Saturday, 4/5/14, Public Square

Friday, 8/2/13, Public Square

Saturday, 8/13/11, Public Square

Fill in the blank.

Saturday, 7/16/11, Public Square

Monday, 6/20/11, Public Square

Could the “Tea Party” take over Congress?

This gathering of libertarians, conservatives, and others just plain fed up with business as usual in Washington has some prominent figureheads – Fox News broadcasters and political pot-stirrers Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck –and, is clearly having a major impact on the midterm elections — putting a significant number of more conventional Republicans as well as Democrats into a cold sweat as they look over their shoulders at tea-party backed candidates with a real possibility of winning.  Some of these candidates should scare the hell out of most voters — these are not your average run-of-the-mill politicians, in fact, they’re worse.

Which tea-party-backed candidates do you think will be elected this fall, and why? Which ones are most off center, maybe even off the far edge of ‘right?’

59 Percent: Palin Can’t Be President

Yes, it’s a silly poll.  Maybe all polls are.  But it gives me hope that Republicans really could nominate her.

Sarah Palin may be on a hot streak with her congressional endorsements, but 59 percent of Americans think Sarah Palin is not fit to be president of the United States, according to a new 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll. Meanwhile, 26 percent say they think she would be an effective commander-in-chief. The poll also shows Republicans splitting 47-40 on the question of whether Palin can lead the country.

Will Republicans continue to employ their litmus tests, ignore who might be electable, and nominate the person who passes all their tests on ‘conservative enough?’

fnord

Primary Races Today

Alaska – Primary
Arizona – Primary
Florida – Primary
Vermont – Primary

Some interesting races!

How effective will the support of Sarah Palin be?  In Alaska Palin’s pick, attorney and political unknown Joe Miller, seems to have gained little traction against Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski.  In Arizona, Palin has backed Sen. John McCain, who faces a challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth.  McCain has said whatever anyone wants to hear, taken whatever stance might garner votes and become much less than the man he once was in his pursuit for reelection.

In Florida there are highly contested primary races for governor and senator, and early voting has already begun to decide which Republican runs for governor, and which Democrat takes on Gov. Charlie Crist, the former Republican, and Marco Rubio, the actual Republican, for a seat in the United States Senate.  Proving money can only go so far, real estate billionaire Jeff Greene and healthcare multimillionaire Rick Scott, held double-digit leads over their opponents in July but slipped steadily as their rivals turned the spotlight on the newcomers’ business dealings and character.

Vermont has a crowded Democratic primary race for governor.   The Democratic voters are in a bind: They like all of them, want one of them to win the November general election against Republican Brian Dubie.  After months of campaigning, no candidate has emerged as the clear favorite. The candidates themselves and political observers agree almost anything can happen as the most extensive and expensive primary race in Vermont history culminates in today’s voting.

Glenn Beck’s ‘Restoring Honor’ Rally

Glenn Beck plans a rally for the anniversary of MLK’s “I Have A Dream” speech.  He calls it “Restoring Honor.”   Now he’s saying it’s totally apolitical – and the proof is Sarah Palin will be the headlining speaker.  Oh, and it’s partially sponsored by the National Rifle Association.

What other “totally apolitical” speakers do you think Beck will bring with him to the Lincoln Memorial steps?

fnord

Let’s have a Tea Party! Part III

We now have an idea of what and who the Tea Party is, but what does it all mean?

Despite the obvious racism of the thread photo, the Tea Party is not, in my not so humble opinion, inherently racist.*  As with any large group of people, there will always be that element that has “darker” motivations.

(In the interest of fairness, the man holding the sign in the thread photo was booted out of his local Tea Party chapter.)

It is clear, however, that much of the anger-fueled rhetoric from the Tea Party is focused on President Barack Obama and his “liberal” agenda. That is curious in light of the fact that most progressives feel that Obama has not been liberal enough.

The “Tea” in Tea Party is an acronym for “Taxed Enough Already” and much of the focus of the Party is on taxes and spending. Another focus is on the Constitution and the constitutionality of recently passed laws.

Tea Party wrath is aimed at incumbent politicians, yet those same office-holders and former office-holders regularly speak at Tea Party events, so it would seem apparently that the majority of the wrath is directed at incumbent Democrats.

A few incumbent Republicans have been deemed insufficiently conservative for the Tea Party and some have even been turned out of office for that reason.

So, is the Tea Party movement a grassroots semi-organization that is non-aligned, or is it merely the hard-right arm of the Republican Party?

The political landscape of America is largely a two party system. While third parties periodically pop up, most are short lived and fail to actually win state and Federal offices.

Tea Party goals and the rhetoric that backs them up is exclusively that of the far right champions such as Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. You can dress up the pitbull and slap on the make up, but it’s still a far right, Republican pitbull. There isn’t enough lipstick in the country to make that dog into anything else.

Is the Tea Party a viable political force for the future? A negative focus rarely makes for longevity, and the Party focus is largely negative.

The Great Recession will end, deficits will be reduced, benefits of TARP, the Stimulus and HCR will be recognized and, perhaps more important to the Tea Party, Barack Obama will leave office (after two terms) and the Tea Party will fade into a historical footnote.

Thoughts?

*(Since I wrote this, the Tea Party Federation has kicked the Tea Party Express out of the Federation for a racist parody written and published by their spokesperson, Mark Williams. While I agree with little of the Tea Party philosophy, I do have to applaud their quick and decisive manner in dealing with a racist element within the Federation.)

William Stephenson Clark

Let’s have a Tea Party! Part II

Much has been made of the so-called inclusive grassroots nature of the Tea Party movement. While that sounds all American-y, warm and friendly, it basically isn’t true.

Note: (From the New York Times/CBS)

• Tea Party supporters were 89% white, 10% Hispanic and 1% black.
• 18% of Americans consider themselves Tea Party supporters.
• 90% of Tea Party supporters think the country is headed in the wrong direction.
• Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than age 45.
• 54% of Tea Party supporters have a “favorable opinion” of the Republican party compared to 38% of the general public.
• 6% of Tea Party supporters have a favorable opinion of the Democratic party compared to 42% of the general public.
• 30% think President Obama was born outside the United States compared to 20% of the general public.
• More than half (52%) told the pollsters they think their own “income taxes this year are fair.”
• 25% think that the administration favors blacks over whites — compared with 11% of the general public.
• 7% approve of how President Obama is doing his job compared to 50% of the general public.
• 92% feel that President Obama’s policies are moving the US towards “socialism”, compared to 52% for the general public.

So, if you were to “build” an average Tea Partier, he would be male white, older, Republican, think that we’re headed for socialism and generally have an unfavorable view of Democrats and President Obama. While it was not noted in the polling, he would be a church going Christian with a secret crush on Sarah Palin.

The polling does not bear out the contention that the Tea Party movement is a “big tent” organization populated by a cross-section of average Americans.

So, what to make of this Tea Party?

(Tune in tomorrow for Part III)

William Stephenson Clark

Let’s have a Tea Party! Part I

Your not so humble columnist will make every effort to be even-handed with this piece, but sometimes you just run out of lipstick.

Tea Partiers claim that their movement is a Populist grass roots phenomenon, but there is much evidence that it is more Astro Turf and less natural grass. That aside, a few quick Tea Party factoids:

The Tea Party Contract from America

1. Identify constitutionality of every new law: Require each bill to identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does.
2. Reject emissions trading: Stop the “cap and trade” administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants.
3. Demand a balanced federal budget: Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a two-thirds majority needed for any tax modification.
4. Simplify the tax system: Adopt a simple and fair single-rate tax system by scrapping the internal revenue code and replacing it with one that is no longer than 4,543 words — the length of the original Constitution.
5. Audit federal government agencies for constitutionality: Create a Blue Ribbon taskforce that engages in an audit of federal agencies and programs, assessing their Constitutionality, and identifying duplication, waste, ineffectiveness, and agencies and programs better left for the states or local authorities.
6. Limit annual growth in federal spending: Impose a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of the inflation rate plus the percentage of population growth.
7. Repeal the health care legislation passed on March 23, 2010: Defund, repeal and replace the HCR.
8. Pass an ‘All-of-the-Above’ Energy Policy: Authorize the exploration of additional energy reserves to reduce American dependence on foreign energy sources and reduce regulatory barriers to all other forms of energy creation.
9. Reduce Earmarks: Place a moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, and then require a 2/3 majority to pass any earmark.
10. Reduce Taxes: Permanently repeal all recent tax increases, and extend permanently the George W. Bush temporary reductions in income tax, capital gains tax and  estate taxes currently scheduled to end in 2011.

These are the “official” Tea Party positions.

What do you think?

(Part II tomorrow, Part III Wednesday.)

William Stephenson Clark

Run Sarah Run, See Sarah Run

This newly released SarahPAC video has already had almost 400,000 views.  As of June 30, SarahPAC had more than $1 million cash on hand.  It all hints that Palin plans to run for POTUS in 2012.

She stands a good chance of winning the nomination of the GOP.  Can she win the general election?  If she decides to run and doesn’t win the nomination, will her fervent fans support another nominee?  If Palin runs, wins the nomination and then loses the general election, she could leave the Republican brand in pieces.

If Palin is smarter than she is ambitious, she will not run in 2012 — she has fame, fortune, and multiple platforms to leverage for years to come.  Who wants to speculate on whether she is more ambitious than smart?

fnord

Mixing Politics and Religion

It seems that God has been speaking mostly to Republicans when it comes to the call to serve in public office.  Sharron Angle who hopes to unseat Harry Reid in Nevada joins other Republicans who say God called them to serve.  She says, “I believe that God has been in this from the beginning and because of that, when he has a plan and purpose for your life and you fit into that what he calls you to, he’s always equipped people.”

God, if you believe His messengers, also spoke to Sarah Palin, George Bush and Norm Coleman, calling them to public office.  Why God let Al Franken win Coleman’s seat is another matter.

What other politicians or leaders have you seen claim divine endorsement?  Is God a Republican after all?  In the past when we mixed politics and religion, people got burned at the stake.  Is that where this will lead?

fnord

Inflatable female toads thwart sex.

Well, I have been told, “Thank’s, but no thank’s!”  That’s all good – I never push it too far, but, so far,  this has never happened to me:

“When grasped by a male they do not want to have sex with, female cane toads will inflate their bodies so rival males can dislodge the unwanted suitor.”

So, what is it about men and women and sex?

Sex is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. I often say that “sex” is a little taste of Heaven so that we stay on the right track.

But why is there so much focus on sex? We are all human (well, except me) so sex comes naturally to most of us. We are attracted to the opposite sex (or the same sex) and we pursue sexual encounters. We buy flowers, candy, dinners and movies, all in pursuit of that “moment.”

Our airways and media are filled with sex. Movies, television, music, advertisements, magazines, bathroom stalls are all dedicated to the pursuit of sex.

In my not so humble opinion, there is no such thing as “bad sex,” so long as it is consensual among adults. “Doin’ it” is as natural as breathing. In fact, many would just as soon “do it” as breath.

So, why the goofy, puritanical views of sex in America?

Americans are fascinated by “who is doin’ whom.” At the same time, we are quick to condemn “who” for “doin’ whom.” What sort of hypocrisy leads us to condemn while secretly (or not so secretly) playing the numbers game?

Tiger? Bad boy. Bill? Dumbass. Wilt? Serial exaggerator.

George Clooney? Yeah! What a stud!

Come on! We can’t celebrate the bachelor without celebrating the bachelorette. If “he” is a stud, how is it that “she” is a slut?

It’s just “sex” boys and girls – or boys and boys or girls and girls.

Ease back on the hypocrisy and celebrate it for what it is.

Sex.

William Stephenson Clark