Some GOP just don't get it

[Mango]

I think DeMint and Co. are making the effort to hold the rest of them to the fire.

You may be right, but what I am curious about is what exactly are guys like DeMint and the so called experts teaching the newbies? Does anyone know who might be a Teaparty Leader in their area or have access to what the Orientation of Freshmen encompasses? It would be very interesting to know the Agenda.

From an email sent out to Teaparty Members:

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif][FONT=&quot]Don't Let Them Steal OUR New Members of Congress[/FONT][/FONT]
Dear Fellow Patriots, [FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]A situation has arisen with the Freshmen Orientation being sponsored by Tea Party Patriots this weekend, and we need your help.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DC insiders, the RNC, and lobbyists are already trying to push the Tea Party aside and co-opt the incoming Congressmen.

Several days after we announced our Freshman Orientation another organization, Claremont Institute, announced that they were having one too, on the same day, at the same time. They are promoting theirs in a way that makes it appear as an "Official" Freshman Orientation, and it is causing some confusion with the Freshmen. When we realized the conflict, we reached out to Claremont ([/FONT] Brian Kennedy, President - BKennedy@claremont.org * Phone: (909) 621-6825)[FONT=&quot], let them know that we had a facility reserved and that we had spent in excess of a hundred thousand dollars flying in local tea party coordinators, and arranging the facility for this meeting. In a gesture of goodwill, we offered to combine events. We were summarily and, we thought rudely, dismissed by Claremont. We thought this was strange, in light of the fact that Claremont is normally a great organization, so we began to dig in and do some research. Here's what we found:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1. TPP Event[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]a. Organized by and for local tea party coordinators[/FONT][FONT=&quot]around the country.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]b. Partnered with Constitutional Congress,[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]a new 501(c)(3) organization chaired by retiring Rep. John Shadegg, which intends to teach newly elected members to govern according to the Constitution.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]c. Keynote speaker - Attorney General Edwin Meese[/FONT][FONT=&quot], who served under President Reagan and will speak to the freshmen about governing according to the Constitution.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]d. Supported by true reformers in the Congress[/FONT][FONT=&quot], including Sen. Jim DeMint, Sen. Tom Coburn, and Congressman John Shadegg.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2. Claremont Institute Event[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]a. Coordinated by lobbyists and campaign consultants.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] They are apparently trying to make sure that instead of sitting with grassroots tea party leaders from around the country, the lobbyists and consultants can sink their claws into the freshmen, and begin to "teach them" the ways of DC. The invitation lists prominent lobbyists and campaign consultants in DC as the "coordinators", including:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]i. Chip Saltsman:[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] Saltsman is a longtime DC insider and political consultant. He is most infamous for withdrawing his candidacy for RNC Chairman one day before the election following a controversy regarding his Christmas gift to almost 200 members of the RNC copies of a CD containing the song[/FONT]"BaracktheMagicNegro"
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]ii. Tim Powers: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Powers is another long time DC insider and the former Deputy Director of the Republican National Committee's (RNC) Congressional Affairs and Strategic Planning. He is listed as Co-Chairman and Co-Founder of a lobbying firm in DC, Artemis Strategies. Their website says that "Artemis Strategies is a well respected Washington, D.C. asset. Prior to co-founding Artemis Strategies in the fall of 2002, Mr. Powers operated PowerStrategies, a public affairs and government relations firm he founded." Powers appears to be the quintessential DC insider and lobbyist.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]b. Keynote Speaker - Talk Show Host - Bill Bennett[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]c. Supported by none of the reformers in Congress. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Instead it's a lobbyist / political consultant event for the Freshmen.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Here is where you come in.[/FONT]
​

[FONT=&quot]
Do you want the first event your incoming Freshman Congressmen attend to be an event hosted by the grassroots Local Coordinators of Tea Party Patriots and the Congressmen and Senators who are willing to support them in their drive to restore the US Constitution? Or would you rather they attend an indoctrination organized by DC insiders and lobbyists, members of The Ruling Class? Do you want your incoming Freshmen Congressmen to attend an event where they will get the support, encouragement, and knowledge they need to begin to restore our Constitution or do you want them to attend an event where DC insiders can begin to corrupt them?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The water in the Potomac is infected with the politics of the past and needs to be boiled to be cleansed and then steeped in fresh tea. You are the fresh tea. Today we need your help.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We need you to call & email these incoming Congressmen & tell them you want them to attend YOUR Tea Party Patriots event.[/FONT]
​

[FONT=&quot]
Explain the differences between the two events. We need to make sure they understand that the Claremont event is not an "official" event but one put on by lobbyists, for which they are being asked to skip the TPP and Constitutional Congress event. They need to know what you, their new constituents, think about their choice, and how you'll react if they choose to ignore the grassroots and immediately get in bed with DC lobbyists and RNC insiders.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Below is a list of all incoming Freshmen who have been invited to attend. Please call and email them, especially if they are your Representative, and let them know your opinion.

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Please do this right away![/FONT]
​

[FONT=&quot]
It looks like this is our first chance to stand against the DC status quo. Let's show them that you won't tolerate politics as usual and show them the power of the Tea Party.[/FONT]

​

​

 

[Matt J]

You guys are so funny. I guess you would prefer we all act like ostriches and ignore reality. And criticize anyone who is making an effort to work on the issues. Yea, you guys crack me up.

Again, who is trying to make a difference? I'm still completely in the dark as to the Tea Parties plan.

So far I've got this from them:

Repeal health care.
Tax cuts.

That's all I've heard and it's already been shown that it won't work for 2 reasons:

Health Care hasn't cost anything but the paper the law was printed on thus far.
Tax cuts don't lower the budget.

 

[idlewind]

This is what Jim DeMint's PAC stands for:

The SCF policy goals include:

• Strengthen national security
• Oppose appeasement
• Eliminate wasteful spending and keep taxes low
• Promote energy security
• Secure our borders
• Expand private health insurance
• Give parents more school choices
• Reform Social Security and Medicare
• Confirm good judges
• Support and defend the Constitution of the United States

Just so my liberal friends can go out of their mind, here is another Tea Party leader's PAC goals:

Sarah Palin's Official PAC

Dedicated to building America's future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.

SarahPAC believes America's best days are ahead. Our country, founded on conservative principles and the fight for freedom, must confront the challenges of the 21st century with integrity, innovation, and determination.

SarahPAC believes energy independence is a cornerstone of the economic security and progress that every American family wants and deserves.
SarahPAC believes the Republican Party is at the threshold of an historic renaissance that will build a better future for all. Health care, education, and reform of government are among our key goals. Join us today!

 

[beachmouse]

The truth of the matter is that the only time that voters hate earmarks is when they're in someone else's district or state. Say you're going to cut pork locally, and it really doesn't go well.

 

[BeachSiO2]

My question is when are the local Constitutional Conservatives going to start the "Let's build a Four-Lane Toll Bridge across Choctawhatchee Bay" campaign as I don't see how that bridge gets built with non-federal dollars (i.e. no earmarks).

 

[poppy]

This is what Jim DeMint's PAC stands for:

The SCF policy goals include:

• Strengthen national security
• Oppose appeasement
• Eliminate wasteful spending and keep taxes low
• Promote energy security
• Secure our borders
• Expand private health insurance
• Give parents more school choices
• Reform Social Security and Medicare
• Confirm good judges
• Support and defend the Constitution of the United States

Just so my liberal friends can go out of their mind, here is another Tea Party leader's PAC goals:

Sarah Palin's Official PAC

Dedicated to building America's future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.

SarahPAC believes America's best days are ahead. Our country, founded on conservative principles and the fight for freedom, must confront the challenges of the 21st century with integrity, innovation, and determination.

SarahPAC believes energy independence is a cornerstone of the economic security and progress that every American family wants and deserves.
SarahPAC believes the Republican Party is at the threshold of an historic renaissance that will build a better future for all. Health care, education, and reform of government are among our key goals. Join us today!

Could they make these goals any more vague? This is more like the mission statement of a corporation, sounds great but what are the specifics?

 

[Mango]

Could they make these goals any more vague? This is more like the mission statement of a corporation, sounds great but what are the specifics?

Yes, I was going to mention that.

Strengthen military. - Does DeMint think 50K or so soldiers alone in Europe (with a bulk of them in Germany) is not enough? (the equivalent of the amount of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan? We already have already spent billions on a war against terror with WMD that no one ever found.

Oppose appeasement- who does DeMint think we are appeasing to the detriment of our national security? What is his plan to eliminate wasteful spending? How do we keep taxes low when he wants to spend more on strengthening our military? But, the most laughable goal is "confirm good judges". First off, this sounds like the jargon an ex-convict would use. What exactly makes a judge good according to him? One that keeps politicians (Dem and Rep) out of jail?

(Sorry, I couldn't help that one)

In order for someone like me to take these agenda items seriously and to be part of a movement, like the Tea Party Patriots, these would be questions I would need to have answered. Would love to have a serious conversation about this and I am not being snarky.

 

[AlphaCrab]

Could they make these goals any more vague? This is more like the mission statement of a corporation, sounds great but what are the specifics?

Got to agree--vague enough to garner support basically beause it all "sounds" good. So, for instance, what make a "good" judge exactly in thier eyes? Secure our borders, everyone wants that--at what cost and to whom? Promote Energy Security.....how? ...by drilling on Florida's coastline.

This is nothing more than wet "blanket statement" of vagueness. There is more meat in the Boy Scouts of America's Oath.

 

[Lynnie]

I am advocating the ostrich concept, personally. It's a very happy place.

 

[scooterbug44]

I am advocating the ostrich concept, personally. It's a very happy place.

Only as long as you keep your head buried - and we've sort of exceeded the time limit on that. ;-)