Tea Party Express names its election-year ‘heroes,’ ‘targets’
U.S. Representative Joe Wilson — the South Carolina Republican who last year screamed at President Barack Obama, “You lie!” — is on its list of “heroes.”
So is Republican Senator Jim DeMint, also of South Carolina, who’s leading a charge to repeal Obama’s landmark overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system.
The Tea Party Express, one of the most prominent groups in the conservative Tea Party movement, on Thursday wrapped up a 20-day nationwide tour with an event in Washington, D.C., where it formally announced its 14 “heroes” as well as 13 “targets.”
Amid homemade signs reading, “Hope doesn’t create jobs,” and “Congress, you’re fired!” — Tea Party activists vowed to help their “heroes” win in the November election and to work to defeat their “targets.”
The Tea Party Express is dedicated to opposing what it sees as the Democrats’ liberal tax-and-spend policies and to ridding the Republican Party of those it does not consider to be conservative enough.
A Tea Party Express spokesman, asked how Joe Wilson made the list of heroes, cited the congressman’s conservative voting record and made no mention of his yelling at Obama at a nationally televised address on healthcare last year.
While the Tea Party Express has made life difficult for lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle, all but one of its “heroes” — conservative, first-term Democratic Representative Walt Minnick of Idaho — is a Republican. And all of its “targets,” including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, are Democrat.
Tea Partiers converge on Washington to kill the (healthcare) bill
The rally began with an unaccompanied rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” sung to an oversized American flag hoisted aloft by a middle-aged man dressed like Captain America.
But the Marvel Comics super-hero impersonator was one of the few fringe elements on display, when about 200 Tea Party members gathered in a small grassy park in the shadow of the Capitol Dome with Washington-based organizers from conservative special-interest groups, House Republicans and, inevitably, the news media.
They had come from as far away as Texas, Michigan and Georgia for a “Kill the Bill!” rally meant to launch an 11th hour grass-roots lobbying effort to stop House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats from achieving victory for the Obama healthcare plan.
But nowhere in sight were those controversial posters that picture President Barack Obama as The Joker from the Batman super-hero series. Also not in evidence was Obama’s surname with the first letter styled as a Communist hammer-and-sickle. A few organizers even seemed to play down the Tea Party label a bit by stressing their readiness to join with other brands of conservatives, particularly independents.
Some posters did seem edgy. Several pictured a smiling, cheerful Obama, dressed in a blue tuxedo and sitting in an open coffin marked “Healthcare Bill — R.I.P.” Another advised Congress to “Bury Obamacare Like Obama Buried His Birth Certificate.” A few warned against socialism, while one curiously pointed out that “Fascism is not Democracy.”
But on the whole, the crowd seemed to be on its best behavior with slogans, placards and rhetoric tightly focused on message, which may suggest a slight change in the direction of the political breeze.
The Tea Baggers will be back in DC to talk about taxes on April 15, hopefully they will not be flying planes into Federal Buildings. The Tea Baggers could use a course in Reasoning and Critical Thinking, and might realize calling members of congress N***** or F***** hurts their message.
Grayson sweet-talks Republicans on healthcare reform
In the never-ending Democratic struggle to win bipartisan support for healthcare reform, Representative Alan Grayson is probably not the guy to send to the House floor to woo Republicans.
Democrats, he said in a floor speech a couple days ago, want to fix the U.S. healthcare system by expanding insurance coverage to the 47 million people who do not have it.
“The Republican plan,” he said, is basically: “Don’t get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.” He brought along big posterboard signs to underscore the idea in the event somebody found his point too subtle. Republicans were not happy with this characterization of their ideas for healthcare and suggested an apology was in order. A much-chastened Grayson returned to the House floor Wednesday to make amends.
“Several Republicans asked me to apologize. Well, I would like to apologize. I would like to apologize to the dead,” he said. He cited a study saying 44,789 Americans die every year because they have no health insurance. “That’s more than 10 times the number of Americans who have died in the war in Iraq. It’s more than 10 times the number of Americans who died in 9/11.” “I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven’t voted sooner to end this Holocaust in America.” Grayson expanded upon his remarks later on CNN after being asked exactly what he meant by saying the Republicans want people to get sick and die quickly.
“What I mean is they’ve got no plan. It’s been 24 hours since I said that. Where is the Republican plan? We’re all waiting to see something — to take care of people with pre-existing conditions, to take care of the 47 million people in this country who have no coverage at all. There is no plan, and that’s what I meant when I said the Republican plan really is: Don’t get sick. And if you do get sick, die quickly.” Representative Joe Wilson, who shouted “You lie” at Obama during a joint session of Congress and quickly said he was sorry, declined to get into the apology issue in an interview with Fox News. But he said Grayson was wrong about Republican healthcare ideas. “The Republican plan is really one that it provides for affordability, accessibility,” he said. “It provides for helping with pre-existing conditions. It is a very positive, targeted health insurance reform.” Representative Barney Frank, a Democrat, told the Lou Dobbs radio program Grayson’s performance “wasn’t civil at all” but added he saw “a little bit of excessive indignation and sound and fury” in the outraged Republican response. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to avoid the issue when asked about it at her weekly press conference. Pressed on whether Grayson should apologize, she said, “If anybody is going to apologize, everybody should apologize. You know?” Asked what the president thought of the remarks, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs fled to the high ground. “We ought to be able,” he said, “to have an honest, calm debate about healthcare, the need for healthcare reform, without disparaging each other.” For more Reuters political news, click here.
yes the republicans do have a plan that is to stand by and watch the democrats self destruct like they always do.They get elected on entitlement promises and a free hand out for all,but when these never materialize they get booted out of office,by disgruntled supporters not bothering to vote.If you watch carefully you can see the disenchantment in the recent blogs from people who are obviously not conservatives.
No lie! Poll shows Joe Wilson trailing in reelection bid
Congressman Joe Wilson might be tempted to yell “You lie!” again – this time at a poll that shows the presidential heckler trailing in his reelection bid.
The survey by Public Policy Polling found Democratic challenger Rob Miller leading the five-term Republican lawmaker by 44 percent to 43 percent. The numbers had Democrats cheering, and at least one pollster offering a new view of the contest in the heavily Republican South Carolina district.
It is all part of the fallout of Wilson yelling “You lie!” at President Barack Obama during his address to Congress on Wednesday night on healthcare reform.
“In a matter of seconds Joe Wilson turned himself from a safe incumbent into one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the country for 2010,” said Dean Debnam of Public Policy Polling, which conducted the survey of 747 voters in the congressman’s district.
But Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which tracks congressional races, downplayed the importance of the poll and predicted Wilson would rebound against his liberal challenger in the conservative district.
“This is just a snapshot in time. The bad news for Rob Miller is that the election is 14 months away,” Wasserman said, noting a lot is certain to happen between now and then.
Last year, Wilson defeated Miller, a former Marine turned small businessman, by 54 percent to 46 percent.
Congress did boo bush at state of the union address. I would have to so what the difference.
I big O is better then lit bush but taking on the same path.
I am not a white boy or black. I know more black racist then white. I ask blacks do they like whites most men will only say they like only white women. Black women will say NO all together.
If I ask most whites they would say they like all people.
There are whites who don’t like black or anyone but just small percent.They die off more and more every day
Pulling the race card out every time because you can’t defend yourself any other way; shows education has replaced your common since.
Us native’s we don’t even like ourselves
Republican “You lie!” outburst becomes Democratic fundraising cry
Rarely, if ever, have so few words moved so many people to contribute so much money so quickly.
Within 15 hours of Republican Representative Joe Wilson yelling “You lie!” at President Barack Obama, Wilson’s Democratic foe in next year’s election received more than 10,000 donations totaling upward of $350,000, according to the House Democratic campaign committee.
“And the numbers are still rising,” a spokesman said.
Wilson’s Democratic challenger, Rob Miller, an ex-Marine turned small businessman, lost a bid last November to unseat the now five-term congressman from South Carolina, 54 percent to 46 percent.
But Miller has suddenly become increasingly hopeful that he can topple America’s best known presidential heckler in the November 2010 contest.
“Representative Wilson’s behavior tonight exemplifies everything that is wrong in Washington,” Miller said on Wednesday after Wilson’s outburst during Obama’s nationally broadcast address to Congress on healthcare reform.
“Instead of engaging in childish name-calling and disrespecting our Commander-in-Chief, Joe Wilson should be working towards a bipartisan solution that makes quality, affordable health care available to each and every South Carolinian,” Miller said.
Enforce term limits on the legislature. Make the terms reasonably short. Keep people from becoming career politicians and you might see more change for the better.
The differences between the parties is taken over by self interested politicians that have a vested interest in keeping term limits out of the legislature. Demand and enact term limits.
Also get rid of corporate citizenship. If corporations are no longer considered citizens, the interests of true citizens will be better served. Changing those two things will change the whole political game in favor of the citizen. Then the people will truly have a voice.
The First Draft: Congressman Wilson’s big moment
The dust is settling — and the political haggling is resuming — after President Barack Obama’s healthcare speech to Congress last night, but the spotlight is still shining, though not very flatteringly, on Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina.
If you watched on TV, you might not have seen him, but you probably heard a catcall from the House chamber when Obama told the audience that illegal aliens would not be covered by the proposed healthcare plan. That was Wilson, a Republican, shouting out, “You lie!”
Problem is, Obama spoke the truth on that point, and other Republicans acknowledged that. Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who ran against Obama for the presidency last year, told NBC’s “Today” show that the plan would not cover illegal immigrants. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, one of Obama’s most vocal congressional critics, said the same thing on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Cantor and others noted that Wilson apologized, and Vice President Joe Biden figured that Obama would accept that apology. Still, feathers were ruffled.
“I was embarrassed for a chamber and a Congress that I love,” Biden said on NBC. “I thought it demeaned the institution … That was very very damaging.”
But really, what’s the big deal? Mostly, it’s considered bad form to diss the president of the United States when he comes to address the country’s highest legislative body. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said as much in a complaint to Republican congressmen about Wilson’s behavior: “No president has ever had that happen. My advice is he apologize immediately. You know my number.”
UPDATE: Wilson called Emanuel last night to apologize and the apology was accepted on behalf of the president, according to an administration official.
The New York Times called it a breach of protocol. The Washington Post‘s normally humorous political theater columnist was unamused, calling conduct by Wilson and other hecklers “appalling.” CNN’s user-generated I-report site was filled with responses such as “You are disrespectful sir.”
I applaud Congressman Wilson for speaking up for me and every other American who is tired of the blatant lies being spoken in Washington. It may have been the “wrong venue” but he spoke from his gut, which is always right. When will Washington get it and wake up. We are not stupid and we are not taking it anymore.
Hey, my Congressman does his job for me pretty well. It’s all you other schnooks electing Congressmen who don’t share our values that turn it into a laughingstock.
i.e. it’s always the other guys’ fault.
==Bob