Lifelong Philadelphia resident, Marathoner, Photographer, Blogger, Muse.
You can contact me at midnightbluesays (at) gmail (dot) com
As the Tantrum Tour rolls through the nation, the more I am convinced we are witnessing a long overdue ‘Intervention’ episode for public sector union members.
As with any intervention, there are always moments when the addict lashes out – in this case union goons slaps have escalated to pushes, shoving.
By now most political groupies, myself included, have either viewed or read the transcript of the State of the Union Address (SOTU). Pundits and politicians have weighed in on this speech. Paul Ryan was tapped by the GOP to present the rebuttal to Obama’s SOTU address and Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann gave what is widely regarded as the Tea Party response to the SOTU.
So tragic….
UPDATE: Changed the title of this post to ‘Attempted Assassination’. Reports coming in are stating she is in critical condition.
UPDATE 2: TPM is reporting a federal judge was among the victims of todays attack. No name released.
UPDATE 3: Fox News is reporting Congresswoman Giffords alive, in critical condition.
UPDATE 4: Spokesperson for hospital treating Congresswoman Giffords ‘very optimistic’ of her recovery. The only death reported from hospital was that of a child.
UPDATE 5: Congresswoman on Daily Kos Target List (see screen cap below – as I’m sure it will be scrubbed)
UDDATE 6: Alleged shooter has a YouTube channel which lists Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto as books read.
UPDATE 7: Statement by the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer
UPDATE 8: So far no evidence of military service for Jared Lee Loughtner
UPDATE 9: Friend says shooter a loner and left wing.
NPR: A gunman opened fire during a “Congress on Your Corner” event hosted by newly re-elected Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Congresswoman Giffords was married to former astronaut Mark Kelly and is the mother of two children. She is well known for her pro border control initiatives and opposition to the Obama’s attempts to change the priorities of NASA.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Congresswoman Giffords family and to the families of the 6 additional victims.
Melissa Clouthier ~ Why are we fighting already? I really do believe we’re working toward the same goal.
November 2nd ushered in 60+ new Congressmen, 6 Senators and 682 State seats with a united message from the electorate to bring fiscal control our government. Make no mistake, this was a clear repudiation of liberal big spending, big government policies embraced by the Dem controlled House, Senate and WH.
Soon after this stunning victory, 17 individuals issued a letter opening a needless divide between social cons and fiscal cons – I refer to them as “The Gang of 17“
In an open letter to Senator McConnell and Representative Boehner, 17 individuals affiliated with teaparty groups reminded the politicians to focus on fiscal issues:
“On behalf of limited-government conservatives everywhere, we write to urge you and your colleagues in Washington to put forward a legislative agenda in the next Congress that reflects the principles of the Tea Party movement,”
Great opening that is in total accord with teaparty groups around the nation. However, the rest of the letter goes completely off the rails and throws social conservatives under the Teaparty Bus:
Already, there are Washington insiders and special interest groups that hope to co-opt the Tea Party’s message and use it to push their own agenda – particularly as it relates to social issues. We are disappointed but not surprised by this development. We recognize the importance of values but believe strongly that those values should be taught by families and our houses of worship and not legislated from Washington, D.C.
We urge you to stay focused on the issues that got you and your colleagues elected and to resist the urge to run down any social issue rabbit holes in order to appease the special interests.
So much for that laser-like focus on economic freedom and limited government.
Apologies to all the Blondes out there. You all rock!
At the launch of the Tea Party Express Tour, Sarah Palin speaking to the crowd referenced an event in 1773 when ‘liberty loving freedom fighter dumped that tea in the harbor’. The liberalsphere lit up with comments like the one from Gwen Ifel:
Andrew Breitbart
This afternoon I attended the Uni-Tea Rally at Independence Mall. In the heart of a midnightblue-democrat city, I am constantly amazed by the turnout of these rallies. I’ve witnessed numerous anti war rallies at the same location, even at the height of anti war protests in 2006-2007, their numbers never rose above anemic with a distinct lack of pigment in their ranks.
Uni-TEA is coming to Independence Mall on July 31st – Noon till 3pm. This is a great opportunity learn how an out of control government is taking away your jobs, money and future.
Uni-TEA has a fabulous line up of speakers that will inform and inspire you. I’m am so pleased to tell you that Andrew Breitbart will be among the speakers at this event. There will be rocking music, of course. Tea Parties seem to attract talented musicians – I can’t wait to hear their sets. Good conversation, good music, good people – what more could you want from a grassroot Tea Party event?
You betcha I will be covering this event for my readers. Stay tuned, my friends!
Don’t forget to clear you schedule for Saturday, July 31st – Noon till 3PM @ Independence Mall, Philadelphia
A superb blogger and novelist, Andrew Ian Dodge, has penned article “Grassroots Conundrum: ”Party Unity” or Princples“. He takes a look at one of the biggest growing pains of the Tea Party movement:
Tea parties across the US are starting to learn the realities of political life after the primaries. In this grassroots conundrum they have to suffer the sight of their tea party favorites appearing with many of the politicians that they set out to cull. Now that these candidates have gotten the nomination they become part of the party “establishment” and business as usual returns
Within the tea party movement, I’ve found that most groups are careful to state that their movement isn’t overtly democrat or republican – they see both parties as part of the problem. What I see are political opportunists that latch on to the Tea Party talking points; perhaps even organizing a tea party event in order to tap into the powerful grass root organizing power of the Tea Party. Some have even convinced prominent bloggers who identify with the tea party movement to cover their primary campaign. Once the candidate has used the Tea Party momentum to their advantage, it’s back to politics as usual; which leads to the well meaning activists getting screwed, yet again. This is the genuine weakness of this movement – part of being the new kid on the block – as some activists tend to latch on to any candidate who mouths Tea Party talking points without putting any effort into diligent research of the candidate.
I’ve found it wise to develop a keen political BS meter when it comes to candidates labeling themselves as the ‘Tea Party candidate’. I believe as the Tea Party movement progresses, it will develop an overall political BS meter to avert candidates such as Rand Paul and Paul LePage. We typically call this maturity. Remember, this movement has only been around for over one year. We have accomplished what was once unattainable in politics in that time, but we still are new kids and we have some growing ahead of us. I look forward to the journey as I look forward to 2010, 2012, 2014….
Enjoyed some revolutionary tea as I surfed on forums hosted at the Coffee Party website.
I found a post that seems to capture the essence of the Java people. Destroy Your Enemies..Make Them Your Friend:
Arlen Specter Retirement Party
A raw spring day brought patriots from across the nation to Independence Hall for a Take Back Congress Tea Party sponsored by the Independence Hall Tea Party Association PAC.
I love covering the tea parties, there is an energy infused in the crowd that I’ve not seen at other political events. Recent posts by bloggers Melissa Clouthier and Erick Erickson question the viability of the Tea Party as it stands now. Erick speaks of moving beyond the tea party and becoming more active in local politics. Melissa echoes his sentiment and shares an impressive list of activities for grassroot activists to involve themselves. IMHO, Tea Party rallies are the tip of the iceberg in regards to grassroot involvement by supporters of the rallies. It is the work going on between rallies that is changing the political landscape of this nation. Perhaps Erick hasn’t chatted with a typical Tea Party participant lately, as they are doing the heavy lifting on the grass root political font. Most tea party participants that I work along side are juggling numerous projects – recruiting committee people, organizing educational events, running for office themselves, writing letters to the editors, blogging, volunteering in campaigns of conservative candidates and so on. In fairness to Erick, I understand his frustration with national Tea Party figures who seem more interested in marketing themselves than the movement – hello Dana Loesch. By and large, the movers and shakers of this movement are not the media identified tea party leaders nor do they make regular appearances on Fox news; they are too busy doing the crucial heavy lifting for this movement. These are the people I know and respect in this movement and I will happy to introduce them to Erik.
It was great to meet Lisa Mossie, a fantastic writer and fellow contributor at PaWatercooler.
Of course, I have photos from the event. Videos can be found on YouTube
It was a delightful surprise to see Eric Odom and Steve Foley in Philly at this rally. Good on ya, guys! I hope you enjoy your stay in the City of Brotherly Love.
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