Monday, May 12, 2014
What the tea party wants but will not get
Kay Hagan's seat in the senate. Tea party favorite Dr Greg Brannon was thoroughly trounced by establishment Republican, Thom Tillis the speaker of the NC house in last weeks Republican primary. Tillis and Hagan will have quite a race, but the tea party is out.
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Yes, the fact is, incumbants are reelected with a large margin. The main stream Repulicans recognize this, of course, and realize that they are powerless unless they can get people elected. So, in an election year, the political parties are not going to take stances which might affect the election of their candidates, regardless of their stances on hot button issues. Since third parties have dismal chances in this country, the Tea Party is constrained by having to run their candidates as republicans.
ReplyDeleteIn function, a TP'r in the congress or senate is really just a Republican. When it comes to cutting social welfare AKA social engineering programs, cutting taxes or cutting regulations, the TP's will all vote lockstep for that. Since the Republicans only control one house, Boehnor can essentially pass as much crazy shit as he wants because it will never come up for a vote in the Senate anyway. On the rare occasion when Boehnor must actually do something adult and pass useful legislation, he can scapegoat the TP's and come away looking like a man of moderation following the people's will. I think there is something important in the grass roots that got the TP going and unfortunately, THAT is what is going to slip away and be silenced by the agenda of money and Christian fundamentalism.
DeleteLike the far left, I see a thread of agreeable thought in the TP agenda. Also like the left, however, I see a belief from within the movement that utopia will reign if only they can undo everything they disagree with. While the left, allegedly, believes government programs can solve everything, the TP seems to believe that going 180 degrees in the opposite direction will solve everything and that people will get off their ass and fly right if we take away safety nets. At the least, near as I can tell, those who support the TP seem to feel oppressed and that their lives will suddenly skyrocket upwards if only we can create a world in 2014 that matches the thinking present at the inception of our country.
ReplyDeleteThere is a surprising amount of libertarian thought that I agree with, especially when it comes to our foreign entanglements, corporate welfare, wasteful spending and the very alarming growth of spying and "homeland security" operations since 9/11. I also believe libertarian thought is quite suspicious of the involvement of religious beliefs into politics. To varying degrees, I hear some of this in those who talk ABOUT the TP, but not so much from the candidates who actually run and receive millions of dollars in campaign funds from people like the Kochs, who are people like George Soros who seem to believe it's perfectly okay to use their millions to block us little people from deciding things for ourselves. How libertarian of them. Unfairly perhaps, the worst of the TP candidates grab the spotlight for saying crazy shit and get endlessly looped. Unfair or not, these are the candidates beliefs and instead of finding the most articulate to run, the benefactors of the TP's seem to want to simply back the candidate who is least willing to show any independent thought and hence, never vote independently of what they are sent to vote for, or more appropriately, to never do anything but vote no.
Ok, we've got black people who vote about 90% for the left.
DeleteWe've got professors who vote about 90% for the left.
We've got the lame stream media who vote about 90% for the left.
Why shouldn't there be a counter balance on the right?
You actually ask a fair question. I guess I would counter though with the question of why there needs to be a counter balance? We all have the same needs, shelter, food, jobs and so on. Why do we have to swing from extremes? Not everybody in those groups are your enemy William. In a situation where compromise can exist, counter balances can exist and prevent wild swings one way or the other. When individuals, left or right, funnel millions of dollars into local elections in states they don't live in, I see much more than a desire to counterbalance. I see a desire to own the process.
DeleteEntire voting precincts in Philadelphia registered not one single vote for Romney against Obama. Was this a matter of skin color or the absence of one single voter to compromise?
DeleteI'm not suggesting voter fraud. I'm just telling you as it is.
,,,,and I have to laugh Max as I read your missives and how you consider yourself as mainstream, in the middle,,,I just have to laugh,,,
DeleteAnd I'm sure there were precincts in the middle of white America where Obama did not get a single vote. This doesn't say anything of importance to me, though it apparently means something to you. Overwhelmingly, African Americans vote for Democrats and overwhelmingly, older white dudes vote for Republicans. If the Republicans that white Christians vote for would be allowed to compromise with the Democrats that Black people and white people vote for, I believe we would have less dysfunction. Again, William, I am willing to accept comprise in government, you are wiling to accept acquiescence from people you don't agree with. On a large scale, that's the attitude I see in Washington. Much as people wail and gnash their teeth about the agenda Obama is ramming down their throats, the reality is that he got elected twice, and the Democrats control the senate. In your twisted logic, you once told me that if Americans wanted the Democrats to get anything done, they would have given them 60 votes in the senate so that the truly COULD ram legislation through without even talking to Republicans. I'll give you credit about one thing, you don't pretend to give a shit about anyone but yourself and those who think like you.
DeleteAs for laughing at me calling myself centrist, your laughing because it's a dismissal tactic to have a genuine discussion, just like your perpetual name calling of Marxist and whatever else. The fist time I voted, I voted for Perot, then Clinton, then Bush W, then Kerry then Obama. Make of that whatever you want.
"The fist time I voted, I voted for Perot, then Clinton, then Bush W, then Kerry then Obama."
DeleteCongrats Max, you're evolving.
Evolving? As time goes by, I'm voting less FOR what I want and more against what I don't want. This may surprise you, but I am not an Al Gore groupie and I wasn't real hot about the idea of John Kerry. As for Obama, I'm not going to bother offering a balanced opinion. None of the contenders currently mentioned are discussing anything of importance to me.
DeleteWilliam the problem is ,is that you are so far out to the right that you think that Max and even me for that matter are socialist lefty communists and nothing could be farther from the truth. Now I don't have Max's colorful voting record but what Max and I do have in common is the need to come together and compromise on the important issues of the day in our country. You on the other hand want it all your way. Now I know you are going to say we offer this or we offer that but most of your offers of bi partisanship are merely your one sided policies put into different words that any 5th grader can see through. Then you gripe because the other party didn't take the bait.
ReplyDeleteIt's a long battle Rick. You progressives have been winning for about 100 years. At this point the frog is feeling the bubbling. We are but five years into our response.
DeleteIt's a long battle Rick. Get use to it. You and Max, and Harry and Nancy are in for a long long battle.
Interestingly William Max talks above of the Kochs. They have put 8.2 million dollars into the Kay Hagan race already and we just got through the primary. The Koch's, William have no dog in the hunt when it comes to NC, not one division of their company operates here. They are buying America William and you are to blind to see it.
DeleteI agree with the Koch's and their views rick. Sounds like they are playing chess not checkers. Spending your own hard money to elect a candidate you support is a form of free speech. Unions do it all the time all over the country.
DeleteBTW, Chris Christie and Hillary Clinton don't mind farming states like California for campaign funds.
An assertion of mine, William, is that you simply don't care about the destruction of Democracy that this money represents because you believe people like the Koch's will save America from itself by taking away the ability of the little people to decide things without being blasted with brainwashing propaganda. I have to admit, however, that this is kinda consistent with the vision of the founding fathers who clearly intended that power would be redistributed from the crown, but really only to the next layer of power, which is wealthy white dudes. It's not a form of free speech when you use your money for intellectually dishonest campaign ads that are truly one step away from slander. Koch money, and union money for that matter, is not used to get a message out of what a candidate stands for, it's used to paint the other guy as a shitbag. If that money were taken out of campaigns, the free speech of the Koch's would not be diminished, but they would be stuck largely screeching to an audience of the already converted on media sources that the rest of could ignore.
DeleteAs for unions, it always kinda annoyed me that union dues went to political causes and I will concede that in principle, union money is like Koch money with one difference, unions represent a much larger group of people while the Koch's money represents that Koch's. You may believe the Koch's care about you and your vision of America, I don't. It's been a disturbing trend to me that so many candidates travel all over the country to kiss the ass of rich people and it should be stopped. You are only upset by the process when it doesn't help your cause.
I continue to believe that in the long run good ideas win out no matter the amount of money spent on both sides. Of course I care about the destruction of Democracy nimrod but look back through history and see that money and acrimony have always been a part of our process.
DeleteConvincing people that taking free stuff on a generational basis is bad is a long hard slog. Combating tireless socialism requires a depth of resource. I'm not a Polyanna who believes that government supported campaign funds will remain pure. I've witnessed our friendly IRS power brokers destroy this fair government myth.
Koch brothers' spending reshapes North Carolina government
ReplyDeleteEnergy industry giants David and Charles Koch are taking advantage of all that money can buy, which in this case includes Republican Authoritarian control of North Carolina.
Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which the Koch brothers may have influenced to their advantage, unlimited campaign spending helped create a historic change in North Carolina politics in the last election cycle.
Politico reports, “Cash from groups backed by the Koch brothers and others helped North Carolina Republicans build a robust conservative infrastructure and fundraising network, leading to the GOP winning both the governor’s mansion and the state Legislature in the same year for the first time since Reconstruction.”
And what are those Koch-backed lawmakers doing with their new power? Well, their proposed agenda is so drastic, some measures have been called unconstitutional.
In addition to attempting to establish Christianity as the “official state religion,” Republicans in North Carolina have introduced legislation that would:
Dramatically shift the tax burden from the rich to the poor.
Drastically change the Constitutionally-mandated public education system.
Institute highly restrictive voting requirements.
Allow concealed weapons at public events, college campuses and businesses that serve alcohol.
Eliminate public financing for judicial elections.
Accountability and ethics do not appear to be something North Carolina Republicans care to deal with either, as evidenced by Gov. McCrory’s appointment of Art Pope as the state’s budget director. Pope is not only a generous GOP donor, he’s a board member of the Koch brothers Super PAC, Americans for Prosperity.
Perhaps not by coincidence, McCrory decided to fire all five members of the State Board of Elections last month. The move followed a BOE investigation into alleged illegal campaign contributions to McCrory and other elected Republicans.
When McCrory replaced the entire Board of Elections team, he flipped the balance of power from Democrats, who had a 3 to 2 majority, to Republicans, 3 to 2.
In addition to more than a shadow of profound political corruption now shaping life in North Carolina, if the additional GOP proposals become law, one could soundly argue that the uninhibited political power structure in the Tar Heel State is no longer a democracy.
DeleteSingle party rule is known as Authoritarianism. This form of government historically leads to loss of civil liberties for citizens and the expansion of self-appointed, centralized power for the leadership. That, in turn, leads to repression and an increased likelihood that Totalitarianism will ultimately replace any remaining elements of democracy.
Based on radical abuses of power that have already taken place in Republican Authoritarian states like Michigan, replacing democracy is already underway, despite public protests.
This serious and perhaps unanticipated flaw in the US Constitution is actually a route for America’s democratic government to self-destruct, and states like North Carolina and Michigan are prime examples.
What the people of North Carolina may have unwittingly done is voluntarily vote-away their freedom, due in significant part to the Citizen’s United ruling that effectively legalized financial political corruption.
Tim Phillips, the president of the Koch brothers Super PAC, Americans for Prosperity, called North Carolina a “model state.” Furthermore, the Koch brothers have publicly admitted that they plan to use their Citizen United unlimited buying power to purchase other state legislatures all over the country.
If that doesn’t scare you, it should. The US Constitution was specifically designed to separate the powers of government so concentrated power could not be perverted and used against the people.
The goals of the Koch brothers have been widely acknowledged as an attempt to use installed lawmakers to unravel laws that add to the costs of doing business. They include stripping-away pollution and other environmental laws and the elimination of union rights and wages that tap into business profits.
However, the Koch brothers’ quest for higher profits can be puzzling for some. According to Business Insider, the Koch brothers have more money than the gross domestic product of 48 countries, and Forbes lists the Kochs among the top 4 richest people in the world.
Why the wealthiest people in the world are using their money to push for control of the US government as a means to increase their wealth is a question perhaps only the Koch brothers themselves could answer. But their efforts are not happening in a vacuum. Millions of American lives are being dramatically reshaped by the financial influence of just two unelected people.
As American’s have seen with the Koch brothers’ targeted, unlimited political spending, money can indeed buy and create an Authoritarian state. It’s called North Carolina.
Author’s note: The views and commentary expressed in this report are based on the author’s independent analysis of official documents and public records.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/14595226-koch-brothers-spending-reshapes-north-carolina-government
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DeleteWilliam some of us already see the effects of your TP led insurgency and it is not good. It is on the whole bad for the people and corrupt, as corrupt as citizens united allowing the Koch's to buy America.
DeleteNow bring up George Soros as your people always do. But William I challenge you to find and post any article that shows that George Soros is influencing American politics and elections to the degree that the Koch's are buying America. You can't truthfully say that.
Because they represent your ideals you blindly sit by and watch this dismantling of America.
"Because they represent your ideals you blindly sit by and watch this dismantling of America."
DeleteA bit of exaggeration here rick? The NC senate race is neck and neck according to Real Clear Politics.
Quoting Allvoices.com?
James Patrick Mahon (born 19 July 1990) is an Irish TV news reporter, journalist, blogger, host, broadcaster and former record label manager.
Mahon began his journalistic career with Flirt FM 101.3[3][4][5] as a breakfast show presenter while attending the National University of Ireland Galway.[6] Throughout his undergraduate studies he also wrote regularly to Sin Newspaper.[7] Mahon established Coal Records Ltd in 2011 an independent record label for indie artists.[8] James was a student at the University of Sheffield where he undertook a masters in broadcast journalism and is a popular blogger in the UK and Ireland in the areas of current affairs and sport.[9][10][11][12]
Mahon's journalistic work has appeared on the Huffington Post[13] CNN i-report,[14] Allvoices.com,[15] TheFirstPost.com,[16] Digitaljournal.com[17] TheChesterfieldPost.co.uk[18] and Blottr.com[19] and he writes weekly to his personal website.
Could you at least keep your propaganda about the NC senate race a bit more local rick?
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DeleteVery relevant William the Koch's through their Americans for Prosperity super PAC are trying to buy the seat. Look dude I didn't write the piece above. They are influencing races nationwide to try to further their agenda. Don't believe it, you will awaken when it is too late. What's the matter William the guy doesn't report for any of your radical websites so therefore cannot be believed? Indoctrinated! And you talk about us? That's your problem William you only believe about three people in the world and two of them are Koch's
DeleteHagan is among the Democrats' most vulnerable incumbents in a campaign season full of them, a first-term lawmaker in a state that is ground zero in a national debate over the health care law that she and the Democrats voted into existence four years ago. Americans for Prosperity, a group funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, has run about $7 million worth of television commercials criticizing Hagan for her position on the law.
DeleteHere William AP report.
In a sad but related event Keith Crisco who was running neck and neck with American Idol runner up Clay Aiken for the democratic nomination to take on Renee Elmers in NC district #2 was found dead in his Asheboro NC home on Monday. Crisco who is 71 slipped and fell hitting his head on some brickwork at his home. He was expected to concede his race to Aiken today.
DeleteI was just considering the source rick.
Delete",,,was found dead in his Asheboro NC home on Monday. Crisco who is 71 slipped and fell hitting his head on some brickwork at his home. He was expected to concede his race to Aiken today."
Did you really write this rick?
news report William. And yes it is a true one. And yes I wrote that ad lib
DeleteI wonder if Crisco could sign his own death certificate after he makes the announcement.
DeleteYour a sick one William.
Deletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/05/12/clay-aiken-primary-opponent-keith-crisco-found-dead/