Grow Up GOP, We're not that gullible

The primary runoff for Republican nomination in the 8th Congressional District is heating up with just a little over a month before voters head back to the polls to decide who will face off against Larry Kissell in the fall. Most people outside of North Carolina (and probably a lot inside the Old North State as well) have probably never heard of either candidate. I predict that is probably going to change very soon.

With all of the hullabaloo surrounding Joe Sestak maybe or maybe not getting an offer from the White House to drop out of the primary race against Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, any sort of wrongdoing in elections by either party is going to be scrutinized by voters in ways never before seen. On the heels on the Judiciary Committee seeking to appoint a Special Prosecutor to look into the Sestak matter, we now have a controversy brewing in North Carolina.

Tim D'Annunzio, a millionaire businessman, after receiving the most votes in the May Primary is facing a runoff against the second highest vote getter Harold Johnson, a retired television sportscaster, on June 22. D'Annunzio had widely publicized support from local Tea Party groups and several high powered national figures and groups (Tom Tancredo and the Independence Caucus) before the primary. Harold "The Big Guy" Johnson retired from WSOC-TV awhile back, is known for his call it as he sees it good ol boy attitude and was supported by a former NC Governor (Jim Martin) and a former NC Congressman (Robin Hayes) leading up to the primary. On the surface it appears to be a fair race between two viable candidates.

This past weekend, the Charlotte Observer ran a not-so flattering story on Mr. D'Annunzio. The story painted a picture of a man with a troubled past, a past that included arrests, jail time, drug use and even an AWOL episode from the Army. In fairness, most if not all of the things that were discussed in the Observer article were addressed by D'Annunzio himself on his blog well before the primary. It was quite clear in reading the article that the Observer wished to do harm to Mr. D'Annunzio's candidacy by portraying him as a heroin addict turned religious zealot who has fanatical visions of the Ark of the Covenant. However, what was also blindingly clear was that the NC Republican party wants to destroy not only his candidacy but also the man as well. The NC GOP Chairman Tim Fetzer is quoted in the Observer article with regards to D'Annunzio that he is "unfit for public office at any level" and continued his tirade with "What he could do to the party as our nominee is secondary in my view to what he could do to the country if he got elected. If he got elected, for crying out loud, that would be a disaster."

This begs the question, what did Tim D'Annunzio do to anger the party so much that the party chair is willing to risk his job to go against him? Because instead of angering the base and moving Republicans and Unaffiliated (who are eligible to vote in the runoff election with certain caveats) toward Harold Johnson what Mr Fetzer really did was cause a firestorm over his own actions. It is against the NC GOP Plan of Organization for an Officer or Member of the State Executive Committee to utilize the power of the office to influence the outcome of a Primary. This apparent violation of Article VII, Section G of the Plan of Organization (affectionately referred to as the POO - yes the POO) has now sent the Republican party to fight amongst itself.

What are the officials at the NC GOP afraid of? Are we to believe that they are only looking out for the good of the party? If that was the case, shouldn't they have appealed to the electorate BEFORE the primary? Instead, they've waited until now, why? Personally, it feels as though they feel that smearing D'Annunzio is the only way that they can squash the Tea Party and Libertarian swell building in the 8th district.

My hope is that Mr. Fetzer steps down as soon as possible in order to remove any further talk of impropriety and that the GOP can focus on getting a candidate (whomever the people choose on June 22) that they can ALL unite behind in order to go against a fairly venerable candidate in first-term Incumbent Larry Kissell who voted against healthcare reform and thus does not have quite as big target on his chest as he might have otherwise.

Overall my hope is that the insanity of personal attacks on politicians stop. Stop attacking the man. Attack policies or positions, not the candidate. The Observer article makes light of D'Annunzio's previous statements that his life was changed while sitting in his yard watching a solar eclipse. I don't recall anyone still making a mockery of Abraham Lincoln's capabilities as a President and there are high profile accounts that he had a vision of his own death. An entire way of life for over 2 million people was started when a man named Bill W had a spiritual "experience in the fourth dimension" while detoxing from alcohol in a sanitarium. So I don't know that attacking a person's "Come to Jesus" moment is exactly what a party on either side of the aisle should be doing. I hope that party officials on both sides grow up (and quickly) because we Americans simply just aren't falling for it anymore.

Tax Day. Do you need an extension?

Tax Day. When I was growing up, April 15 meant one thing - my grandfather was going to run to the accountant and request an extension. To this day I still do not know why he just didn't file his return, procrastination I guess, but still it is an image that I won't forget. In today's world, tax day brings a totally different image to mind. Thousands of people gathering on lawns, in parks, and on malls all over the country to display their anger over what the government is doing with regards to not only taxation but to the takeovers of healthcare and private businesses, the excessive spending practices, and to the overall weakening of our country perceived by the attendees.

Opponents of the Tea Party movement will counter today's gatherings as right-winged Republican love fests and the "tea-baggers" are so stupid that they don't even realize that they paid less in taxes this year. Here's the problem with that logic. No one that I met today (at the Tax Day Tea Party in Charlotte NC) was complaining about the taxes paid on returns due today. The folks I met were concerned with liberty and freedom and the futures of their children and grandchildren. They are concerned with things like renegade school boards, success of their businesses, finding or keeping a job and as most parents the idea that their children will have a better life than their own. They are concerned with dangerous legislations that will place unbelievable tax burdens on future generations. They are concerned with liberties and freedoms that are being stripped or limited and they came not to protest but rather to learn and educate themselves so that they can share these ideas with everyone that they meet.

Today I met a gentleman with Campaign for Liberty. David was most hospitable as I asked him to explain why he was at today's event. He explained that his group is focused on gaining support of a bill that would audit the Federal Reserve. He, like others in his group, was gathering signatures in order to present them to Senator Kay Hagan who as of today has not shown her willingness to support Senate bill S604 which has the support in the manner of a co-sponsorship by Senator Burr. (The House of Representatives has a similar bill (HR 1207) that has garnered some bi-partisan support here in the Tarheel state.)

I listened to impassioned speakers as they illustrated the problems, as they see them, that we are facing as a city, county, state and country. Speakers who illustrated solutions to some of the problems and complaints of the thousands on the lawn of the Old Courthouse instead of just recycling rhetoric in hopes of stirring the crowd. A merchant, who calls himself the Free Market Warrior and who was kicked out of a local mall last year (click here for a previous entry on this subject) for selling merchandise showcasing the viewpoints of the right and of the tea-party, spoke to the crowd about his plan of action. Loren Spivack urged the crowd to do something, "Three times in our history we have instituted fundamental change in this country -- the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and during the New Deal. Now we have the chance to do so again, if we are willing to DO SOMETHING." His core idea is education - of our children and ourselves. He got the biggest applause of his speech with this, "I don't want my history and values being taught by a government bureaucrat, give me the (tax) money back and I will teach my kids."

The organizer of both last year's and today's Charlotte event, Matthew Ridenhour, is both unassuming and humble but his speech was probably the most well received of the day. Matthew is a Marine who has served two tours of duty in Iraq and who began the organizing of the Tax Day Tea Party in a bar with some friends when none of them would step up to the plate. He shared his story with the crowd, "Its one thing to serve your country in Iraq and shed tears on their soil but to come home and see your country being fractured and Lady Liberty being destroyed from within...... freedom doesn't come without burden" He urged the crowd to carry that burden and to not just attend the Tea Party but to take action and educate.

Tax Day 2010. Maybe an old vision and and a new one have now combined. I think that today I witnessed an extension request from the American people (at least the ones I saw here in Charlotte). They are not willing to give up their country without a fight and they aren't just making noise. They are educating themselves on pending bills and current legislations as well as candidates who agree with them and those who don't. Be careful world, Kate Smith isn't singing yet!

Zombies Don't Need Dentists

This morning a story has surfaced that Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele contemplated the purchase of a plane with GOP funds. In addition to the rumors of a jet purchase, there is also a litany of extravagant charges on trips to California and Las Vegas.

Really does this surprise anyone? Okay well maybe some will be surprised about the $1946.25 spent at Voyeur West Hollywood but all of these "expenses" are part and parcel for most politicians in Washington DC (and even in some state capitals as well).

It seems that the majority of politicians, once elected (and some even before), feel that they are better than the rest of the American public. First class airfare, private jets, limousines, champagne, luxury hotels and over-the-top meals at swanky restaurants quickly become the standard that they feel entitled to. This perception of permission on the part of our elected officials is nothing new.

When did this transformation from being a servant to the public good to being someone who requires a servant happen? I tend to believe it was during the Kennedy administration. America's love affair with Camelot allowed politicians to begin to think of themselves as celebrities. And aren't celebrities afforded better treatment in our society?

Politicians in search of the ultimate prize of power have a number of tools in their bag to allow them the lifestyle they have "earned". Not only do they have tax-payer paid salaries, expense accounts, travel and entertainment allowances they also have access to funds from political action committees, re-election funds and the donations received by their national party's fundraising. And that doesn't include speaking fees that are often deferred or donated to "charity" in order to comply with ethics rules.

Politics is like a virus and politicians are like zombies infected with that virus. Unlike the standard zombie, who doesn't need food, water or air, political zombies do not need morals, ethics or good set of dentures. So absent preparing yourself and knowing how to survive a zombie attack, you must exercise your will in other ways and educate yourself and find people who will fight the zombies and their moral-less actions in Washington DC. Elect these people to office and pray that they don't find themselves infected as they are sworn in. And if they become infected, repeat the process again. But NEVER give up the fight.

Special Note: The author neither endorses nor condones the list of ways to prepare yourself for a zombie attack. I merely provide the link for your enlightenment.

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My fear has been transformed

Yesterday morning I was scared. Its difficult to put into words how I feel at the moment. Its kind of like the scene in "The Patriot" where the Revolutionaries are making the final push and the line starts to fall and someone has dropped the flag. I'm confused and tired and wow it would be nice to turn, run and just give up. The House of Representatives voted last night to pass the Senate version of the healthcare reform bill. Obamacare is now a reality and 1/6 of the American economy is firmly in the hands of the government.

I am sick to death of the politicians in Washington telling me what I need. I am tired of them telling me that the founding fathers would want me to have health insurance. I am exasperated by their insistence that they are better equipped to decide how my business can operate than I am. I am simply worn out by over a year of fighting with politicians who neither listen to nor care about their constituents.

Politicians. There's a real winning group of people. We've got Nancy Pelosi who can't be farther in the pocket of all that is evil if she tried. Its been said that it was she, and not Rahm Emanuel, who urged the President to keep fighting for healthcare even after the Scott Brown election. I certainly don't want to visualize the locker room confrontations that she had to conduct to get this legislation to a vote. Then we have Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson and Kent Conrad (just to name a few) that were able to score big kickbacks with catchy names for their states. Some of those kickbacks have been stripped with the change language to the bill but at least they showed the ability to get something tangible for the selling of their vote. Maybe it will help them that they tried to get something for their state but then again they probably really don't care. None of them are up for reelection until 2012. They are free to wreak havoc for another 2 years.

That's not the case for poor Bart Stupak (D-MI). I think I need to make him one of my shirts. "I negotiated with the President and all I got was a lousy piece of paper". Mr. Stupak sold his vote for a non-binding promise of an executive order on abortion language. He didn't even hold the President's feet to the fire and ask for the executive order before the vote. I guess the economic woes of Michigan extend to their Representative's offices.

I know people who support this bill. They aren't bad people and I am confident that they do not want to see our beautiful Republic destroyed. These are people who have been convinced by the Washington DC and Chicago power machines that health insurance and a college education are a right. I don't blame them for their opinions. I just hope that someday that they can awaken from the dream.

The President went on TV to pat himself on the back and to again tell me how this was a good thing for the country. He made a statement that stuck with me. "To every unsung American who took the time to sit down and write a letter or type out an e-mail hoping your voice would be heard — it has been heard tonight." You are correct Mr President. The voices were heard and summarily were ignored over and over and over again. But do not be mistaken, we will not go quietly into the night, we will not go without a fight. The majority of the American people did not want this bill. Your bill went from a 67% approval to under a 35% approval in less than a year.

Well, I now know how to feel. I have seen the flag fall but that cannot be the end. I am energized and ready to pick up the flag again and fight. The light of the morning and the fact that the IRS is now going to control healthcare is going to bring more people to the fight. As more information is gleaned from the bill, we will gain more and more supporters and we will find a way to save our country. That's what we do, we're Americans.