Tag: Tea Party
GOP/Tea Overconfidence Ends in Defeat
He didn’t write anybody off. He went and talked to everybody, while on the other side, they ran like they had already won it.
— Former Jacksonville, FL mayor Jake Godbold, commenting on the win for the office by Democrat Alvin Brown. The Republican/Tea Party candidate was so favored to win that both he and his party badly miscalculated voter sentiment.
Florida Mayor’s Race Could Be Early Indicator of Tea Party Decline
Jacksonville Republicans are reeling because the nightmare they were having when they went to bed last night didn’t slip away as they hoped at today’s dawn. No, Democrat Alvin Brown, a former Clinton administration and Al Gore advisor, African-American, and pro-education candidate (not to be confused with bizarre nobody Alvin Greene of South Carolina) was still 603 votes ahead in the mayor’s race, just like he was last night.
As we speak, absentee and provisional ballots are being counted, so anything could happen in what the elections supervisor is calling the closest mayor’s race in Jacksonville history. Anything could happen, that is, except reinstating the conventional wisdom that a Democrat can’t win in Jacksonville – or in Northeast Florida. Apparently he can.
Brown was one of six candidates in the elimination round in March that was expected to easily pick Republican Audrey Moran, who passes for moderate in these parts, and fellow Republican and incumbent Tax Collector Mike Hogan to face off in the final race. Had that played out, Duval County voters would have the familiar Republican Thing One and Republican Thing Two from which to choose, and First Baptist Church (a Jacksonville institution that pulls most of the power strings), the Chamber of Commerce, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver, and a few others could resume running things for another four years.
And then something strange happened.
[…]
The Unconvincables: Gov. Rick Scott Denys Climate Change
I’ve not been convinced that there’s any man-made climate change. Nothing’s convinced me that there is.
— Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R-Tea), who presides over a state where 95 percent of the population lives within 35 miles of the coast, and where, by the turn of the century, the waterline will be between 2 and 5 feet higher.
Gingrich’s Not So Coded Language: “Food Stamp President”
He is the most successful food stamp president in history.
Newt Gingrich, GOP candidate for president, in a remark about Pres. Obama that would only be considered not racist or eggregiously offensive is you are Newt Gingrich and/or a member of the KKK.
Tea Party Overstaying Its Welcome
47%
Portion of Americans reporting an unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party movement, according to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll. One year ago, only 40% reported a negative view. Among Democrats, 73% dislike the Tea Party; 60% of Republicans like it.
The Job Nobody Wants
0
Number of applicants for Florida Education Commissioner. Eric J. Smith, a Jeb Bush ally, announced his resignation in March, after new Republican Tea Party Gov. Rick Scott failed to meet with him more than two months into office. Smith was instrumental in winning $700 million for Florida in the White House’s Race to the Top initiative. Scott has refused federal dollars for Florida, most notably turning down $2 billion to develop high-speed rail along the failing I-4 corridor.
Verbatim
What House Republicans propose is that the government simply push the problem of rising health care costs on to seniors; that is, that we replace Medicare with vouchers that can be applied to private insurance, and that we count on seniors and insurance companies to work it out somehow.
Paul Krugman, Nobel-prize winning economist, New York Times columnist, and loyal opposition leader
Hey Paul Ryan, How’s That Ax-y Medicare-y Thing Workin’ Out for Ya?
Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan’s constituents showed they are much smarter than he thinks they are. They aren’t buying the latest iteration of trickle-down, voodoo economics. And when he persisted in trying to get them to see it his way, they booed him. Let this be a warning to other tea bag Republicans who underestimate us. You need to throw out new red meat. We aren’t swallowing the old stuff.
Video: Palin, Breitbart Drowned Out By Middle-Class Counter Protesters at Tea Bagger Rally
Watch racist Andrew Breitbart go into a rage fit. See Palin squirm as she is publicly confronted with mass opposition for the first time.
Via Raw Story and hat tip to Bamboo Harvester.
Here are videos from the event:
Breitbart booed —
Palin drowned out —
More from the crowd —
It was fun to be at the Madison capitol today to protest Sarah Palin and the tea partiers.
There were about 1,500 tea partiers, many bused in by Americans for Prosperity, the rightwing group funded by the Koch brothers.
The tea partiers were surrounded by about 3,000 or more pro-labor supporters, who let their presence be felt with raucous chants and boos and cries of “Shame, shame, shame!”
“Recall Walker,” the protesters chanted over and over again, as well as, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Scott Walker has got to go.”
Another chant was “Tax, tax, tax the rich!”
As with all the historic Madison protests this year, creativity marked the signs of the pro-labor activists.
“I Can See Waulkersha From My Sign,” one of them said, playing off of Palin’s gaffe about Russia, as well as governor Walker’s name and Waukesha County, where highly irregular vote counting occurred during the recent Supreme Court race…
The tea partiers waved their usual “Don’t Tread on Me” flags and held signs that said “Walker for President,” “Walker/Palin,” and “Economic Freedom.”
One tea party sign seemed anti-Semitic: “Give It Up, Kloppenstein!” It was referring to JoAnne Kloppenburg, the candidate who ran for the Supreme Court against David Prosser. Kloppenburg is Jewish…
Rightwing provocateur Andrew Breitbart stirred up the tea party crowd.
And when Sarah Palin was announced, the tea partiers gave her a big ovation, and the protesters booed heartily…
