Dear Readers: I feel the need to vent a little more about the elite GOP and its obvious minions in the Tea Party Express today. When I “tea party”, I do so with the Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition and/or Tea Party Patriots. I believe that the bulk of Tea Party Express’ grassroots members are sincere in their conservative ideals, too. However, as a Democrat who has had an eye-opening glimpse of the local GOP, I am deeply concerned that Tea Party Express (formed by/connected to the entrenched establishment politicos Sal Russo and Howard Kaloogian ) and the old-time GOP– are doing their best to undermine the Tea Party movement in very ham-handed ways. Let me share with you why:
1) Congressional Tea Party Caucus leader, Michele Bachmann odd-angled TV appearance: Bachmann was looking off at an odd angle during her Tea Party State of the Union response during the broadcast on CNN. It made for a very distracting presentation, and did not do justice to her response. I will also point out elite-media CNN was only too happy to make Tea Party Express the “face of the Tea Party” — which, of course IS NOT THE CASE.
(HEY RUSSO – Nice defense of Michele Bachmann on the Chris Mathew’s show — NOT).
2) Tea Party Express used the Tucson Tragedy for Fund-Raising: It was in poor taste when the Democrats did it; it is in equally poor taste here, too. The average, engaged citizen activist does not need to be inspired by such a clumsy, tasteless request for money.
3) Sharon Angle and Joe Miller: I must admit, I only followed these races from a distance — but “Something is rotten in the state of Tea Party Express.” TPE jumped in, when the polls were breaking in Angles favor, it thrust itself into local party politics and destroyed the chances of Sue Lowden — who could have ultimately prevailed over Harry Reid. Here is my view: TPE calculated if Angle won, they could pressure her to go along with GOP beltway types; as Angle lost, she would be a prototype for a Tea Party candidate — not credible, not viable, and no competition for GOP-supported people. I view the Alaska Senate race the same way: Joe Miller apparently had major issues that came out in the general election, and never forget the ELITE GOP PLAYED UP THE DEMOCRAT IN THE THREE-WAY, leading to another Senate term for their pal, Lena Murkowitz.
One caveat: No one could have predicted the Tea Party movement in 2009, so citizen candidates have only recently begun garnering experience in local, political office. This is where state and national level representatives are formed. I can assure you we will have a much wider array of experienced, citizen-oriented participants in future elections.
4) Mark Williams, for a time, was a spokesperson for the Tea Party Express. Enough said.
5) Your donations may be squandered. As an example, especially for those of you wondering why the BIG, RED WAVE petered out before it hit California, let me share with you this story: Whine and chocolates – GOP headquarters abandoned, left in ‘mind-boggling’ disarray, landlord says. A snippet:
“You wouldn’t believe what they ditched in the trash bin!” said Antoine Georges, who’s owned the building for 20 years. “Thousands of things. Office supplies, staplers— maybe 30 or 40 staplers, the big kind for campaign work—pots and pans, boxes and boxes of stuff, even brand-new live plants! It was just mind-boggling.”
A lively 62-year-old Lebanese man who considers himself fiscally conservative but socially liberal (he says he’s friends with Republican Congressmember Darrell Issa and a cousin of Ralph Nader), Georges told Spin Cycle that he had grown suspicious of his tenants in Suite 107 for some time.
He’d heard rumors that the tenant had wanted to break the lease. Georges said the head honcho of the local GOP, Tony Krvaric, had asked him on several occasions if he’d consider donating the rent as a party gift. Georges said he declined.
Rent checks of roughly $4,500, he said, started coming later and later in the month. The December lease payment, for example, while due Dec. 1, arrived more than three weeks late on Christmas Eve.
But the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, activity in the suite seemed to pick up, despite it being a typically down time for campaign events. Over previous weeks, Georges said the local GOP “made up some story” that they were going to remodel the 2,700-square-foot office space. Soon, trucks would show up to haul away office materials, Georges said…….
In the local Republican Party’s most recent committee filing for the period Dec. 19 through Dec. 31, 2010, it notes a payment of $4,088.25 made to “R.B. Courtyard” for “office expenses”—the same location where Krvaric operates his financial-planning business.
Georges said he’ll take the local GOP to court, if necessary, to recoup at least the $27,000 he says he’s owed through June, when the lease expires. “After that,” he said, “good riddance!”
No, it’s not been a good month for the GOP. Two weeks ago, Krvaric was said to be whipping up votes for his predecessor and mentor, California GOP boss Ron Nehring, who lost in his bid to become treasurer of the GOP’s national organization—this despite a National Journal report that prospective voters were plied with California wine and Ghirardelli chocolates for their support.
With the RNC in debt 20 Million dollars, it is good to see that the national Republican Party has new leadership and a new treasurer. The California elections on Brown’s proposed tax increases that will occur this year, followed by the 2012 national election, will be key battles. This is an important opportunity: I am praying that my fellow citizens get fully informed and engaged, instead of merely donating to a party and expecting the establishment to take care of everything.
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SLOBs IN THE NEWS!
Some good work is being done my the San Diego Local Order of Bloggers (SLOBs) (Check LINKS Blogroll to the right!).
* B-Daddy of The Liberator Today represented Tea Party concerns well during an interview in a publication that is notoriously left-leaning:
Don’t fear the Reepers (MUT note — nice headline, guys. /sarc)
While most Tea Partiers have their eyes on the White House and Congress, Brian’s focused on the San Diego City Council. More than anyone, he’s on newly elected City Councilmember Lorie Zapf ’s case. He blogs about every encounter with her office: If she leaves him a voicemail message, he blogs it. If he gets a wishy-washy response from one of her staffers, he calls her out.
“She campaigned saying the right things, in my view,” he says. “I want her to execute her promises more effectively, and so I tend to be a little more critical of the people I care about. Some of the more left-wing members, like Todd Gloria, I figure he’s hopeless.”
* Shane Atwell is doing a REGULATION WATCH SUNDAY: I’m going to try posting article links describing the growth of the (unaccountable) regulatory state every Sunday. This is important for a few reasons. First our regulatory state was established by FDR and effectively transferred the larger part of law making (a power that’s supposed to reside with Congress) to the Executive branch. The Federal Register, which lists the rules established by the agencies, has grown like a cancer since. Second, this illegitimate lawmaking has never been seriously tackled by conservatives.
* Left Coast Rebel is designated an internet HOTTIE.
Awesome wrap-up, Goddess!!
I also worry about TPE, as they do not seem to be a grassroots organization.
On the other hand, Michael A. Schwartz, of the article about Tea Party members is a friend of mine and a dyed-in-the-wool conservative and 2nd amendment task force member for the San Diego Republican party. I mean to point out that we do not have to be in complete agreement with everyone in order to work together on common issues.
[...] to be very cautious about Bachmann — especially since she has very close connections with Tea Party Express (spearheaded by establishment Republicans). I recall that Mitt was tag-teamed out of the 2008 primary by McCain and Huckabee. I sense a deal [...]