April « 2010 « Archives « Dr. Melissa Clouthier

Latest Tea Party News

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Just to keep you updated:

CNN Video: CNN’s Tony Harris asks Tea Party organizer Tim Phillips
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2010/04/12/seg.phillips.tea.party.cnn

Video: Gallup, Ask Frank: Tea Party Profile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SBMaU75ZR0

Groups look for tea party support on Supreme Court nomination
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/13/groups-look-for-tea-party-support-on-nomination/

Scott Brown takes lumps over his snub of Common-ers
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20100413scott_brown_takes_lumps_over_his_snub_of_common-ers/srvc=home&position=also

Tea Party, Dems Row Over N-Word Video “Evidence”
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/13/politics/main6390592.shtml

Okla. tea parties and lawmakers envision militia
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-40/1271146631299210.xml&storylist=new_topstories

Foes of tea party movement to infiltrate rallies
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0410/725055.html

Rivals claim Tea Party backing
http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20100413/NEWS24/4130427/-1/RSS

A Kinder, Gentler (Or At Least More Self-Aware) Tea Party Movement
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/04/tea-parties-attempt-to-turn-the-page-to-a-brighter-chapter.php

They may not call it a Tea Party but…
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Thousands+take+streets+protest+against+Charest+hikes/2789628/story.html

CNN Video: Traveling with the Tea Party Express from Buffalo
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/politics/2010/04/12/nr.travis.buffalo.tea.party.cnn

Posted in Tea Party | 1 Comment »

Congress’ Health Care Oversight May Hurt Their Own Coverage?

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Has a group ever more richly deserved this irony? From NRO:

In a new report, the Congressional Research Service says the law may have significant unintended consequences for the “personal health insurance coverage” of senators, representatives and their staff members. For example, it says, the law may “remove members of Congress and Congressional staff” from their current coverage, in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, before any alternatives are available. The confusion raises the inevitable question: If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?

Does indeed beg the question.

This health care bill is going to be a noose around the necks of Democrats.

Posted in Barack Obama, Democrats, Political Animals | 3 Comments »

Why Is Obama’s Organization Raising Money In Other Countries?

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Digging through the Organizing for America website will find some interesting nuggets. Not the least of which is this little gem:

And here is the code from the back end:

Enter the zip code where your event will take place: Select the type of event you are creating:

Here’s another question, this one for the media: Why has the media shown zero curiosity about Candidate Barack Obama’s illegal, overseas fundraising efforts? The election happened and there were questions right away and about Obama’s fundraising and even now, a year and a half later zero investigative reporting.

What are the chances the media will ask the administration about this? Probably near zero.

Posted in Barack Obama | 5 Comments »

Ray McKinney: A Republican Hope For Georgia’s Twelfth

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Another close district, another brave Republican doing the “impossible”: Ray McKinney of Georgia’s Twelfth District talks about the challenges and opportunities for Republicans.

Ray McKinney Runs For Georgia’s Fourth District
Uploaded by melissaclouthier. – News videos from around the world.

Stacy McCain talks about McKiney and his thoughts on the SRLC:

In the few minutes of their impromptu meeting, however, McKinney conveyed to Pence the necessary information: He is a candidate in Georgia’s 12th District, seeking the Republican nomination to take on Rep. John Barrow, a “Blue Dog” Democrat whose peculiar vulnerability is one factor in the calculations for Nov. 2. If the GOP can make a net gain of 40 seats in this fall’s mid-terms, Nancy Pelosi will become the former Speaker of the House, and Republicans cannot afford to miss any opportunity for a pickup — especially when liberals seem determined to lend a helping hand. The story of Barrow and GA12 is the tale of a building electoral storm with enough political power to evoke memories of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact on New Orleans in September 2006 — two months before Pelosi and the Democrats broke Republicans’ 12-year control of the House.

The 12th District was one of two new congressional seats Georgia gained after the 2000 Census, when Democrats still controlled the Georgia General Assembly and sought to carve out a stronghold for their party. Yet GA12 has proven to be more conservative than its designers anticipated, rated only a “plus one” for Democrats by respected national analyst Charlie Cook, and has a see-saw history. Republican Max Burns was elected to Congress by a surprising 10-point margin in the 2002 mid-terms, but lost his 2004 re-election bid to Barrow by four points. In 2006, otherwise a disastrous wipeout for the GOP, Burns came back to challenge Barrow and lost by fewer than 900 votes out of some 140,000 ballots cast. And then came 2008, when Obama’s promise of Hope and Change proved the electoral tide that lifted all Democratic boats.

With a surge of black turnout in a district where more than 40 percent of the residents are black, GA12 re-elected Barrow — a white moderate — by a whopping 2-to-1 majority over a former GOP congressional aide, John Stone. Here, however, the story took a strange twist. In 2008, Barrow first had to overcome a Democratic primary challenge from state Sen. Regina Thomas, a black legislator with a far more liberal record and message. After winning that primary with 76 percent of the vote, Barrow then got a general-election boost from Barack Obama. However, Barrow has since voted against key items in the Obama agenda — including two votes against the recently-passed health-care law.

This race is winnable. Republicans need to stop conceding these districts and Ray McKinney is fighting for one right now.

Posted in Democrats, Political Animals, Republicans | 1 Comment »

Exclusive: Herman Cain, Dark Horse?

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Herman Cain knows how to give a great speech. He was also a delightful man to interview. Mr. Cain sat with Tabitha Hale and me for a few minutes. We had a great conversation on Saturday afternoon of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. He discusses God’s will for his life. He also talks about Republicans attracting people of color. He answers the question about whether racists dominate the Tea Party movement:

Herman Cain Might Run For President
Uploaded by melissaclouthier. – News videos from around the world.

Posted in Conservatives, Political Animals, Racism, Republicans, Tea Party | 5 Comments »

What Was Wrong At The Southern Republican Leadership Conference?–UPDATED

Monday, April 12th, 2010

What a weird conference. There. I said it. The Tea Party received the biggest cheers. The Republicans bashed their own party. Attendees were optimistic and cheerful. Politicians were purposeful and focused on 2010–a marked shift from the usual perspectives at SRLC which has been a conference that gives voters a first look at potential Presidential candidates. Ron Paul’s groupies were suitably worshipful and idealistic. Mitt Romney’s posse were mission-focuses as always. But something was off.

It wasn’t the city or weather. New Orleans was more beautiful than I have ever seen it and the weather was perfect. Food? A+. Gambling? I wouldn’t know, but people had fun. A shooting did clear a friend’s restaurant, though–so it’s the same old New Orleans we know and love.

It wasn’t the venue or organization which was okay–although the scheduling was unorthodox. The speakers didn’t get going until the afternoon every day while the delegates had various brunches. It made for an excellent blogging schedule.

What simmered below the surface of the event, though, made me uneasy. And it was who didn’t attend the event that concerned me.

Eventually, Mitt Romney is going to have to show up at an conference with other political contenders. Will he get more cheers than Newt or Sarah or Mike Pence or Rick Perry? I know he’s hoping to wait them all out, gather to himself a gagilliion dollars and be the presumptive nominee. That method worked in the past, will it work now?

Haley Barbour endorsed Charlie Crist who is miles behind Marco Rubio. Barbour was RNC chair during the 1994 revolution. Many of these old dogs are still around and enjoying power. They remember sweeping in and they don’t want to be swept out.

The recent arm wrestling being done by the NRSC and NRCC against the RNC might actually be wasted effort. If donors are by-passing all of them and funding the Rubios of the world, the party bosses might matter less even as the give full-throated endorsements to establishment candidates who have zero chance of getting elected.

One Republican said to me, “It’s like the Republicans are ten years behind the times. They’re looking for women candidates, when the voters are beyond that.”

What he meant was, the voters now, men and women, want a good candidate who follows, as Rick Perry mentioned, first principles. Gender matters little anymore. Beliefs matter most.

But first principles are inconvenient when an old-guard politician is trying to keep power and money. And so beneath a placid, optimist surface, there is struggling. The struggle would seem to be philosophical: big government Republicans against tax-assailing and small government conservatives with some Tea Party help.

Unfortunately, the struggle seems to be more base than that: who is going to man the ship when Republicans get power back in November? There are lots of Republicans angling for chairmanships and sweet deals and that seems to be a more important fight to them than fighting Democrats and a President who are trying to do to dismantle freedom and the American way.

Politics, like business, has many aging boomers who love their jobs. They don’t want to give them up. Terrified of becoming relics and irrelevant, they fight like badgers to hold on to personal power while not paying attention to what they’ll even be owning after they “win.” If the establishment Republicans rip the party apart, they may have power in a party that no longer matters. Do they recognize this reality?

Many of the old guard are suspicious of the Tea Partiers and conservatives in general. Cozying up with small government types, makes keeping a big government difficult.

Bottom line, the leadership of the party isn’t at the top anymore. The grassroots are leading, amoeba-like, toward a philosophical goal of smaller government, less taxation and more freedom. So far, no presumptive presidential candidate has taken on that mantal.

After the November mid-term elections, I expect a very wild presidential campaign. And while Mitt stuffed the ballot boxes at the Southern Republican Leadership Council, I don’t think his place as the new face of the GOP is anywhere near certain.

The Republican party will change, people will give them one last chance, because voters burned themselves with Ross Perot going third party. But if the party isn’t responsive to the base’s concern after the last two years, I’m afraid there will be a new party building and the old guard will be manning an empty ivory tower.

Tabitha Hale has more. She has a controversial take on the opening speaker who decided that the most important issue facing the nation is gay marriage.

Here are some interviews I conducted at SRLC:

Texas Governor Rick Perry Talks Texas….And A National Run? Also here.

Ted Cruz, former Texas Solicitor General who has argued many cases before the Supreme Court (and won) discusses the possible legal approaches to get rid of Obamacare. Also here.

A great Republican running against Deborah Wasserman-Schultz: Learn about Brian Reilly here.

I also got to spend 10 minutes with Herman Cain. That video is still loading, but I’ll add it to the cue.

UPDATED:

Liza over at Culture Kitchen gives me a back handed compliment and then dismisses a Rick Perry run for President because of his secession hyperbole while extolling Mitt Romney.

One word: Jobs

Texas has them. No other state comes close.

One phrase: It’s the economy stupid.

Rick Perry gets that, the Democrats don’t.

Now, Perry may have no chance to get elected, I don’t know. But please let’s not pretend that Romney doesn’t have baggage.

Can you say RomneyCare? And much as it pains me, his religion will still be a stopper for many people.

The press likes Romney way too much. Remember how they loved McCain? Yeah.

Posted in Conservatives, Moderates, Political Animals, Republicans, Sarah Palin, Tea Party | 16 Comments »

Brian Reilly Runs For Democrat Deborah Wasserman Schultz’s Seat

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Wasserman-Schultz must go down.
Brian Reilly: Another GOP Up And Comer
Uploaded by melissaclouthier. – Watch the latest news videos.“>Brian Reilly spent a few moments to talk to me at the SRLC about the Florida race. He’s a good candidate in a winnable district. Like so many young gun conservatives I’ve met, he just needs money and optimism:

Brian Reilly: Another GOP Up And Comer
Uploaded by melissaclouthier. – Watch the latest news videos.

Posted in Republicans | 2 Comments »

New Venture

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Hi Dear Readers!

I’m really excited to share a new venture with you. Over the weekend, Bill Dupray, Clyde Middleton and I rolled our blogging into one site called LibertyPundits.net. It’s a new kind of site which will include everything from politics to culture to religion to Tea Party news. Everything!

I hope you’ll follow my work over there. It’s going to be bigger and better than anything I could ever do alone. And I’ll highlight some posts in my Twitter feed–just to make it easier.

So, if you’re a blogger, I’d really appreciate a link to the site. We’re still working on our blogroll–it will be a very interesting way to do it. If you’re included, I think you’ll really like it.

Anyway, my website will now be a home where all my work will be fed through it. So, you’ll see the podcasts, posts and other content I create here, still, but it will look different once the site is redesigned.

Thanks everyone!

Melissa

Posted in Blogging | 6 Comments »

RNC Chairman Steele: It’s Partly Racism

Monday, April 5th, 2010

RNC Chairman says the attacks he’s receiving are partly racism and that blacks have a smaller margin of error. I’d say that’s true for some few people, just as it’s true for some small segments who have disliked Obama from the beginning. Mostly though, it’s sore-loserism and establishment-ism and power-ism. You know, those “isms” that define Washington, D.C.

Here’s the video of the Chairman’s comments.

How about this for a theory?

1. Establishment Republicans see their power dwindling and they want to control the money.

2. The Crossroads business was hatched before last week when operatives from within this new money-seeking organization denounced their competition, the RNC–these people are going after the same dollars after all.

3. Republicans angry at Steele for saying the truth, that he’s not sure they’re ready to take the helm back, decided to gun for his demise.

You know, people are so sick of the Republicans. These guys demonstrated a frustrating inability to enact measures to trim the government’s power when they were in power.

I see nearly zero reason to believe that they govern much differently once back in power. For months, they fought the influence of the Tea Party movement and even now, some establishment candidates grit their teeth about this growing movement. They have a vision for Republicans in America–it’s big government, big business, big power.

Now, some have seen religion. They are terrified and want to get re-elected. But most who face primary challenges seem offended that they have to go through such lowly politicking to do the job they feel entitled to do.

In addition, those forming the Crossroads group, seem to ignore how this looks to people who now pay attention. It looks like the same old D.C. power plays. It looks like division and pettiness. It looks like the Mitch McConnell-Bush wing of the Republican party doesn’t want to let go.

Guess what: they were voted out for a reason.

Now, a person reading this might construe me as some worshipful devoté of the RNC and its leadership. I’m not. I’m just an observer who doesn’t believe, for one instant, that this Crossroads group is anything but an organization grown and built to support the Republican D.C. establishment while Chairman Steele is trying to strike the balance between an old and new Republican party.

Many Republicans don’t want a new party. They don’t want a younger, more diverse and more fiscally conservative party. It does not serve THEM.

They want power. It’s naive to think anything else.

So is it racism? Maybe a little bit. But really, it’s just Republican politics as usual.

P.S. The Republicans outside the RNC are questioning the judgment of Chairman Steele, right? Well, I question their judgment dividing the leadership during a year when Republicans are sure to win big because the Democrats are even more horrible than Republicans. What sort of wisdom do they have? How smart is it to divide the party on the eve of a big win. Yeah. Typical Republicans: shooting themselves in the feet.

Posted in Political Animals, Racism, Republicans | 3 Comments »

Blast From The Past: 10 Ways To Keep Your Relationship Smokin’ Hot

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

Relationships are difficult. I’m here to help. Here’s some words of wisdom to keep your relationship from turning dull and boring:

1. Keep the mystery alive–Too many people reveal too much too often. Why share where you’re going or what you’re doing or who you’re with. A little doubt keeps things spicy.

2. Call rarely–It’s so annoying to have your work interrupted by mindless blather about nothing. One of the biggest myths is that your significant other actually cares what you’re thinking about when you’re chomping your food on your lunch hour. Newsflash! No one cares.

3. Retreat from conflict–People often deal with conflict by trying to resolve it and talk it out. This can be a big mistake. Most likely, the things you fight about today are the things you’re going to fight about forever. Don’t resolve it. Accept it. Stay away for as long as possible. The other person will eventually get tired of being angry.

4. Don’t expect your spouse to meet your sexual needs–You should know that the best sex of your life happened before you got married or moved in together. You didn’t get married for sex. You got married for companionship, bill-sharing and maybe having a kid or two. Having sexual expectations is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Let it go.

5. Spend time cultivating interests that don’t include your spouse–One of the biggest problems in marriages is that people think they should do stuff together. Why? If you like golf, and your wife hates it, well, she’ll just have to get over it and understand that golf makes you happy. If she likes shopping, she needs to do it when it’s convenient for her. Her man will understand. Togetherness is overrated.

6. Don’t change–Be you. Until you’re your true, unchecked self, you can’t really be free. Trying to get rid of annoying habits or irritating traits is just energy wasted. A true partner will love you no matter what.

7. Don’t apologize–True love means never having to say you’re sorry. Why should anyone expect an apology? You’re doing the best you can with what you’ve got and if the person doesn’t understand it, they have the limited world-view, not you. Saying you’re sorry is for sissies. Men are emasculated enough. Women cow-tow to men too often. Stop apologizing!

8. Don’t give tokens of affection–Materialism in all its guises is just manipulation. Don’t do it. A person who needs concrete proof of love is superficial and not worth your time anyway. True love doesn’t need to be spoken or given or shared. Rings are just that–symbolic. Who needs symbols? The real thing is just understood.

9. Ignore special dates–Again, this is just a manifestation of artificial constraints imposed by society. Every day is special! Why focus on birthdays or anniversaries? They are days like any other and it’s ridiculous that people have expectations of gifts or kindness on those days.

10. Stop saying “I love you”–The words become vain and meaningless after a while. True love doesn’t need constant reinforcement. True love just “knows”. If your partner needs to hear the words, well, that’s just too demanding. Who needs demanding in an intimate relationship? Forget it and move on.

Some of these pieces of advice might seem unconventional, but really, relationships are cracking under the pressure of inane expectations. People want too much, expect too much and just generally put too much faith in other human beings. There is no perfect partner out there. You can’t be the perfect partner. Why try? Just be yourself and the person right for you will find you and love you just the way you are. That’s true love and the world needs more of it.