I do not always agree with Jack, but more often than not; he is right on point.
This Posting was crafted on my Apple iPod using WordPress Mobile Admin (Too Cool!)
Category: Tea Party
Video: The Daily RANT!: Terrorism, Abortionists, and Ron Paul supporting idiots
This is one of my most hardcore rants yet. Consider this your official CONTENT WARNING!
Update: Because I am an honest person, I will correct myself. It was not Jesus who called the people “a brute of vipers” it was John The Baptist. Oops. 😳
Related:
One down, many more to go: Top al Qaeda leader Ilyas Kashmiri killed in US Predator strike
What having an abortion does to a woman
Living proof that Adam Kokesh/Ron Paul Supporters are unhinged leftists in disguise
Why I am not blogging about Anthony Weiner
If you have come looking for any and all postings related to this idiotic so-called scandal by Anthony Weiner. Let me stop you here, there are none on here anymore —well, except for this posting here. Why you ask?
Because I pulled the posting —- really, it was nothing anyhow, just a casual mention of it. I also mentioned it one of my “Daily Rant!” videos. I stated on there, that I thought he was guilty as sin. I officially retract that statement.
Why the change all of a sudden towards this story?
Simple.
I do not wish to be one of the hoards of people in on the persecution of this man.
Folks, I have mentioned here in the past, it has been a while; but I do need to mention it again. I am not, nor have I ever been a hyper-partisan or a partisan blogger at all —- period, end of story. Corruption exists on both sides of the aisle. There are corrupt Republicans and there are corrupt Democrats. I do not buy into that whole idea that somehow or another that Democrats are more corrupt than Republicans are. That is partisan nonsense and I simply do not play that game, at all.
It is obvious to the writer of this article; that this persecution of this man is of a partisan base. Anything that Andrew Breitbart is involved in is purely of a partisan nature. I will never give Breitbart, that vulgar piece of human excrement, any more attention or bandwidth than this man really honestly deserves.
The second reason why I am not allowing myself to become involved in such idiocy is the following:
I am a former “Left of center” person and blogger, who now finds himself in a happy place between the camps of Classic Liberal/ Paleo-Conservative/ libertarian. Because I have an opinion on the Zionist Movement, and on Neo-Conservatism and its foreign policy idiocy, I have been branded by some as an Anti-Semite and by liberals as being a racist bigot and by some as a white nationalist.
Because of this, I have decided that this “scandal” is not worth my time or trouble. The way I feel about it, is this; If Anthony Weiner is even remotely as guilty as some are making him out to be, this whole thing will, as they put it, “Come out in the wash.” What I do not support is the pathetic continual hounding of the man. It is ridiculous!
Right now, our Nation is facing some serious issues. Unemployment is at an ultimate high; our Nation’s debt is also at an ultimate high. We have a President and a federal reserve bank that is literally ruining our money supply by pumping more currency into the money supply, thereby creating hyperinflation. We also have a President that is more interested in importing oil from Brazil than he is drilling here and now; which sending gas prices over four dollars a gallon. We are in the midst of all this and the best thing my fellow Conservative bloggers can do is fret and worry whether some idiot Democrat in congress tweeted a picture of his penis in a pair of men’s briefs? Are you people damned Serious?!
Do you mental giants realize that this whole thing could blow up in our faces and that Conservatives, Republican Party, Tea Party (Pick a damn name!) could be perceived by those who are just mildly paying attention as Anti-Semites who are on the hunt for a Jewish politico to mess up, so that we can go after them? Do you really what to know what the fallout from this all blowing up in your faces could be? How about four more years of Barack Obama, you damned ninnies! — Forget Sarah Palin, Forget even being taken seriously again; forget the damned Tea Party —- none of it will even matter, if this blows up and you all are proven to be wrong.
Because I will issue a hallow warning to the Republican Party and to every damned blogger who dared to cover this silly story. If you think that, the Democrats will not use this little situation against the Republican Party in the 2012 election cycle, think again. The Democrats will, they have no honor and in election cycles, perception is 90% of the rule and the socialist liberals will use their unlimited resources to drill this moron story in the sub-conscience of the Country; believe me when I tell you this.
If you want to return to the Bush-era of being perceived as downright evil, fine, do so. However, do so at your own peril and possibly not being able to take the White House until 2016 —- or later.
Video: Guest Voice: Jack Hunter Says “The Patriot Act Is Not Conservative”
Please note: While I have always respected our Military and always will; and I do believe in the Reagan mantra of “Peace through Strength.” I have always and will always questioned the legality the so-called Patriot Act. -Pat
Video:
Transcript Via The American Conservative:
If Americans needed another reminder of why the Democratic Party is absolutely worthless, they got it during last week’s Patriot Act extension debate when Senate Majority leader Harry Reid again behaved exactly like the Bush-era Republicans he once vigorously opposed. In 2005, Reid bragged to fellow Democrats, “We killed the Patriot Act.” Today, Reid says that anyone who opposes the Patriot Act might be responsible for the killing of Americans. Dick Cheney now hears an echo and Americans deserve congressional hearings—as to whether Harry Reid is a sociopath, mere liar, or both.
But while Democrats stand pat for Bush Republicanism, the GOP now debates the extent to which it will remain the party of Dubya. Tea Party favorites like Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee and Congressmen Ron Paul, Justin Amash, Allen West and others, all voted against the Patriot Act. To varying degrees, each of these GOP representatives questioned the act’s effectiveness and legality. But unfortunately, most Republicans still won’t ask any questions.
The “War on Terror” that defined and preoccupied Republicans during the Bush era brought with it not only massive government growth and debt, but an unprecedented expansion of extra-constitutional state power, symbolized most famously by the Patriot Act. In the name of national security, government officials could begin wiretapping phones, hacking into email accounts, prying into business records and spying on citizens—all without a warrant and at government officials’ own discretion. Defenders say the Patriot Act did what needed to be done after 9/11. Critics say it did away with the 4th amendment.
Let us say both have a point, and that for arguments sake, both Harry Reid and Dick Cheney are correct in arguing that it is sometimes necessary to surrender our liberties for increased security. Is this still true a decade after 9/11? Will it be true two decades after 9/11? How about three? Have the actions of Osama Bin Laden and his fellow terrorists forever altered our Bill of Rights?
Allegedly, the default position for conservatives is to distrust the government and defer to the Constitution. Concerning the Patriot Act, too many conservatives blindly trust the government at the expense of the Constitution. This type of thinking mirrors the logic of the Left, in which the constitutionality of a big government program like Obamacare is considered irrelevant due to the severity of the problem at hand. The liberal healthcare ends justify the unconstitutional means. This characteristic mentality of the Left is exactly how most of the Right approaches the Patriot Act—though it is an outright rejection of what most conservatives of any generation have held most dear.
Think about it. Conservatives get upset about many things on a regular basis—ACORN corruption, NPR funding, demanding that French fries be renamed “Freedom Fries.” At any given time there is always some new and outrageous rightwing distaste of the week.
But most of these controversies are a speck on a gnat’s ass compared to the damage done to the Constitution by the Patriot Act. For genuine constitutional conservatives, something like NPR funding is undoubtedly wrong but ultimately trivial and peripheral—while the protection of the Bill of Rights is crucial and integral. If George Washington or Thomas Jefferson were alive today, are we to believe that they would be more outraged that: A. The federal government helps fund public radio. B. The federal government snoops on citizens without restraint. Those who answered A. truly don’t understand the mindset of the men who founded this country.
A Republican critic of mine once asked me during a radio broadcast “Jack, can you show me where any American has been harmed due to the Patriot Act?” I replied, “Can you show me where any American has been harmed by Wikileaks?” The caller said he couldn’t, but stated that he believed private individuals shouldn’t haven’t access to private government documents. The gentleman was basically saying that whether or not Wikileaks has hurt anyone to date is irrelevant—the whistleblower outfit shouldn’t be trusted with such power to begin with. I argue the same is true of the federal government. So did the Founding Fathers. That’s why they wrote the 4th amendment.
The entire reason we have a written charter like the Constitution is to specify the enumerated powers that define the hard parameters of our federal government. Among those powers is national defense and security. But much of what we call “defense” is anything but. Similarly, a total police state could undoubtedly provide much better security, though few Americans would desire a country so void of liberty. After all, most Americans can barely tolerate the way the federal government handles air travel these days.
When Ronald Reagan said there was nothing closer to eternal life on this earth than a government program he could have easily been describing the Patriot Act. When Barry Goldwater said that “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice” he could have easily been describing the minority of Republicans who now at least question the Patriot Act. When James Madison wrote, “Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other,” he could have easily been describing our current state of perpetual war that now gives seemingly permanent life to the Patriot Act.
If the “War on Terror” is a perpetual war—as so many politicians readily contend—have we now permanently given up our liberties? If terrorists really do “hate us for our freedoms” is the best method of defeating them to permanently surrender our historic freedoms? And if so, who is really winning the War on Terror? Us or the terrorists?
By the very nature of their philosophy, conservatives are supposed to question their government. And given the very nature of our Constitution, this is precisely how the Founders would expect any true patriot to act.
—-
Jack Hunter began his punditry career in the late 1990’s when a friend and popular alternative rock disc jockey agreed to let Jack air his political views during the afternoon drive on 96 Wave (96.1 WAVF) in Charleston, South Carolina.
Creating the moniker the “Southern Avenger,” which was borrowed from popular 90’s conservative talk radio host Ken “The Black Avenger” Hamblin, Jack assumed an anonymous super hero/ pro-wrestler persona, and entertained FM rock audiences with his antics and conservative political views until his departure from 96 Wave in 2007.
In 2007, Jack began working for WTMA 1250 AM talk radio in Charleston and began writing a column for the Charleston City Paper, that city’s premiere alternative weekly. Jack also began producing his popular video podcasts around this time, and today his You Tube Channel has received over two million views. Today, you can find Jack’s videos and columns as part of “TAC TV” at The American Conservative magazine (www.amconmag.com).
Jack is a frequent guest host for The Mike Church Show on Sirius/XM’s Patriot channel and is a frequent guest on “The Savage Nation” with nationally syndicated talk radio host Michael Savage. His writing has appeared at The American Spectator, Lewrockwell.com, CampaignforLiberty.com and in Young American Revolution, the official magazine of the youth activist organization Young Americans for Liberty, to which he is also a contributing editor. Jack also assisted Sen. Rand Paul with his book The Tea Party Goes to Washington, released by Center Street in February, 2011.
Anybody who threatens Amy Myers is NOT a true Conservative
There are not many times, that I feel the need to fire up my copy of Microsoft Word to write blog opinion pieces. However, considering what I just read; I feel that writing anything other, than a professional sounding blog entry for this young woman; would be doing a disservice to her and her family.
As of late, there has been a gnawing cynism, which has been festering inside of me. It is the thought that politics has become too partisan, too toxic, and almost too unbearable to write about any longer. After all, it has been said by many people, that politics is like an open smelly sewer. It is when I read things like this, that I begin to have those feelings of defeatist cynism very strongly. This story has to be, one of the worst, if not the worst political story that I have read in a very long time:
This is why I advocate for an armed Church Congregation
This video comes via The Blaze:
My friends, I believe that the video that you have just watched is a sign of things to come. I believe that before the great and glorious rapture of the Church comes; there will be events like this taking place in Church, of all denominations around the United States and abroad.
This reason above, as shown in this video is why I advocate, and firmly believe that ALL Churches and their members should be owners, active users, and carriers of firearms. There is a book that supports my feelings about this, and that book is called ”Shooting Back: The Right and Duty of Self-defense” and it is written by By Charl Van Wyk. I very highly recommend that you buy this book and read it. Because frankly, I believe that we are headed towards dangerous times here in America. For us to remain passive about personal defense in the House of the Lord would be foolish.
Get this book and arm yourselves, today.
Check out my Guns section of my bookstore too.
Video: Mike Huckabee: I am not running for President
First the Video and then my comments….
Video: (via Mediaite H/T to HotAir)
Alright now for my comments:
There are many people in the Republican Party, in the Conservative Movement and in the Tea Party; who happen to believe that Governor Mike Huckabee is not that strong of a Conservative. I will full admit to being one of those people, and I also happen to believe that Governor Huckabee’s wanting to turn America into a Christian Republican, as opposed to a Constitutional Republic; is just downright wrong-headed. However, as a Born-Again Christian of the 29 year vintage, I have to admire a man who will, first freely say that he is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ on a National Network, like Fox News. Second, be willing and able to admit that he does not have the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ in his heart to run as President of the United States.
I wish Governor Mike Huckabee and his entire family the very best; and I hope that the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to bless, prosper and keep Governor Huckabee, his wife and children and grandchildren.
Confirmed: President Barack Obama is an Anti-American, Asshole, Piece of Shit
I am sorry, but that is how I feel. This man, this bastard piece of shit; has not only bungled a major kill in the war on terrorism. He has refused to give the American people closure.
Now there is this:
Audio: (H/T Pat Dollard)
Video: (H/T Atlas)
The Story via Real Clear Politics:
Debra Burlingame, the sister of Charles “Chic” Burlingame (pilot of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon) met with President Obama today, along with other families who were victims of 9/11. Burlingame said she confronted Obama about Attorney General Eric Holder prosecuting the men who interrogated KSM, which may have produced intelligence leading us to bin Laden.Burlingame describes the encounter with Obama: “As a former attorney I know you can’t tell the Attorney General what to do, he said, ‘No, I can’t.’ But I said ‘we — that shouldn’t stop you from giving your opinion. We wouldn’t be here today if they hadn’t done their jobs. Can’t you at least give them your opinion.’ And he said ‘no I won’t,’ and he turned around and walked away.”
There is not anything more than I can add to this. The man is an ASSHOLE and a piece of shit. An Internationalist Democrat, who does not give a damn about America, its people or its principles.
Quite frankly, here is hoping that President Obama rots in the Devil’s hell. Screw him, Screw. him. hard. 😡
Because obviously this President does not give a flying fuck about anyone, but himself. Especially white people, who have lost loved ones who lost family members on 9/11. He is an internationalist Democratic and a black man, who at the very least, has sympathies to the Muslim community and for all we know; radical Muslims as well. Why else would he do something like this? Again, I say, SCREW HIM, SCREW.HIM.HARD…. 😡
Others: protein wisdom
Update: Let me say this as well; I could have dealt with the President nicely saying to this woman, “I will take it under consideration and speak with my advisers,” and then, not doing anything. But to just say, “No, I won’t.” That my friends, is pure asshole behavior. It is beneath the office and it brings a reproach to the office. For this, as far as I am concerned; President Obama has lost any sort of credibility, that he might have had with me. I’m finished with him and I will be voting in 2012 against him and I hope you, the reader, are too.
Video: Fox News’s Sean Hannity surprisingly treats Representative Ron Paul with respect
I found this to be very shocking… Sean Hannity was respectful to Representative Ron Paul:
Now here, when I saw the lead in to this segment, I thought “Oh boy, here we go… Hannity is going to cream this guy…” and you know what? Hannity just ribbed him about it and you could tell, it was just a gentle ribbing.
Now, I will say this about Ron Paul, he did stick to his guns on foriegn policy and in this day and age of wishy-washy politicians and flip-floppers; it is a refreshing change to see a guy stick to his guns, even when he knows it will not popular with the person interviewing him. I also commend Sean Hannity for not keeping on and on about it. Hannity made his point and Ron Paul made his and that was good enough, I thought.
Unlike some on the Neo-Con right, I will not treat this announcement dismissively. I think if Ron Paul could overcome some of stuff that the left likes to bring up and maybe hire a damn speech writer! He could very well win the Presidency; and right now, I would vote for Ron Paul over say, Bachmann, Palin, Trump or even Romney. The rest of the crowd, I either do not know, or think is too weak of a person to seriously be considered.
U.S. Military talks with Iraq faltering
I have some very mixed feelings on this story….
Via WSJ:
WASHINGTON—Senior U.S. and Iraqi military officials have been in negotiations about keeping some 10,000 American troops in Iraq beyond the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. forces at year’s end, according to officials familiar with the talks.
But the discussions face political obstacles in both countries, and have faltered in recent weeks because of Iraqi worries that a continued U.S. military presence could fuel sectarian tension and lead to protests similar to those sweeping other Arab countries, U.S. officials say.
A separate drawdown deadline is looming in Afghanistan, where President Barack Obama wants to see a substantial U.S. troop reduction starting in July. Some U.S. commanders have cautioned against making reductions too quickly.
Underlining Obama administration concerns that U.S. forces have been stretched too thin, the White House has put strict constraints on American military involvement in Libya. On Thursday, the U.S. said it was sending armed drones to support operations in Libya, but the administration has stood firm against sending any ground troops.
In Iraq, top U.S. military officials believe that leaving a sizeable force beyond this year could bolster Iraqi stability and serve as a check on Iran, the major American nemesis in the region, officials said. U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Israel have echoed the concern that if the U.S. pulls out completely, Iran could extend its influence.
Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Baghdad Thursday, urging Iraqi leaders to step up discussions soon if they want U.S. forces to stay beyond the end of 2011.
The timing is critical because the U.S. is scheduled to start drawing down remaining forces in late summer or early fall, and the military would have to assign new units months in advance to take their place.
While American defense officials have made clear they want to leave troops in Iraq, such a decision would require presidential approval. President Obama has yet to indicate publicly whether he would sign off on such a deal.
Mr. Obama could face a political backlash at home if he doesn’t meet his campaign pledge to bring troops home from Iraq. If the U.S. pulls out of Iraq and violence there surges, the president could face tough questions, particularly from Republicans in Congress, about whether the U.S. misjudged Iraq’s capabilities.
As a Conservative, A Paleo-Conservative, as opposed to a Neo-Conservative — but I digress; I have some very mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I would hate to see the United States withdraw from Iraq, it fall into chaos and Iran or some other surrounding Country invade the Country and mount attacks against Israel or even worse, even the United States. On the other hand, I feel that the invasion of Iraq was based on bad intelligence, largely based upon lies told by a man they called curve-ball.
Because of this, I believe we should really get out of there. Because, quite frankly, we have done our jobs. We got rid of Saddam, who was, admittedly hurting his own people and was corrupt as hell. We have trained the Iraqi army to protect themselves from attack or foreign invasion and uprising from within its own Country. Which it appears they are using to hurt dissidents. So, I really do not understand why we are still there. It appears that the Iraqi Government is most likely worried about our interests there — such as oil.
Either way, this is a very sticky situation; no matter what we do, we are going to be the bad guys. If we stay, we will be blamed for any and all uprisings in the Country. If we leave and that Country falls into chaos; we will be blamed for that too and some idiot with a grudge will try to attack us for allowing his Country to invaded. So, either way, it is going to be a mess for us for a long time to come.
This is why, that as a Paleo-Conservative, who rejects the foreign policy stance of the Neo-Conservative right; that we as Conservatives and Republicans should rethink our entire foreign policy status. The very idea of exporting freedom to other Nations is foolish on its face. Even David Horowitz, much to his credit, said this:
The Obama Administration, in my view, is the most dangerous administration in American history, and conservatives need to be very clear about the limits and objectives of American power so that they can lead the battle to restore our government to health. To accomplish this, neo-conservatives need to admit they were wrong, and return to the drawing board. They should give up the “neo” and become conservatives again.
Let me go on the record as saying, I wholeheartedly agree. Not so much about the Obama administration; I have yet to see anything that they have done that is overly dangerous to the Country. I do not agree with Obama’s whole, “Spread the Wealth around” nonsense; but Bush was not exactly my idea of a “perfect” President either. So, that whole argument is basically mute with me. However, I will say that Conservatives do need to get back to their pre-George W. Bush Neo-Conservative lead foreign policy stance. Because quite frankly, our Nation cannot continue on this idiotic path and survive. I mean, tomorrow China could cut us off and we as a Nation would be done. They basically own us and could decide to collect on their debt — Militarily. If you think about it, that would be quite scary; because what would we fight them with? They own our money and if they decided to defund us, where would we get the money to fight them with? Again, something to think about.
As for the “other” war in Afghanistan; we need to define that mission and if we cannot do, what we set out to do there — which was to capture or kill Osama Bin Ladin, then we need to get out of that Country. Period. End of Story. Nation Building does not work. It was tried there by the Russians and it failed horribly and almost bankrupted the Russian Government. Establishing Governments and Nations should not be the responsibility of the United States armed forces; it should be the job of NATO and the U.N. — let them deal with that idiotic backward Nation — not us.
Sadly though, the United States Government will not listen to the voice of people like me or you. Who feel that this road to ruin that we are on, is not sustainable. That my friends, is the true crime of this Country.
Guest Voice Chuck Baldwin Asks Have The Tea Parties Been Neoconned?
(Lifted from Chuck Baldwin’s website)
Back in February of 2010, I appeared on Neil Cavuto’s FOXBusiness TV show to talk about the emergence and effectiveness of America’s Tea Party movement. I warned FOX biz host Charles Payne that I was very concerned about the Tea Parties being infiltrated and taken over by big-government neocons.
See my interview on Neil Cavuto’s show (hosted by Charles Payne):
With more than a year having gone by since that interview, I believe the concerns I expressed on FOX were more than warranted. I am seeing more and more Tea Parties fall into the same trap, as did their predecessors back in the “Conservative Revolution” of 1994 and ‘95.
Right here in my home State of Montana, voters overwhelmingly threw the liberal Democrats out of both State houses and replaced them with Republicans who campaigned on strong conservative rhetoric. But what has happened since? Neocon Republicans in leadership positions squashed the best legislation and bullied compromised, big-government legislation through both chambers. The result: big-government neocons, once again, stymied and squashed the efforts of constitutionalist GOP legislators.
A press release at the half-way point of the Montana legislative session stated, “According to Montana Conservatives’ just-released mid session scorecard, the new wave of Republican legislators elected in November’s landslide are actually voting less conservative than their party’s incumbents.
“This is not good news for Tea Party organizers and other conservative activists, who were hopeful the strong conservative mood of the fall elections would sweep into office a new breed of bolder conservative voices. Instead, the organization’s Taxpayer Advisory Bulletin (TAB) reveals that returning GOP legislators (including those who switched houses) voted 46% conservative through the transmittal break, while newcomers graded a slightly lower 43%. Democratic legislators had an average conservative score of 7%.
“Commenting, MC spokesman Roger Koopman said, ‘This poor performance of Republican freshmen perpetuates what is functionally a three-party system in Helena, consisting of small government Republicans, big government Republicans and big government Democrats. The pattern has existed for years. Consequently, even with large Republican majorities in both houses, conservative ideas remain in the minority and the overall thrust of the legislature is toward bigger, more intrusive government, with greater state control and less individual freedom.’”
See the TAB press release and report at:
What the report does not make a point to say is that the poor performance of many of these freshman GOP legislators is primarily due to the political pressure brought upon them by big-government neocons in leadership positions within the GOP State caucus. This is the same thing that has been going on in State legislatures all over America, and even more so in Washington, D.C. When the courageous freshman class of 1994 was elected to the US House of Representatives, everyone was talking about the great “Conservative Revolution” that had just taken place. Conservative freshman House members such as Helen Chenowith, Bob Barr, Steve Largent, J.C. Watts, J.D. Hayworth, Joe Scarborough, Sonny Bono, etc., marched into the US Capitol with broad support from the American electorate and a sense of commitment to reign in an out-of-control federal leviathan in Washington, D.C. So, what happened? Were any federal departments dismantled? No. Was the size and scope of the federal government reduced? No. Was federal spending reduced? No. Within a year from that historic election in 1994, the “Conservative Revolution” was dead, and it was “business as usual” in Washington, D.C.
Why did this happen? Two reasons: big-government neocon GOP Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich and big-government neocon GOP Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. These two big-government establishment phony conservatives used their leadership positions to stymie, steamroll, and squash the conservative agenda of the 1994 conservative freshman Republicans.
And the same way that Gingrich and Lott killed the “Conservative Revolution” of 1994 in Washington, D.C., big-government neocons in the State legislatures (including here in Montana) have killed and are killing the limited-government revolutions of the various Tea Parties in 2010 and ’11. Beyond that, many Tea Party leaders and activists are currently touting the Presidential candidacy of the same man who helped kill the “Conservative Revolution” of 1994: former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich.
In my interview on FOX, I said that I was angrier with the Republican Party than I was the Democrat Party. If you listened to the interview referenced above, you heard my reason why: with Democrats there is no pretense. One knows exactly what the Donkeys stand for: Big Government, more taxes, more spending, more welfare, etc. Republicans, however, constantly campaign for less government, less taxes, less spending, less welfare, etc., but after they are elected, they continue the big-spending ways of their colleagues on the other side of the aisle (then throw in their own propensities to expand a burgeoning Police State and Warfare State). Say what you want, at least Democrats are honest about their affinity for Big Government.
If Tea Party activists really believe they are going to change the size and direction of government (at any level) by promoting and electing people such as Newt Gingrich, they are living in fantasyland. (Or, if they live in Montana, they are smoking too much of the weed that they seem hell-bent to deny everyone else!)
Furthermore, this whole Republican vs. Democrat, or “conservative” vs. liberal, paradigm is a joke, anyway! Voters have been replacing Democrats with Republicans, liberals with “conservatives” (and vice versa) for decades; and what has it gotten us? Nothing but bigger and bigger government; more and more government spending; more and more welfare programs; more and more taxes; more and more Police-State legislation; more and more political correctness; more and more environmental wackoism; more and more foreign wars; less and less freedom; and less and less State autonomy.
Koopman’s “three party” description is well taken, except I might refine it a little by maintaining that we still have only two parties: socialist Democrats and neocon Republicans in one party, and limited-government, freedom-oriented constitutionalists in the other party. It’s time that people start identifying big-government neocons in the GOP as being nothing more than a clandestine fifth column unit of the Democrat Party!
If Tea Parties have a death wish, they will promote and support big government neocons such as Newt Gingrich. If they want to truly change the course of their states and country, they will promote and support only those men and women who understand what constitutionalism, limited-government, and liberty really mean–and who have the courage and fortitude to actually defend those principles after being elected. Anything less is just more of the same.
Video: More video of the classy left
Continuing with the theme here….
This comes via Breitbart.tv:
Racism is bad people, no matter who is doing it.
and even more:
You see now, why I will never vote Democratic Party, ever again?
Others: Don Surber, theblogprof, The Lonely Conservative, The Jawa Report, Sister Toldjah and Left Coast Rebel
Here we go: Latino Liberal Congresswoman and Italian Liberal radio host mock American Tea Party candidates
This is not only sick; it is racist and wrong.
Via BreitBart.tv:
I made a point to highlight the fact that Miller is Italian and this congresswoman is a latino; and the fact that people they are mocking are, for the most part, southern and white. Now imagine with me, if the shoe was on the other foot. Could you just imagine the outrage, if a White Conservative talk radio host mocked a black liberal like that? Imagine it.
I just wonder what her Dad would think of that? She is a disgrace to her Father’s memory. 😡
Update: You know, I was just going to settle with a short posting. But, no, I am just going to tell it like it is. I used to enjoy listening to Stephanie Miller and her show, back when I was still on the left of center side of the fence in politics. She was a moderate liberal, who had some seriously funny stuff on her show. I do not know what the hell happened to her; but I find this to be personally sickening, that she, being a minority herself; would even remotely allow this sort of straight up racism on her show. Sorry Mrs. Miller, but you disappoint me greatly. I really did used to be a fan. I thought you were bit more classy than say, Randi Rhoads. However, you have proven to me, that you are nothing more than just another bile spewing idiot liberal, who thinks mocking people of different colors and ethnic backgrounds than you is perfectly fine and that because you are some sort “enlightened being” that doing this is just perfectly fine. The truth is, your nothing but a racist bigot like your Democratic Forefathers, like the ones who killed Abraham Lincoln. Sorry Stephanie, but you just blew it with me. I look forward to hearing of the day, when your syndicate finally gets tired of your bile and racism and finally pulls the plug on that nothing show of yours.
Others: theblogprof and The Blast
The Late Night Music Express presents The Band & Friends
This is dedicated to those who are fighting to be free everywhere.
On the budget deal and the liberal left’s reaction
So about this so-called budget deal, which many a blogger on the right has reminded us, is not a real deal at all. Conservatives are not too keen on it; but the liberals —- my God! — they are in sackcloth and ashes!
Consider some of the reactions…..
Melissa McEwan over at shakesville is not a happy camper:
We’ve sure come a long way (no we haven’t) from Barack the Feminist (LULZ). I guess he’s just one of those “pragmatic feminists” who understands that sometimes women’s reproductive rights need to get thrown under the bus in order to make way for Important Democratic Politics, like empowering the most rightwing elements in the Republican Party.
To understand how thoroughly the Dems caved to the GOP on this deal, it was struck with “historic” cuts about which that nincompoop Reid is actually bragging, as if misogyny, Social Darwinism, and allowing infrastructure to fester until people die on collapsing bridges are radically brave progressive ideas.
Obama’s a fucking disaster. We needed FDR; instead we got FML.
Richard (RJ) Eskow at HuffPo says a whole bunch, a snippet:
Say what you will about Rep. Ryan’s budget proposal, it’s a vision. By proposing to dismantle Medicare for people retiring in 2021 and afterwards, he’s laid out a radical alternative to today’s policies. By slashing taxes for the wealthy and proposing deregulation for all industries, the Ryan plan envisions a future America: one where the environment is despoiled, the poor go unfed, and the middle class faces a lifetime of financial insecurity following by an old age of sickness and penury.
It may not be a good vision, but it’s a vision.
Where’s the progressive vision for 2021? Where’s the dream people can seize upon and make their own? Where’s the ideal that can energize activists? Where’s the extreme position from which the Democrats can be “bargained down” so that they, too, can only get 20% more than they asked for when the negotiations began? If they’re not going to do it, we have to do it for them.
Here’s a start: First increase Social Security retirement benefits by 15%, across the board, by lifting the payroll tax cap and imposing a financial transactions tax. Second, increase income taxes on a sliding scale that goes up to 60% for the highest earners in the country. (It’s been as high as 90% during periods of our greatest prosperity.) Third, add $500 billion to our stimulus spending over the next two years, and keep adding it until unemployment is down to 4%. Fourth, immediately add a public option, “Medicare For All” plan that’s voluntarily available to Americans of all age brackets.
Have fun. Add your own visions. Dream. Then demand your dream. It’s working for the Tea Party, and it can work for you.
One thing’s for sure: The old definition of insanity, “doing the same thing and expecting different results,” still holds. Whatever the progressive movement’s doing right now, it’s not working as well as it should. It’s frustrating, but it’s no reason to give up. Like a guy with a guitar said a century ago: Don’t mourn, organize.
Benintn over at DailyKos, is surprisingly reasonable:
There’s understandable frustration about President Obama’s deal with the devil Speaker Boehner and House Republicans to pass the 2011 budget and fund government for the rest of this fiscal year. After all, with a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic majority in the Senate, why couldn’t Democrats protect the budget from these job-killing, growth-slowing, economy-damaging budget cuts?
But as President Obama said to the Republicans in 2009: “I won.” And now, in 2011, the tables are turned. Republicans eager to show off their newly discovered fiscal sobriety are trying to roll back not only the stimulative impact of the Recovery Act, but also the legislative and political progress of the last two years.
In 2008, we won. In 2010, we lost. (Badly.) This is what happens when you lose elections.
[…]
But if Progressives are really interested in redrawing the map in 2012, the way to do it is outside of electoral politics. Let’s face it: redistricting in 2012 will reduce the number of safe progressive districts in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Arizona. And with 23 seats to defend in the US Senate, we’ll have to play defense more than offense in 2012. And if elected officials are forced by Citizens United to run to the middle, then the real solution is something that will happen outside of the push-pull of Republican v. Democrat. The real issue comes down to a massive voter education campaign that will take place in coffee shops, libraries, churches, schools, and neighborhoods all over the country.
So, you can blame Obama, blame me, shake your fist, write a blog, or…
What if we started doing what we do best on Daily Kos? What if we got back to the kind of high-quality opposition research, candidate profiles, policy papers, and community-building diaries that make this community the most interesting online political forum out there? What if we let go of the need to change Obama and got refocused on effective netroots organizing strategies? What if we acknowledged the harsh reality that we got our asses handed to us in 2010, and took that lesson as an opportunity to stop doing things that don’t work?
Or we could just have more pie fights.
It’s up to you.
These budget negotiations were a giant win for the Republican Party. President Obama initially cut $40 billion from his own budget proposal — and he got absolutely no credit for that. It was a very typical preemptive concession by the president. It was so typical, you wonder if he recognizes what an indisputably terrible strategy it is or if he has a different agenda.
So, after getting no credit for his original $40 billion concession, then the negotiations began at square one. The Republicans claimed in February that they wanted $32 billion in cuts from that point on. About a week ago, the president came out an announced that they had given the Republicans another $33 billion in cuts — a billion more than they originally asked for. And still the Republicans wanted more.
Why not? They’re dealing with the world’s worst negotiator, why not ask for more? After February they came up with a brilliant good cop-bad cop strategy with the Tea Party, where they had the Tea Party force them to go to $61 billion in demands. Which pushed the spectrum out further to the right. They know President Obama will go to the middle of any spectrum, no matter how radical. And then once they had baited Obama out to the $33 billion number, which was past their original goal, they baited him out even further. Finally, they got him to $38.5 billion in cuts an hour before the deadline.
[…]
I didn’t write this to rub it in the face of the feckless Democrats who always wind up playing the role of the Washington Generals to the Republican Globetrotters (remember the Democrats have the White House and the Senate — but they let the GOP run the place like they are totally in charge). I wrote it to tell you how incredibly important it is that you put real pressure on the president from the left. He will move to the middle of any spectrum!
If you don’t help push the spectrum to the left, the Republicans will move it massively to the right — and the president will fall for it.
The whole point of the insane, draconian, ridiculous Paul Ryan budget proposal for next year was to move the spectrum all the way to the radical right, so that they can lure Democrats to a false middle, that is in reality the far right.
It’s time to stop playing nice with Democrats. Good cop-good cop doesn’t work. We need a bad cop. We need a strong progressive wing to keep shouting “no deal!” every time the White House wants to concede (which will be every time).
You can ignore this, blame me and go hug the president one more time, but you won’t be doing your side any favors. If you actually care about policy and progressive priorities, you must get tough with the president right now. There is no next time.
Which did not go over too well with joelgp over at DailyKos at all:
Cenk, I’m just about sick of you bashing the president with your unrealistic, bombastic crap. You my friend, have become Sean Hannity by day and Bill O’reilly by night. You don’t want or need a president, you need a servant who will do exactly what’s in your head.
After all, Obama is the president of 300 million, not just you.
I rejected your stuff way before today after I watched the most despicable segment you ever produce on Obama in some time. You know what, the Republicans loved you for it.
[..]
Do you simply ignore the fact that conservatives and independents make up nearly 60% of the electorate and Obama should completely reject them?
Of course I’m not happy with everything Obama does but I feel the same way about my wife and kids.
I support him because there has never been another man in U.S. history who inherited a great depression, two wars, a jacked-up banking system, earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, a totally transforming Middle East and a bunch of freakin’ tea party nuts who believe he’s from Mars.
What Obama need’s most is our help–our voices, our support. The last thing he needs is another cable-news loud-mouth whose eating ice cream and candy on his fat Comcast salary while the president is battling for middle America.
Cenk, today you need to decide, either join us in helping the president or apply for the chalkboard vacancy on Fox at five.
I thought you should know.
Finally, there is this here, by DailyKos Diarist teacherken:
Here I am doing my civic duty, working on my taxes. I am paying my fair share.
My wife and I gave you money when you ran for President. We supported you.
But now? Blow, after blow, after blow.
The ‘deal’ about which you bragged is perhaps the final straw for this camel, whose back is breaking at the same time as his heart is shattered.
Dear readers, I apologize for what I am now writing. It will not be coherent, because I am responding to the policy and actions of an administration that are not coherent.
It is an expression of … what? Disappointment to be sure, anger, almost despair.
Mr. President, with what you have just done, on top of all else your administration has done – and failed to do – you have destroyed the hopes of millions, and shifted power and wealth in the direction of those who are fueled by hatred and anger.
And you expect us to continue to support you?
Perhaps you had better ignore this. Because you will not be happy with what I have to offer.
[…]
This is a screed, I admit. I am sitting here just letting it hang out.
I claim no wisdom. I claim no original insight. None of my arguments are original.
That is something that should concern you. I am borrowing from what I hear and 4ead from others. That includes members of your own party who hold federal elective office. It includes party officials in states and local organizations. It includes key voices in the progressive wing of the Democratic party. You know, those nasty types who remember that it was unions and progressives who have helped create the social safety net that built the American middle class, the social safety net the that Republicans are now dismantling a piece at a time, as they simultaneously impose a vision of this nation that should horrify you.
So go ahead Mr. President. Ignore me. Ignore all the voices that have been trying to explain to you, trying to help you help this country.
You might as well.
It seems as if you have been ignoring us all along.
But just one question, Mr. President. One that perhaps you need to consider.
What happens if we decide we have had enough? What if we return the favor?
What if we decide we will ignore you?
Sorry, that was a good deal of quoting; but I wanted to give you a feel for what is happening within liberal progressive Democrat circles. The truth is folks, that progressives put way too much stock in Barack Obama. They projected themselves on him; their dreams, their hopes and yes, even their wishes for progressive policy change in Washington D.C. and ultimately, President Barack Obama gave them some good old-fashioned lip service and laughed all the way to the White House. Now, this is not anything new to politics; President Ronald Reagan did the same very thing to the Religious Christian Conservative right back in the 1981 election. He had them believing that he was going to outlaw Abortion and put prayer back in schools; none of which he did at all. Instead he ran up deficits, shipped arms to Iran, and basically played much of the Republican Party and the far right for a fool.
So, while all of this sadness and naval grazing might be humorous to watch; it is a little silly. Did the liberals actually expect Obama to cater to their every whim?
Now, as for the Republicans, I think all of this belly aching is a bit silly; we all wanted cuts. We should be glad we got anything at all. Sure, we all want more. But anything is better than nothing.
Glenn Beck to leave Fox News and quit show later this year
Can’t say I didn’t see this coming:
FOX NEWS AND MERCURY RADIO ARTS ANNOUNCE NEW AGREEMENT
(New York, NY) Fox News and Mercury Radio Arts, Glenn Beck’s production company, are proud to announce that they will work together to develop and produce a variety of television projects for air on the Fox News Channel as well as content for other platforms including Fox News’ digital properties. Glenn intends to transition off of his daily program, the third highest rated in all of cable news, later this year.
Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO of Fox News said, “Glenn Beck is a powerful communicator, a creative entrepreneur and a true success by anybody’s standards. I look forward to continuing to work with him.”??Glenn Beck said: “I truly believe that America owes a lot to Roger Ailes and Fox News. I cannot repay Roger for the lessons I’ve learned and will continue to learn from him and I look forward to starting this new phase of our partnership.”??Joel Cheatwood, SVP/Development at Fox News, will be joining Mercury Radio Arts effective April 24, 2011. Part of his role as EVP will be to manage the partnership and serve as a liaison with the Fox News Channel.??Roger Ailes said: “Joel is a good friend and one of the most talented and creative executives in the business. Over the past four years I have consistently valued his input and advice and that will not stop as we work with him in his new role.”??“Glenn Beck” is consistently the third highest rated program on cable news. For the 27 months that “Glenn Beck” has aired on Fox News, the program has averaged more than 2.2 million total viewers and 563,000 viewers 25-54 years old, numbers normally associated with shows airing in primetime, not at 5pm. “Glenn Beck” has dominated all of its cable news competitors since launch.
I had a feeling this was coming; because when you take a Neo-Conservative warmonger to task, like Glenn Beck did, you usually end up paying a price for it. After that happened, Glenn Beck was smeared by the Neo-Conservative right, as a Anti-Semite. I saw this for myself, especially on twitter. The Funny thing is, The New York Times, ended up proving Glenn Beck to be correct! So, while I hate to see the guy go, I cannot say that I am shocked at all. The funny part was, that Glenn Beck never actually said the word “Neo-Con” or “Neo-Conservative” at all. He called them everything else, but that! 😀
I was not, admittedly, a daily watcher of Glenn’s program. However, I did catch a show ever now and again. He did have a good amount of interesting stuff. His biggest problem was that he repeated himself, almost to an incessant extreme. Which I found to be quite annoying. Another point I would like to make, is that whether anyone wants to admit it or not; Glenn Beck is the real Godfather of the Tea Party movement. It was the Tea Party movement, that basically, at first, scared the living daylights out of the Republican Party establishment. Then, they tried to ignore it; then they came to embrace it. Which, I felt, was a good thing. The G.O.P. needed a wake up call and a break from the Big Government Conservatism of the Bush-era, and they got it, with the Tea Party movement. The funny part is, the Liberals have never gotten an equivalent to the Tea Party at all. The Coffee Party fizzled, due to internal conflicts.
Anyhow, I wish Mr. Beck all of the best and I look forward to seeing what is to come. 🙂
Update: As I hit publish; I totally forgot, Van Jones, Anita Dunn and countless others; are feathers in Glenn’s cap.
Update #2: Here’s the video: (H/T AllahPundit)
God Bless Him, I hope he goes on to do bigger and better things, than just an hour show on Fox.
Related:
- Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:Glenn Beck to End Daily Fox News Program
- New York Times:Glenn Beck To ‘Transition Off’ Fox News Program
- David Weigel / Weigel:Glenn Beck Will End Fox News Show
- Media Matters / Media Matters for America:Glenn Beck’s Fox News Show Ending
- George Zornick / ThinkProgress:Why Beck Is Out At Fox: Poor Ratings And Paranoid Rants
- The Daily Beast:Glenn Beck, Fox Agree to Divorce
- Jay Yarow / The Wire:GLENN BECK PULLING SHOW OFF FOX NEWS
Blogger Roundup from all over the political arena: The Raw Story, StopBeck.com, CNN, The Daily Caller, The Politico, Crooks and Liars, YID With LID, Nice Deb, The Lonely Conservative, MyDD, Blue Gal, Liberal Values, News Hounds, Suburban Guerrilla, Atlas Shrugs, Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, Jack & Jill Politics, Runnin’ Scared, Daily Kos, Ben Smith’s Blog, Pat Dollard, The Gateway Pundit, No More Mister Nice Blog, Patterico’s Pontifications, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Little Green Footballs, Pundit Press, Left Coast Rebel, Hendrik Hertzberg, Gothamist, Washington Post, ImmigrationProf Blog, Crooks and Liars, pandagon.net, The Washington Note, Philly.com, Booman Tribune, Hit & Run, Wonkette, Salon, AlterNet, The Other McCain, Inside TV, The Blaze, The Wire, Mediaite, FOK News Channel, Mixed Media, TVNewser, MediaPost, Speakeasy, Deadline.com, The Atlantic Wire, Guardian, Runnin’ Scared, Tower Ticker, New York Observer, Adweek, The New Yorker Blog, Most Recent Home Page Posts …, mediabistro.com, Hot Air, On Media’s Blog, Indecision Forever, TVbytheNumbers, Inside Cable News, @howardkurtz, Media Matters for America, Washington Monthly, Gawker, GalleyCat, Poynter, Latest Open Salon Blog, Broadcasting & Cable, Free Press, The Daily Caller, PopEater, Tuned In, New York Magazine, Salon, Reason, AdAge, Inside Cable News, Speakeasy, Guardian, The Atlantic Wire, Mediaite, @daveweigel, The Huffington Post and @davidfolkenflik
Quotes of the Day
Bastard. Graham is the sort of scum you get when you blindly vote for Republicans just because there is an R after their name.
Reid, who hates America and her liberties, him I expect to act this way. But Graham likes to call himself a “conservative,” and then, out of that same mouth, say that America might need to “limit” the First Amendment to appease Muslim barbarian savages.
He’s even worse than Reid, because ignoramuses think that Graham actually loves his country and our freedoms, even though his words and actions demonstrate exactly the opposite.
Yet there is a certain segment of “conservatives” who would expect me to vote for Graham no matter what, because he isn’t a Democrat.
I spit on that notion. I will never, ever vote for a candidate who espouses this sort of America-hating, anti-liberty, constitution-loathing crap, no matter what nominal party tag is dangling around his neck.
Charles Johnson is right and here is why
First, go read — I will wait.
Are you finished? Good.
What is my point? This:
This right here above, is why I have my comments section on lock down. Not only do I require people to register, but I also moderate all comments — meaning, I personally read every comment; because of stuff like this right here. Uncontrolled discussion on blogs leads to things being said, like what Charles Johnson quoted.
However, I do wholeheartedly reject the accusation or at least the inferring that all Conservative blogs have become a swamp of hate against Muslims and or Arabs. Furthermore, I reject the inferring that all Conservatives/Classic Liberals/Republicans and Christians hate all Muslims and Arabs. That is collectivism, and it is crap; and I think Johnson is smart enough to know this, I think he is backhanding the blogs mentioned due to his dispute with the persons mentioned.
Having said of that, I do truly believe that there is a minority of persons in the Republican/Conservative/Classic Liberal crowd — who are frankly, bigoted towards Muslims and ultimately Arabs. Unlike some of the empty-headed idiots on the left, I am not going to make the asinine inferring that they are this way by design. What I will do is tell you the truth; what has caused this small but very vocal minority to become this way, is because of the attacks on American soil on September 11, 2001.
President George W. Bush, much to his credit did make the much vital distinction between the war on Terrorism and the war on Islam or Muslims or even Arabs. Not everyone within the conservative circles agreed with him and still does not agree with that mindset to this day; and now that President George W. Bush is out of the picture that vocal minority is becoming louder and much more accepted. I do not like myself; because it just makes the rest of us look bad.
This of course, is what the C.I.A. calls “Blowback.” It is the unintended consequences of actions taken by the United States Government. Most people think of “Blowback” as the angering of the Arab people to cause them to take up arms and commit terrorism against the United States of America – and in fact, it is just that. However, that is just the one side of “Blowback.” The other, more tragic and sinister side of “blowback” is the incitement of racial hatred towards Arabs and the religious hatred towards Muslims in General — including those here in the United States of America.
This reason, along with the laundry list of reasons; is why people like myself, Jack Hunter, Ron Paul, Rand Paul and an ever-growing list of Conservatives and Republicans are beginning to question the role of the United States Government involvement on foreign entanglements in foreign lands.
Of course, anyone with a good knowledge of the history of the United States of America and of American politics can tell you, that this is nothing new at all. In the 1940’s President Franklin Roosevelt, badly wanting to enter into the conflict against the Empire of Japan and against Germany, ordered a blockade of oil from South America that was headed to Japan. This act by the President plunged Japan into desperation caused Japan to fly across the Atlantic and attack America’s interests in the Republic of Hawaii. At the time however, Americans were not made aware of the fact that President Roosevelt had done this, as it was kept quiet by the Government. However, there were people who did know about it. Winston Churchill was one of those people, and in fact, Churchill warned FDR that doing such things would cause some sort of backlash from the Japanese and, as history shows, he was correct. The sick and sad part is; to this very day, there are people who still believe that the Empire of Japan attacked the United States for no reason at all.
How this ties into the modern-day events is this; back in 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Government set up internment camps throughout the United States for the Japanese people. It is very widely believed that the decision to do this, by the United States Government was brought on by or at the very least fueled Anti-Japanese sentiment in this Country for years, even after the war. Sadly, there are Conservatives, of whom I will not name; that actually advocated the interment of Muslims and Arab Americans — after the attacks on 9/11. Thankfully, the Bush Administration did not listen to the foolish ranting of the people who wrote those books.
My point is the following: Conservatives who believe that foreign policy interventionism is wrong, need to take a stand against the internationalist Democrats and the Neo-Conservative foreign policy interventionists and take control of the Republican Party and possibly the Democratic Party away from these warmongers. Because as long as the United States continues to wage war against Nations that have never really attacked it, this sort of hatred and bigotry will continue. It is simply the doctrine of “Cause and Effect.” Nothing ever happens for any reason at all. It is tragically sad, that the United States and its political parties and their legions of sheep followers, have not figured that simple kernel of truth out.
You say, “What about protecting the Republic?” I do not have a problem with that. However, there is a Grand Canyon difference in protecting the Republic and protecting the empire of America; and wise is the person who knows the difference between the two. Declaring unconstitutional wars and military actions against Nations who have not attacked us; is not defending or protecting the Republic; but rather defending the empire of America and playing useful idiot to foreign lands. I hope that someday, the grassroots of both of these parties will wrestle control away from these people. However, if one is to base his hopes on the Republican Party — their recent actions — make that hope, nothing more than a pipe-dream.