary so I’m as guilty as anyone, but that’s going to change.

Apr 16, 2009 - 9:06 am 137. hawkeye:

once again, to the liberal establishmentarians , so sorry you feel “left” out.

Apr 16, 2009 - 9:22 am 138. hp:

tell it like it is, one of my own, the acorn party. nothing “democratic” about it.

bobdog I swear somebody’s handing out troll assignments to go annoy the conservatives.

they are. research obama internet army. they moved from organized denial of freedom of speech pre-election (see variations of anti-obama blogger shut down) to current tasks as you describe.

Apr 16, 2009 - 9:29 am 139. sos:

Tea party participants: People beating their own pathways into hell,
under the auspices of a tea party.
And they think the Holier-than-thou Republican conservatives (hypocrites)
are their friends.

Why don’t some of the elderly people who are griping about spending the government spending their kids and grandchildren’s futures, give back the Social Security they use; and the billions of bottles of pills paid for monthly by the governement; and the healthcare maintenance bills; why don’t they start sacrificing if they really care?

Bush Senior used the statement “One World Government” back in the 1990s.
Why are they not protesting that? Because they are a bunch of hateful liars, whose only purpose is to try to bring down this president.

Why are the Republicans NOT protesting the corruption that has too long dominated the movies, television shows, the shutting down Christianity in America, and so many other atrocities that they themselves have committed; all to try to get others to hate Obama as they do. Oh if they only knew how they have been pawned off by Satan himself, if they only knew!

Apr 16, 2009 - 10:22 am 140. Larry J:

Deet:
To the IP holder of the “posters” known as Ted K, Pat J, Larry J, Praetorian, and One of my own.

Does ACORN pay you per post, or do you receive a cash stipend for each fake account you can create on a Pajamas Media.

Deet and Jim, does the RNC pay you by the post or is your nose stuck so far up the RNC’s butt that you can’t handle criticism of the party? Face it, the Republican Party screwed up big time and were thrown on their asses. If they ever hope to regain power or even to remain in existance on a national level, they’d better wake up and quit pissing on the base.

Apr 16, 2009 - 10:29 am 141. Bilgeman:

#135 grodious little blog-slave
“134 Faux Funk . . . remember

An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

You learned that the hard way, huh, mutated freak-pet?
Teach you to peek into the glory hole you service, didn’t it?

Apr 16, 2009 - 11:31 am 142. Thomas:

To all the trolls banging on about the $400 Obama tax cut, thanks, but George III tried the same thing when he tried to buy off Americans by repealing the Townsend duties. Those wingnut Sons of Liberty said thanks for the tax cut, but we notice that you kept the tax on tea, and it’s still a tax without our consent, and it’s the principle of the thing, so kindly stand back while we toss this tea in the drink.

A $400 tax cut is better than a kick in the teeth, but it’s not enough to buy me off. It’s the principle of the thing. My government should not impose taxes without the substantive consent of the people taxed. And I’m sorry, but pretending that it’s all fair & square for 51% of the people to pee in the cornflakes of 5% of the people makes a mockery of the whole notion of government by consent. If that makes me a dork in a three-corner hat, make the most of it. If a few more people bothered to figure out what their principles were, let alone defended them, we wouldn’t be in this mess.

Apr 16, 2009 - 11:42 am 143. COL.SEBASTIAN MORAN:

sorry …typo. meant site.
S.M.

Apr 16, 2009 - 12:50 pm 144. JOHN B:

The federal income tax is not the only tax. All of us pay taxes one way or another. I don’t mind paying a fair tax if the money being collected wasn’t wasted on things like overseas abortions and bridges to nowhere. If the people think a $400 check from the government is free they need to think again (yes, a lot of people, democrates and republicans, where against Bush doing it). We are destroying this country because too many people refuse to take off their rose-colored ideology glasses and we have lost the free press. But hey let’s try to be like Europe with their low unemployment rate and great standard of living. Let’s use Castro’s great health care system, if you’re a comrade and live long enough to see a doctor.

Apr 16, 2009 - 12:55 pm 145. COL.SEBASTIAN MORAN:

SOS.
#139
Evidently, you have a direct line to Satan.
YOU KNOW !!!
S.M.

Apr 16, 2009 - 1:33 pm 146. Brad:

Fox News Channel, The brown nosing channel of the Bush Administration for the past 8 years attempt to take ownership of this movement did the exact opposite.

By their constant promotions and getting out partisan Republican totally diminished the event in the eyes of much of the public.

Apr 16, 2009 - 2:05 pm 147. Eowyn:

Okay, I have GOT to Fisk 139. sos:

“Tea party participants: People beating their own pathways into hell,
under the auspices of a tea party.
And they think the Holier-than-thou Republican conservatives (hypocrites)
are their friends.”

[Haven't you read 9/10ths of the comments here? Conservatives are just as pi$$ed off at the Republicans as anyone.]

Why don’t some of the elderly people who are griping about spending the government spending their kids and grandchildren’s futures, give back the Social Security they use

[you mean, the Social Security they EARNED, through a lifetime of working?];

and the billions of bottles of pills paid for monthly by the governement [sic]

[here in Pennsylvania, it's paid for by the state lottery];

and the healthcare maintenance bills;

[when YOU get old, you just may have additional ailments that require additional medication]

why don’t they start sacrificing if they really care?

[Most of them have spent their LIVES sacrificing many things for their children and grandchildren.]

Bush Senior used the statement “One World Government” back in the 1990s.
Why are they not protesting that?

[Plenty of us are, believe me.]

Because they are a bunch of hateful liars, whose only purpose is to try to bring down this president.

[Can't speak for everyone, but MY only purpose is to reclaim my country.]

Why are the Republicans NOT protesting the corruption that has too long dominated the movies, television shows,

[they haven't?! Besides, remember Tipper Gore?]

the shutting down Christianity in America,

[um ... aren't "all" Republicans fanatical Christian wingnuts? /sarc, drawing from moonbat dogma], and so many other atrocities that they themselves have committed;

[such as ...?]

all to try to get others to hate Obama as they do. Oh if they only knew how they have been pawned off by Satan himself, if they only knew!

[You got a direct line to Old Nick, that you're so knowledgeable?]

Apr 16, 2009 - 3:49 pm 148. Northern Light:

#111 ayankinoz. How strange that after my post that mentions I am a Caadian and the holiday week in our schools is at a different time than Americans that this guy decides to insult me for my ignorance of American school holidays by saying how he’s glad I don’t have children.

I have a daughter and she is the best human being I know. If you had said “I hope Northern Light’s child has her mother’s looks and brains and doesn’t have Northern Light’s big fat mouth” I wouldn’t be making a comment, but some part of me feels you have insulted my daughter (who by the way has her mother’s looks and brains and doesn’t have my big fat mouth).

I’m sure you didn’t mean the offense I feel over this, but I have been called many things after I have commented here and some of them were deserved while others just made me laugh.

I am Canadian, go ahead insult my country.
I am not a conservative, go ahead and insult my politics.
My child is the best thing I have ever given to the world, don’t insult my daughter.
You may not like what I say, but I did produce a fantastic human being that is doing some good in this world. She works with senior citizens. So, yankinoz, what are your children doing?

To everyone else, I’m sorry to take up your time. I’m probably flying off the handle over this.

Apr 16, 2009 - 4:03 pm 149. Eowyn:

Northern Light, AYankinOz was out of line, thinks me. But otherwise, lighten up, and get with the argument.

Apr 16, 2009 - 5:42 pm 150. Brian Macker:

Bilgeman,
How would you then explain Johm McCain’s candidacy?

McCain = Anti-abortion, wants to leave teaching Creationism in public schools up to the states. Stricter drug policies. Christian Coalition has given McCain a rating of 83% on family issues. Picked Palin.
Palin = Pro-Creationist, anti-gay.

Sounds like they pass as conservatives. Except on economics. McCain supported the bailouts, and is an economic ignoramous.

Apr 16, 2009 - 7:58 pm 151. myth buster:

one of my own- sure other people have the power now, but for how long. If they refuse to listen, we’ll find someone who will, even if we must call for a Constitutional Convention! You will stop killing my generation! You will stop squandering my inheritance! You will stop stealing my liberty! And you will stop bowing down to Muslims!

Apr 16, 2009 - 8:15 pm 152. Praetorian:

Stupid birds of a feather flock together. Lot’s of middle-aged and retired folks at the rallies. How many of these “teabaggers” waving their signs with sayings such as, Obama is a Socialist,” or “Down with Socialism,” blah, blah, blah, are simultaneously nursing away at the federal nipple in the form of Social Security, MediCare, and Veterans benefits, etc.? These programs are all based on a socialist model whether they know it or not (probably not). Maybe they should put there money where their sign is and send those socialist dollars back to that big bad evil federal government that’s trying to oppress them. What a bunch of loons . . .

Apr 16, 2009 - 11:54 pm 153. Rich Casebolt:

Praetorian … Social Security, as originally designed, is insurance — not socialism. It is the Congressional stretching of the implementation that has given it socialist overtones.

Veterans’ benefits are even closer to the insurance paradigm … as they are EARNED, not granted.

It is one thing to assist the elderly and those who defend us with insurance programs … another thing entirely to spend trillions on “stimulus”, that will not be applied to this economy for YEARS, in the form of a Leftist wish list.

Ever consider that these people would like to keep some Ivy League idiots from bankrupting their insurer in the name of “progressive” ideology?

(Probably not.)

Apr 17, 2009 - 3:05 am 154. Rich Casebolt:

Oh, and one other thing, Praetorian.

Some of those older folks are old enough to remember the truth about the Depression and what it took to get us out of it (hint: it wasn’t nanny-state socialism).

Virtually all of them, though, are old enough to remember the social-engineering and command-economy follies of the 1970’s, and how these follies worked against preserving our prosperity.

To such as these, the new Messiah looks a lot like the Second Coming of Jimmy Carter … and they have been there, endured that, and don’t want to go back.

I’m one of them. We know a few things you young’uns don’t know yet … and our opposition is in part an effort to keep y’all from having to learn the hard way, like we did.

Apr 17, 2009 - 3:25 am 155. louise:

First — on the last day of his campaign, Barack Obama had 90,000 people cheering him on in his Manassas, VA. This was Obama’s SECOND rally that day — the same day he found out his mother had died. He was sad but uplifting in his hope and encouragement to all us who had been working for more than a year. People had walked up to 3 miles from their cars and waited up to 5 hours in the cold to cheer him on the night before he was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state of Virginia since 1964.

It took 45 years for Democrats in Virginia to “come out of the wilderness.” And you “Teabaggers” are bragging about your incoherent “Tax Day” rallies of 5,000 people — each with a different agenda, as the “beginning of the end” of Obama, the Federal Government and the “oppression of liberalism?”

Get real.

If you really want to have a voice in what is going on, stop being so passive and expecting that whining, complaining and lying will get you what you want.

Stop demonizing the the poor. Hedge Fund Managers paid lobbyists to get them an INCOME tax rate of 15% — on the stupid argument that their income should be taxed at same rate as the equities they sold. Huh?

But, allowing the working poor — the ones in our country who are out there, working hard, day in and day out, actually building things and caring for you and your children — in small factories and day care centers are “stealing your money with the “Earned Income Tax” benefit? One of the most important ways our country has created a middle-class that is able to buy goods and services from the more wealthy? WHO DO YOU THINK THE CUSTOMERS AND CLIENTS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE?

And, finally, why do conservatives and “independents” get to talk in such disrespectful and almost traitorous ways during a time of war and during one of the most dangerous economic times in modern history? It is sickening.

And you keep complaining about the “medicine” the US has to “take” to get well — the “bailouts” and the Stimulus Package” — like a bunch of ignorant people who won’t take “poisonous chemo therapy” to kill their cancer.

Well, we have to take some chemo for a while, get sick, have some hair fall out and feel kind of rotten. But, if we work hard, eat well, keep a good attitude, do what the doctor says — we may end up feeling better than we did before. Especially if we stop eating junk food, start exercising, going to the doctor before we have a crisis and stop acting like asses.

And finally, coud you stop calling those who do not have your same ideas names? “Libtards.” You do realize you are calling liberals “retarded,” right? None of you has liberal friends or family members? Would you call them “retarded to their faces? Shame on you!

Get your own house in order and work hard. The next election is coming up. YOU DO HAVE REPRESENTATION. Our forefathers and mothers DIED for you to have the gift of representation. Are you so ungrateful? Work hard for the candidates of your choice. Spend the time you currently spend in front of the TV with Beck or listening to Rush on the radio — and actual do something.

Those of us who elected Obama spend THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of hours working for him and his election. And we continue to tell him our views. Our president listens to US because WE have credibility. We have not only talked the talk — WE HAVE WALKED THE WALK. Hundred of miles — as a matter of fact.

So get to work for what you believe. But, please stop the insults and paranoia; it is your country — but IT IS OUR COUNTRY TOO.

Apr 17, 2009 - 9:26 am 156. Rich Casebolt:

Louise … you’re dreaming if you think this President listens to you for any other reason than you are echoing what he wants to hear.

And we’ve tried your “chemo” before, back in the 1960’s and 1970’s … and we found it was actually snake oil.

When funding for government programs is advertised as “stimulus” for a flagging economy, but is not slated to be spent until years later … spending that looks like a hard-Left wish list … something isn’t adding up here.

I don’t demonize the poor … but neither do I give them a pass when they act as greedily as the worst hedge fund managers, by absorbing our monetary expressions of compassion in perpetuity instead of giving it everything they got to become self-sufficient … choosing to “get by” on the dole at the expense of your and my getting ahead.

OTOH, soaking the rich soaks US … either in higher prices, or in my case reducing the profit-sharing my employer provides for every employee.

And for what? Health-care programs that threaten my civil liberties far more than the PATRIOT Act? Alternative-energy programs where the principles of economics, the laws of physics and the state-of-the-art do not square with Utopian dreams? Unaccountable bailout programs, run by tax cheats who got a free pass you and I would never get? The imposition, by force of law, of a cult belief in man-made climate change that is on grounds as shaky as that of the Terracentric Catholic Church of Galileo’s day?

You are right, though, in saying that we should get to work … apparently, managing our own lives and staying off the government teat left the door open for the hard Left to seize the levers of power.

But understand this … we have something more than numbers, or hours, on our side of this debate.

We have sound principles … principles like the notion that life and liberty are conferred upon us by a Higher Power than the State … the idea that the locals can manage society better than the “experts” in DC … the idea that sometimes, confrontation and even violence is the optimum form of “diplomacy” …

… and the most fundamental sound principle of all … that there are principles beyond the relativism that has infected so many of your fellow-travelers, principles that are IMPERVIOUS to CHANGE, no matter how many of y’all, or how many thousands of hours y’all, HOPE to change them to suit your feelings.

Apr 17, 2009 - 7:10 pm 157. Jen:

DESPITE YOUR BEAUTY JENNIFER, YOU HAVE NO BRAINS.

ONLY A MORON REPUBLICAN LIKE BUSH WILL REJOICE IN TEA PARTIES.

IT’S A TOOL OF THE CONSTITUTION AND LIBERTARIAN PARTIES.

IT SIGNALS THE FACT THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS ALREADY DESTROYED. NO LEADER. ASHAMED OF ITSELF. DISOWNED. WE, LIBERALS, DON’T EVEN HAVE TO RAISE OUR WEAPONS AGAINST THE Rs.

THEY ARE SELF-DESTRUCTING.

SO…. FOR YOUR OWN SAKE JEN…. GIVE UP THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

YOU CAN BE A LIBERTARIAN OR A CONSTITUIONAL PARTY MEMBER.

OR IF YOU WANT ….. GO FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY. WE’RE A BIG TENT TOO.

Apr 18, 2009 - 6:56 pm 158. Ben:

Hi wingnuts,

Referring to government-funded social support as “insurance” instead of calling it “welfare” doesn’t make it any less SOCIALIST.

Rich: actually, we weathered the Great Depression because of a Keynesian intervention. Of course, World War II also helped. Sadly, this is not the 1930’s, and war doesn’t seem to do the trick like it did back in the good old days.

Louise said everything else I was going to say. Well done, Louise.

Tea baggers: take your tea to the middle east. They hate America over there as much as you seem to.

Apr 19, 2009 - 3:24 am 159. Rich Casebolt:

Ben … there is a big difference between (supposedly) self-funding insurance programs — where the taxes involved are supposed to be used ONLY for that purpose — and the pervasive government control/confiscation of socialist policy.

The fact that you cannot discern that speaks volumes about your judgment.

And, how long would the Depression have lasted, had we not had WWII? Care to venture a guess that you can back up with fact on that? Even with the war, there were places where the Depression extended beyond WWII … like Appalachia, where my father grew up.

Like I said to Louise — we have sound principle on our side.

Even if you carry Election Day, you will not be able to get around that … and when the people grow tired of the suffering your policies bring, you won’t even be able to carry the next Election Day.

Apr 19, 2009 - 2:26 pm

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