Man Bites Dog

Ken AshfordPolls, Tea PartyLeave a Comment

Gallup poll released today finds: There is significant overlap between Americans who identify as supporters of the Tea Party movement and those who identify as conservative Republicans. Their similar ideological makeup and views suggest that the Tea Party movement is more a rebranding of core Republicanism than a new or distinct entity on the American political scene. You think?!? ********* … Read More

Rand Paul Doubling Down By Showing Support For BP

Ken AshfordDisasters, Election 2010, Energy and Conservation, Environment & Global Warming & Energy, Obama Opposition, Tea Party2 Comments

Bruce Bartlett may have said it best when he wrote that Paul suffers from foolish consistency syndrome: I don't believe Rand is a racist; I think he is a fool who is suffering from the foolish consistency syndrome that affects all libertarians. They believe that freedom consists of one thing and one thing only–freedom from governmental constraint. Therefore, it is … Read More

Rand Paul And The Civil Rights Act: Part II

Ken AshfordConstitution, Election 2010, Obama Opposition, Race, Sex/Morality/Family Values, Tea PartyLeave a Comment

As the day progresses, Rand Paul is clarifying his position on the 1964 Civil Rights Act, assuring the voters that he will not try to repeal it.  This afternoon, a spokesman for the Paul campaign told Greg Sargent, "Civil Rights legislation that has been affirmed by our courts gives the Federal government the right to insure that private businesses don't … Read More

Taxed Enough Already?

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & Deficit, Tea PartyLeave a Comment

The "tea" in the Tea Party movement stands for "Taxed Enough Already".  It's a bad time for this kind of movement, and here's why: Amid complaints about high taxes and calls for a smaller government, Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman's presidency, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data found. Some conservative political movements … Read More

Maine Republicans Officially Go Tea Party

Ken AshfordObama Opposition, Tea PartyLeave a Comment

AP: A group of Knox County conservatives succeeded Saturday in tossing the state Republican Party's proposed platform and adopting an entirely new one, an event that threatened to overshadow the seven gubernatorial candidates seeking to make an impression at the state GOP convention. The new platform reaffirms a pledge to the U.S. Constitution and the Maine Constitution — not any … Read More

Ten Lowest-Polling Tea Party “Action Items”

Ken AshfordPolls, Tea PartyLeave a Comment

The Tea Party Patriots took a poll of their rank-and-file to see what the top ten "action items" for the movement are.  They are: 1. Protect the Constitution2. Reject Cap & Trade3. Demand a Balanced Budget4. Enact Fundamental Tax Reform5. Restore Fiscal Responsibility & Constitutionally Limited Government in Washington6. End Runaway Government Spending7. Defund, Repeal, & Replace Government-run Health Care8. … Read More

Tax Day Tea Party Day

Ken AshfordTea Party2 Comments

Tomorrow is April 15, which is Tax Day, but also the day when the teabaggers load their misspelled signs and fat asses into rusty Ford pickups, and congregate with other teabaggers to denounce the black secret Muslim who stole the presidency by lying about his birthplace as part of a grand scheme to turn this country into a socialist and/or marxist … Read More

Republicans And Conservatives Gather To Sign A Silly Piece Of Paper And Congratulate Themselves

Ken AshfordRepublicans, Tea PartyLeave a Comment

It's like the "Contract with America" from the 1990's, but without anything of substance. Yup, the GOP likes to sign little manifestos committing themselves to the conservative values that (they believe) the Founding Fathers had (never mind the fact that the true conservatives in the Coloniel era sided with the British). Today's monumental screed is called "The Mount Vernon Statement", and … Read More