Month: January 2010
Verbatim
Top 10 Michael Steele Quotes, courtesy of Taegan Godard at PoliticalWire
1. Crazy nonsense empathetic. I’ll give you empathy. Empathize right on your behind. Craziness.
— Explaining why he’s opposed to empathetic judges.
2. The problem that we have with this president is we don’t know him. He was not vetted, folks … He was not vetted, because the press fell in love with the black man running for the office.
— Forgetting President Obama actually won a national election.
3. Could you help a brother out? No more national conventions with 36 people of color in the room.
— Urging Florida Republicans to send delegates to the Republican National Convention who “look like Florida.”
4. It’s not even really a Web site.
— Trying to downplay technical problems with the redesigned RNC Web site.
5. I can say without hesitation that this government is totally theirs … Everything that comes out of it and everything that results from it is on their plate.
— Almost gleeful that Republicans lost the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota.
6. Well, I’m the cow on the tracks.
— Explaining how he would stop President Obama’s health care train.
7. Our platform is one of the best political documents that’s been written in the last 25 years. Honest Injun on that.
— Defending the Republican platform.
8. If you don’t want me in the job, fire me. But until then, shut up. Get with the program or get out of the way.
— Saying he’s “done” with criticism from top Republicans.
9. God has a way of revealing stuff to you, and making it real for you, through others. And if that’s part of the plan, it’ll be the plan … If I run it’ll be because that’s where God wants me to be at that time.
— Explaining how he’ll decide if he will run for president some day.
10. I’m the gift that keeps on giving.
— Stating the obvious.
Tea Bag Party to Hold First Convention – Palin Reportedy Being Paid $100k to Speak
With the mid-term elections looming, it is clear that the Tea Baggers’ populist, anti-Obama energy is being channeled into the the formation of a new national political party. With funding from wealthy right-wing extremists, including the Koch brothers and others, political operatives like former House Majority Leader-turned lobbyist Dick Armey have masterfully astroturfed the Tea Baggers into a new power base comprised of the most easily duped and manipulated segment of American society: poorly educated, white Southerners and their counterparts in other regions.
The objective of the astroturfing is to organize working-class opposition to government regulation of the sources of corporate wealth — energy, health care, the media, etc. — and roll back and eventually kill government policies and programs such as Medicare, Social Security and Civil Rights protections that help, yes, working class Americans. It could be said that the corporate oligarchs are attempting to create a 21st century version of the Dixiecrat Party, which, in 1948, had a platform that is nearly identical to Tea Bagger positions today: local control, shrinking the federal government and — although this goes unstated, it’s there in the optics at the rallies — racial segregation.
The connections between the corporate oligarchs and their rent-boys like Armey are relatively easy to research. But Tea Baggers themselves are oblivious to their roles as the pawns in this new power grab. They have been kept in the dark because, over the past decade and more, conservatives have trained their base to trust only right-wing media outlets like hate radio and Fox News, and these outlets scrupulously avoid reporting on who is pulling the strings and why.
For regular Americans, however, the connections are hard to miss. In the weeks leading up to the Koch-funded Freedomwork’s Tea Bagger rallies last summer, for example, right-wing billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News gave the rallies hundreds of hours of free promotion. On the day of the rallies, Fox covered the live events wall-to-wall, frequently displaying racist anti-Obama signs on its air without comment. Just last month, Bill O’Reilly, the senior propagandist at Fox, did a segment cheerleading the formation of the Tea Bag Party (TBP), citing a poll that found that 41 percent of Americans favor the TBP over Democrats (35 percent) and Republicans (28 percent).
“Well, look,” O’Reilly told his panel of TBP supporters — no representative of the other parties were included to make the discussion, you know, “fair and balanced” — “if you want a viable third party, you got to break it down. I mean, you just got to kick the door in like [1992 third-party candidate Ross] Perot did and other people did.”
There’s even a Tea Bagger social-network group on Murdoch’s Wall St. Journal website promoting the formation of a national political party because — speaking of easily duped — the GOP and Dems are too cozy with corporate interests:
This is good news for the nation. Both the Republican and the Democrat party have been serving the private corporations for a long time. Everyone sees what has happened to this country are [sic] both their watches; they have failed. Leaving, or not running again is best for the USA. The ststaes [sic] need to fill out the proper forms and certify the TEA polictical [sic] party in their state. Do it, stop talking and blogging about it, actually do it and register a few TEA candidates for 2010. The time to act is now, not later. Returning to the American Constitution is correct, turning away from corporation bylaws is correct, watching these unAmerican kickbackers leave in [sic] good for the country. Jorge Lovenguth TEA Florida
At least one state group has made it official. Last November, right-wingers in Florida filled out the paperwork to register the TBP as an official political party in the state.
Around the same time, organizers announced that Tea Baggers would be holding a convention, Feb. 4 – 6, in Nashville. As it stands now, Sarah Palin has agreed to address the mob as the keynote speaker for the closing-night banquet. (There will be bibs.)
Palin is, of course, most famous for quitting and/or not showing up, and one pro-Tea Bag insider (he says he believes that “Palin and the grassroots Tea Party efforts are forces for good”) reports that Palin will be paid as much as $100,000 for the gig.
This calls into question the legitimacy of the Tea Baggers’ meeting in Nashville. Is it a step toward the birth of a national racist political party, or is it just a for-profit mass meeting to shake down America’s most hapless half-wits — a political version of an Amway convention?
If it is the former, it represents the first time a putative front-runner presidential candidate required payment to address her party. If so, it also shines a light on the astroturfing of this movement. If the Tea Baggers were a legitimate grass roots movement, they could have easily invited Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., a whackjob easily as looney-tunes as Palin, who would have spoken for free.
Writing back in November, even the Tea Bagger sympathizer is suspicious about the real purpose of the convention:
The schedule mentions break-out and discussion sessions with no topics, no list of moderators, etc. It’s unclear what anyone will be doing in Nashville for three days other than waiting for Sarah Palin. On top of that, the planning looks to be very poorly done.
The conference sessions, whatever they may be, end at 12:30 PM Saturday afternoon. There’s nothing happening again until the banquet at 6 PM that night. In most cases, all that will achieve is driving up participation costs due to the need for another night in a hotel. Attendees traveling any distance to the event would be all but forced to travel home on a Sunday. That may be fine if one is looking to maximize revenue for the area and some hotels. But it doesn’t seem to take Tea Party goers interests in mind at all.
But if the past is prologue with Palin, the controversy over whether she’s being paid to speak to her followers will soon be shoved aside for the eternal question about her: Will she show up, or will she quit the event before Feb. 6?
Verbatim
Michael Steele makes a number of old-time Republicans very nervous. He comes out of a different background. He went to seminary … he’s African-American … But I think he’s pretty close to what we need. He’s different, he’s gutsy and he’s going to make a number of Republicans mad.
— Newt Gingrich, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, on the RNC chairman.
Lieberman Has Pissed Off 67 Percent of Connecticutians
It’s a good thing Sen. Joe Lieberman is an independent because his antics during the health care debate have made him unpopular with both Republicans and Democrats. Wait — 61 percent of independents disapprove of him, too!
In the Public Policy Polling survey, even Barack Obama is twice as popular with Lieberman’s constituency. He has a 54 percent approval rating in Connecticut versus Lieberman’s 25 percent.
Lieberman has hit a low point with Democrats usually reserved for Republican politicians, with 81percent of them disapproving of him to just 14 percent happy with his performance. Republicans give him bad marks by a 48 to 39 margin.
Lieberman’s actions on the Senate health care bill have made 68 peercent of voters say they disagree with how he handled the issue, to just 19 percent giving him support. Among those who support the health care bill, 84 percent say they disapprove of Lieberman’s actions, but even among those opposed to the initiative, 52 percent say they disagree with how Lieberman handled himself.
“Joe Lieberman isn’t popular enough with the Democrats or the Republicans to receive their nomination for the Senate in 2012,” said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling. “And since the independents don’t like him much these days either it’s hard to see how he’ll be around for another term.”
Connecticut voters are divided on the health care plan, with 47 percent supporting it and 43 percent opposed.
Verbatim
I’m telling them and I’m looking them in the eye and say I’ve had enough of it. If you don’t want me in the job, fire me. But until then, shut up. Get with the program or get out of the way.
— RNC Chairman Michael Steele, in an ABC News Radio interview today, laying it down — “Honest Injun”-like — to a group of prominent Republicans who have blasted him over his leadership.
So Long, “Big Jim,” I’ll Miss You
Jim “Big Jim” Greer announced today that he is resigning as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, effective Feb. 20. Pressure from a small, conservative group of Florida Republicans had been mounting on Greer to leave his post, mainly due to his blind devotion to Gov. Charlie Crist and his rabid dislike of Marco Rubio, Crist’s likely primary opponent in the U.S. Senate race.
I, for one, will miss Big Jim. I have used this space on several occasions to point out Greer’s idiotic, quote-bedecked ramblings that masqueraded as press releases. To me, Jim Greer is the embodiment of the fat-cat Florida Republican — dangerous as a crocodile, loyal as a hound dog, stubborn as a mule and mean as a rattlesnake — all of it wrapped up in a kind of good ole boy panache enhanced by expensive suits and fashionable polo shirts. And he could sure turn an unusual phrase as he repeatedly challenged the syntactical and punctuational norms of the English language in his periodic messages.
In announcing Greer’s resignation, the RPOF issued a document that consisted of a statement by Crist, a second statement by two of the RPOF members most responsible for kicking Greer to the curb, followed by Greer’s letter of resignation — an interesting and volatile document that effectively encapsulates the negative forces at work inside the RPOF without coming right out and saying it.
Here is two-thirds of Charlie Crist’s three-sentence statement regarding the man he handpicked for the chairmanship three years ago:
Jim has long been a loyal servant to the Republican cause, and I appreciate the many sacrifices the Chairman, his wife Lisa, and their four children have made to ensure our Party’s continued success in the Sunshine State. Chairman Greer has and always will have my unwavering support.
“I call on Florida Republicans to unite behind our common values of less government and more personal freedom and sincerely hope that we can move forward together to ensure statewide Republican victories in 2010.
You couldn’t get a broader and more inclusive statement of the Republican philosophy than the Big Tent of “less government and more personal freedom.” Hell, I bet even Marco Rubio could get behind that ….
Joint Statement by Senator Haridopolos and Representative Cannon Regarding Chairman Jim Greer:
As Chairman, Jim understands not only the importance of this critical election this year, but also the need to adequately prepare the State Party and diverse grassroots communities for the fight ahead, and we believe his legacy will be reflected in many victories yet to come.
It has never been more important that Republicans focus on the task at hand by uniting in support of our common goals. For the first time since Reconstruction, we are facing open races in a United States Senate seat, the Governor’s Mansion, all of our Cabinet seats, half of the Florida Senate, and the entire House of Representatives.
As the 2010 Election Cycle rapidly approaches, we encourage all Florida Republicans to unite together to ensure that Republicans carry the day in 2010.
So they say, but it’s the 2012 election cycle, the one where they want to elect the newfound neo-fascist Rubio over part-time governor Crist, that these two Bozos really are interested in.
And finally we come to Big Jim’s letter of resignation. As has been the case with his more recent RPOF ramblings, it is a mixture of hurt feelings, defense of his record and barely concealed anger with just a hint of a threat in it. Dispensing with the first four paragraphs that recapped his accomplishments, both real and imagined, here are some highlights of the fun bits:
However, despite the great progress our Party has seen over the last three years, a small but vocal group within our Party has made it a point to destroy this progress and negatively impact our opportunity for victory in 2010. There has been, as you may be aware, an effort by this group to seek my removal for reasons that hold no justification. The facts and accuracy relating to this issue have become lost and irrelevant to these disruptive efforts and despite my own efforts, in addition to the efforts of others, to correct the record with the facts and truthfulness, these divisive individuals and their efforts continue without any concern for our Party’s future.
Big Jim goes to great efforts — indeed four of them in one sentence — to allude to some vague untruthiness that shall not be named that’s been lost, but that’s put about by a group always described as “small and vocal.” However, he never gets any more specific than that.
While I am honored by your unwavering support and the support of Republican members of the Florida Legislature, many members of the State Executive Committee, and many RPOF donors, I have determined that this internal discord has many origins and political agendas, but the one common result is a detrimental effect on the Republican Party. Since 2007, I have made a point to put the best interest of the Party before my own, even when criticisms were misdirected and invalid, and I will do so again now. While some are more interested in tearing and shredding the fabric of the Republican Party to pieces, I will not be a participant in this destructive behavior. Therefore, I am putting the future of our Party first and shall step down as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida effective February, 20, 2010.
Nope, Jim’s not having none of that tearing and shredding the party into little pieces mess, though he is helping himself to heaping plate of unwavering. As the sacrificial lamb, he must dutifully call for party unity:
As I prepare to leave this post with Republicans maintaining a United State Senate seat, the Governor’s Mansion, three of four Cabinet posts, and strong majorities in the Florida House, Senate and Congressional Delegation, I look forward to continuing to work to elect Republicans to office, and now call upon all Republicans throughout Florida to put our differences aside, end our Party’s internal conflict and disagreements, and focus on electing Republicans in 2010.
See, that’s where Jim lost it — he should know that all Republicans throughout Florida are focused on electing Republicans in 2010 and 2012 — just different Republicans.
But my favorite part was how he closed his letter to Gov. Crist. Not with a heartfelt “sincerely” or manly “yours truly,” but with an icky “warmest regards.” I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I suspect that Greer ain’t gone for good, he’s just going guerrilla on ’em.
So long, Big Jim, we look forward to seeing you bob to the surface as the toilet bowl that is the Republican Party of Florida separates the floaters from the sinkers.
