Nashville Tea Party Meeting, THIS Thursday July 16

from Ben Cunningham:

JOIN US This Thursday! Nashville Tea Party Meeting, THIS Thursday July 16 at 7PM at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville.

It is TIME to take a Stand, PLEASE JOIN US for this very important Meeting. Bring a Friend! So much to discuss, Supreme Court decisions, Presidential Primary. Action Plans to Restore the Republic! US Congress and TN Legislative updates.
We have all felt despair over the last few weeks. But that is precisely the reason it is so important we come together and rededicate ourselves to the principles that we hold dear. PLEASE JOIN US.

Free Parking and Free Admission, Bring a Friend

What: VERY URGENT MEETING! Are you ready to take action for your Country?

When: Thursday July 16 at 7PM

Where: Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, 2025 Rosa L Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37228

CLICK on this link for a Google Map: https://goo.gl/8sbsL0

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Tea Party Patriots putting $20,000 into get-out-the-vote effort for Joe Carr

A few weeks ago, Joe Carr got the endorsement of  Tea Party Patriot but at time it was not clear how much money, if any, TPP would spend on his behalf. TPP is one of those national organization that spends a lot of money on overhead, fundraising and their CEO's salary and very little gets spend on behalf of candidates.  Well, Jenny Beth Martin, chairman of the Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund today announced they would be contributing $20,000 into the  Real Conservatives National Committee's "Beat Lamar" get-out-the-vote effort. She also said more might be coming. 

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Tea Party Patriots endorse Joe Carr but money may or may not follow.

While Joe Carr has gotten quite a few endorsement from tea party groups across Tennessee he has not had success, until now, of getting support from deep-pocket national tea party organizations. Yesterday Tea Party Patriots announced they were endorsing Joe Carr. Below is the organization's statement:

The Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund (TPPCF) has endorsed State Rep. Joe Carr in the Tennessee Republican Senate primary. “Joe Carr embodies the values of personal freedom, economic freedom and a debt-free future,” TPPCF Chairman Jenny Beth Martin said. “In contrast to his incumbent opponent, Joe is willing to take the fight to both liberal Democrats and Establishment Republicans in defense of liberty.”

At a time when the byproducts of amnesty are on full display on America’s southern border, the contrast between Carr and the Establishment’s Lamar Alexander couldn’t be more compelling. “While Joe Carr has been a genuine leader – not just a reliable vote – in the fight against illegal immigration, Lamar Alexander voted with Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid and John McCain for the Gang of Eight amnesty bill,” Martin said. “Joe wants to preserve American sovereignty; Lamar Alexander’s policies are producing a human wave of criminality and disease on the Rio Grande.”

There is also a stark contrast between the two candidates’ positions on Obamacare. “Lamar Alexander again did Harry Reid’s bidding last fall, voting for cloture to bring the Obamacare budget to the Senate floor,” Martin said. “By contrast, Joe Carr has led the fight against Obamacare in the Volunteer State, co-sponsoring legislation that would forbid Medicaid expansion and setting up health care exchanges. Lamar Alexander is wrong on Obamacare and wrong on amnesty. Fortunately, conservatives in Tennessee have a choice, and we urge them to give Joe Carr their vote and their support. We’re proud to endorse him.”

It is unclear how much money, if any, will accompany the endorsement. According to the last filing report of May 31, 2014, Tea Party Patriots had raised $9.8 million and spent $9.3 million for the year.  Of the money spend however, most of it went to fund raising and overhead including a $15,000 a month salary to the organizations chairman, Jennifer “Jenny Beth” Martin.  (link) Only a little over $1 million was independent expenditure for or against candidates. Of the million they spend on independent expenditures, $800,000 was spend in the Thad Cochran- Chris Daniels race and other candidates got small amounts. In Nebraska Ben Sasse got only $4577. If Joe Carr gets that amount, that would pay his daughter Mattie's salary for five weeks. (link) Some people Tea Party Patriots endorse, however, get no money.

I am not endorsing Joe Carr, however if I were supporting Joe Carr, I would send him a contribution directly and not contribute to Tea Party Patriots. 

 

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What other are saying about the Repubican "establishment" win over the Tea Party in primaries this week.

After the primaries on Tuesday, I gave own analysis, noting that the tea party lost in all important contested races and the establishment won. To read my comment on what this meant for the Republican Party and the tea party movement, follow this link.  Below are what others have had to say about the issue.

Red State: Does The Tea Party Need More Experienced Candidates?

The larger number of Establishment victories this season has fueled the “Tea Party is dead” narrative. Certainly it illustrates the growing sophistication of the Establishment campaigns (especially incumbents) in spotting Tea Party challenges early and working to close them off. It also illustrates the number of races in which a low-quality, poorly-funded Tea Party primary challenge will be mounted against incumbents who in years past would simply have run unopposed.  Tea Partiers may occasionally find a diamond in the rough, but their desire to celebrate the citizen-politician shouldn’t obscure the fact that politics is a craft, and people who have practiced it for some time are more likely to have gotten good at it.

The above is a detailed analysis of the primaries on Tuesday and the fate of the tea party. The author says the tea party can win with good candidates and when they run good campaigns. 

Daily Beast: Tea Party Loses Key Battles, But Is Winning The War

Defeats handed to Tea Party candidates last night only tell half the story—the Tea Party’s real success has been to change the very DNA of the GOP. .... The Tea Party got shut out on Tuesday night. .... Despite not having any candidates who draped themselves in Gadsden flags win marquee races on Tuesday, the election results showed the ultimate success of the Tea Party’s effort to change the very DNA of the GOP, as the median voter in a Republican primary has become far more conservative in the past few years. The “establishment” candidates may have won—but they did so by becoming increasingly conservative. (link)

I said something very similar to the above in my analysis. Much of the establishment is tea party.

Hot Air: The GOP’s “civil war” is over, and the tea party has “swallowed the establishment” — according to Debbie Wasserman Schultz

From Daniel Horowitz:  Establishment Republicans Only Win With a Tea Party Message

 As the GOP primary season progresses, the media narrative of the grassroots vs. party establishment has vacillated wildly. Whenever a candidate backed by the party elite wins, readers are bombarded with headlines trumpeting the demise of the tea party. Whenever a candidate heavily backed by the grassroots and tea party groups wins, the narrative turns back against the establishment. In reality, neither storyline is correct because the policy positions supported by the party elites have never shown up on the campaign trail.  

Elections hinge upon several complex variables – factors that are often unique and isolated to a specific race. But one variable has been consistent: establishment candidates will not run on the positions taken by their supporters; they must run on the tea party message to win.

The tea party is not represented by any individual organization or candidate. It is a set of ethos advocating return to the constitutional principles of our Founding Fathers – principles that have gradually been eroded over the past century, and most precipitously in recent years. The civil war between “tea party” Republicans and the party elites has been manifest in specific policy disagreements stemming from these principles, such as bailouts, debt ceiling increases, funding for Obamacare, open borders, corporate welfare and federal control over local functions.

Yet in none of the election victories claimed by establishment candidates did they run on the position espoused by their side of the ideological divide. (link)

From Richard Vigueri of Conservative HQ: Don’t Be the GOP Establishment’s Cheap Date

Now that another round of Republican primaries have passed there will be a litany of pundits and party leaders coming forward to demand that conservatives line-up behind establishment primary winners like Mitch McConnell in Kentucky and Monica Wehby in Oregon. However, many conservatives are going to be asking “What should I do now that Republicans have nominated an establishment candidate for Senator, Congress, etc. in my state?”

Our advice is, don’t be the Republican establishment’s cheap date......

The grassroots movement conservative voters who are powering this cycle’s outsider campaigns cannot be taken for granted.

Tea Partiers and grassroots conservative activists must redouble their efforts to takeover the Republican Party (link)

 Reporter for U.S. News & World Report (blog) quoting Joe Carr: Tea Party Candidate: Conservative Groups Hurt Bevin

The finger-pointing within the tea party has begun in the aftermath of a wave of Republican establishment victories in congressional primaries Tuesday night.

State Rep. Joe Carr, a tea party challenger to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said Wednesday outside conservative groups had a negative impact on the movement's chances in the Kentucky Senate race, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell throttled challenger Matt Bevin.

“I think it's equally argued that they had a negative impact with Mitch McConnell and here’s why: All the attention that Mitch McConnell drew through Matt Bevin and the conservative groups came from outside of Kentucky," Carr said on a Nashville radio station Wednesday morning. "It’s obvious that Kentuckians never latched on to the Matt Bevin campaign." (link)

That has got to be one of the lamest rationalization I have ever heard. Does Carr really believe that? I guess Carr is happy he is safe from getting any of that out of state tea party money to taint his campaign.

 

From CNN: 5 things we learned on Tuesday

1. Establishment GOP has learned to play ball: Since its birth in 2009, the tea party has had successes in primaries but those have given the GOP plenty of headaches and hurt its chances of winning back the Senate, effectively costing Republicans five winnable elections over the last two cycles.

This year, the establishment has had the upper hand in most contests against tea party-backed challengers. Showdowns on Tuesday in Kentucky, Idaho, Georgia, and Oregon kept that winning streak going.

 "Every establishment candidate ran like a tea party candidate. It's hard to tell the difference this time around, because they had a uniting factor in opposing Obamacare but also united on issues like immigration and trade and climate change. The establishment Republican Party ran to the right this time," said CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger. (link)

 



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Rod, come back to the Tea Party

by Gene Wisdom, May 23, 2014 -

Gene Wisdom

Rod Williams is not everyone’s idea of a conservative. The local 9-12 chapter decided a while back that he just wasn’t one of them—and they kicked him out. I know that Rod didn’t lose any sleep over that. Hell, I’ll bet good money that he went to sleep that night chuckling. And I know that I’m not everyone’s idea of a conservative. One libertarian friend jokingly (?) calls me a neo-conservative. For some that would be fighting words. Since there are some fine “neo-cons”, beginning with Charles Krauthammer, I’ll take that as a compliment. Even though I’m not one. I don’t really give a rat’s hindparts if I meet anyone’s definition of a conservative because I know what a conservative is and I know I are one. And I would put some more good money on the fact that Rod feels the same way.

Which is why I’m confused. I am perplexed over Rod’s recent decision  to disavow the Tea Party label. We know he is a “disgruntled Republican” but apparently now also a disgruntled Tea Partier. The difference is that while he still considers himself a Republican he has left the Tea Party.

As a conservative I know that words mean things. It’s what allows us to converse with one another and to exist with our fellow human beings in society. It is a core assumption of Western civilization that is just one more reason for its success. Hopefully that notion will survive the postmodern assault on truth. On justice. And on the American way. And even though the word “conservative” includes many strains of thought and conservatives will argue with blue faces over who is truer, we as conservatives all know what the Tea Party is.

Yes, of course we’re smart enough to ignore the Left’s smears and attacks on that term and on Tea Partiers. We can ignore that because they do that to everyone on the Right, everyone who doesn’t agree with them. Because the Left is dominated by bullies who preach tolerance. Oh, they see an alternative, all right. There’s their way. And there’s the highway.

But we know. Taxed Enough Already. Ben Cunningham’s Nashville Tea Party best summarizes the core principles: (1) Constitutionally limited government, (2) fiscal responsibility, and (3) free markets. Anything else is extraneous. Though most Tea Partiers are social conservatives—and I would guess, vice verse—not all are. And foreign policy is almost irrelevant to the Tea Party vision. If you believe in those three things you are a “member” of the Tea Party. By definition.

In his column Rod bemoans at length the involvement in the Tea Party of members of the John Birch Society. I’ll here offer a brief opening defense of the JBS by way of a disclaimer: I was a member a long time ago, for a year. What attracted me to the organization was the education I received through JBS books and publications on the nature and menace of Communism, both nationally and around the world. As I read more, though, I began to learn of “the conspiracy”, the diffuse cabal going back, as Rod explained, to the formation of the Illuminati in 1776 down through the Council on Foreign Relations in the United States. I obtained from the CFR copies of some of their annual reports which included their membership list (not a very effective conspiracy, huh—they tell us who they are. But there wasn’t a picture of the secret handshake). A quick perusal of that list turned up some stalwart conservatives, including several who were in the Reagan Administration: Richard Allen, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Elliot Abrams and many others. It also included the godfather of the modern American conservative movement, William F. Buckley, Jr.

Thus ended my affiliation with the John Birch Society. I also began to learn, as I studied liberalism, that among its core elements is internationalism. They see things not through a prism of what is good for America or for the principles represented by America but they seek rather to advance international institutions, which is also rooted in their view of the “brotherhood of man” and a Rousseauian view of man’s nature as good. So I began to understand that what the JBS saw as a plot was often little more than liberals being liberals. That still makes them and their worldview dangerous but not the machinations of a secret society.

What Birchers have brought into the Tea Party is this misguided paradigm which skews the focus into chasing phantoms like, as Rod noted, Agenda 21. These issues distract the Tea Party from its identity of restoring fiscal sanity and limited government to the halls of power. While I suppose I remain a member of 9-12 despite my dampened enthusiastic two cheers, I disagree with them on such issues and perhaps with them, and others, on the nullificationist approach also detailed by Rod. There is a wide range of strong support for the Second Amendment short of arresting federal agents at the state line and stripping employers/property owners of the right to refuse to allow guns in the workplace and on their property.

One area where I tend to agree with them and greatly credit them for their efforts to educate the public is on the issue of radical Islam. While I believe that reasonable people can disagree on the issue of Governor Haslam’s hiring of a Muslim woman to his administration there can be no doubt of the dangers of a Muslim Brotherhood organized effort to ingratiate jihadism into American society. Including the building of a Wahhabist mosque in Murfreesboro. Though I respect Rod’s holding fast to First Amendment religious liberty, I disagree with my friend that this is a benign development in our community.

But again, I believe that Rod has allowed himself to be distracted by these agenda items of some local Tea Party organizations. Though I disagree with them on Agenda 21 and nullification and for the most part agree with them regarding radical Islam, neither is a part of what the Tea Party in general stands for.

And yes, the Tea Party has made some poor choices in politicians. On that I would just offer that (1) hey, nobody’s perfect. Some choices don’t pan out; and (2) hopefully the Tea Party will learn from these mistakes and perhaps do something that principle-based organizations and causes have a hard time doing, which is to learn to temper their enthusiasm with prudence. Don’t give up the principles but be wise. Sounds like something Rod Williams might say.

It is also true that such efforts, however misguided they might seem, especially in hindsight, are based in what I’m sure Rod knows is frustration that we all feel as conservatives. The liberal agenda has crammed some foul-tasting policies down America’s throat that have made our country sick and weak. We have truly become a nation of takers growing increasingly dependent on a welfare state that becomes bigger and gains political support—votes—from more people on the dole. Our culture is being pushed downward by a Hollywood hostile to traditional values and pulled by a culture already sunk into that pit. Personally, I wonder if America has reached a tipping point.

It is my hope, though, that Rod will decide not to leave the Tea party but will come to see that many there, including some fine organizations with some fine people, have allowed themselves to become disoriented. And maybe that’s not fair. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that some Tea Party organizations have other or additional objectives. Others, though, aren’t driven by JBS views, such as Americans for Prosperity. And some, like the Nashville Tea Party, are driven by the animating ideals of the Tea Party as originally conceived. Take your pick, Rod. Don’t let the disparate and even disagreeable agendas of a few groups push you out of what you know is your ideological home—commitment to sound government, fiscal responsibility and free enterprise. Proudly don your “Don’t Tread on Me” shirt and come back. You know it fits.

Gene Wisdom is an Alabama native but has lived in the Nashville area since 2007. He, his wife Vicki, and their dog Savannah live near Nolensville.  Gene is a conservative activist 

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"Establishment" beat Tea Party in all primaries last night. What does it mean?

Last night the "establishment" won and the tea party lost, for the most part.  There were some primaries for house seats were tea party candidates won the nominations, but tea party candidates lost the big races. Mitch McConnell won handily in Kentucky beating Matt Bevin by 25 points. In Georgia, tea party favored candidate Karen Handel did not make it into the run-off. In Oregon, Monica Wehby took 51 percent of the vote to defeat tea party favored candidate Rep. Jason Conger. In Idaho, GOP Rep. Mike Simpson easily defeated primary challenger Bryan Smith who was backed by The Club for Growth and other tea party PAC's.

I don't know enough about these races to know how I would have voted in each of them. In Oregon, I would have had a difficult time voting for a pro-abortion candidate.  In Idaho, if Smith was a sensible conservative Republican, I would have probably supported him over Simpson who has a score of 46 from the American Conservative Union. However, without knowing more about each of the races, I don't know how I would have voted.  Pundits this morning are saying that the more electable Republicans won and the Party is poised to have a good shot at picking up the six seats they need to take the Senate. I assume that is true and that is good news.

One thing that is a factor in how I vote and would be a factor if I resided in one of the state with a primary last night, is "electability." I would vote for a moderate Republican over a more conservative Republican if I was convinced the more moderate Republican had a considerably greater chance of winning the general election.  I think there is nothing wrong with casting a strategic vote. Even a liberal Republican is a vote to replace Harry Reid, is a vote for all committees of the Senate to be controlled by Republicans, and even the most liberal Republican votes with the Party most of the time. Even a pro-abortion Republican puts Republicans in charge of the Senate and the Judiciary Committee, which advances the pro-life cause. It matter not only who serves, but which party governs.

Quite frankly, I think way to much is being made about a civil war in the Republican Party between "establishment" Republicans and "tea party Republican." When tea party favorite Rand Paul endorses Mitch McConnell, then it is time to bury the hatchet and end the civil war. The tea party has succeeding in electing some  Republicans who were more conservative and in pushing some incumbent Republicans into taking more conservative positions and showing more backbone.  Many of the "establishment Republicans" are now "tea party Republicans" and many tea party Republicans are now establishment Republicans.

I think there are some tea party organization who are in the battle to give themselves a job and stroke there own ego and would never be satisfied. There are some Republicans who so self righteous they think they are the only real Republicans and everyone else is a RINO. They are sort of like Christians counting angels on the head of a pin. Any deviation from their view of orthodoxy is heresy. They think all winners must be sell-outs. Their whole purpose for existence is to cast stones at the establishment and tout their purity. As the Party moves right, they move further right until they fall off the cliff. I think the more conservative the establishment Republicans become, the more fringe many of those who call themselves "tea party" become. 

Not all by any means, but some in the tea party are so far outside the mainstream that they are a footnote in the political spectrum. There are the libertarians who have attached themselves to the tea party.  Now, all conservative Republicans have some libertarian leanings. Libertarianism is a key component of the modern conservative movement, but there are those who are almost anarchist who believe in almost no government.  These extreme libertarians have found a home in the tea party.  Also, you have the conspiracy nuts and the tin foil hat crowd who believe that a cabal of "insiders" control everything and they worry excessively about FEMA concentration camps, and the NAFTA superhighway, and Agenda 21. The conspiracy of the month dominates their concern.

And, then you have a small faction that are the populist who hate big government, and big corporations, and big unions, and foreigners, and anything that smacks of being big, successful, or popular. They are the "anti's" and feel the world is passing them by and everyone else is getting a better deal than they.  They are swayed by the politics of resentment. I suspect some of these people would be on the far left if they were not on the far right. They want to be part of a movement to make things right. They are not well grounded in what they believe and are low information voters and a nudge this way or that and they could be "occupy" rather than "tea party."

So, what will happen to the tea party movement?  I don't think it will completely disappear anytime soon.  However, it will become less and less significant.  Here in Tennessee, the tea party challenger to Lamar Alexander believes in the discredited theory of nullification, believes the First Amendment does not apply to Muslims and believes the Second Amendment gives you the right to carry guns onto the private property of another who prefers a "no-guns" policy. Most conservatives do not believe those things. Sensible, intelligent conservatives will distance themselves from those who hold those views. Also, at some point those who believe in limited government and a strong national defense will distance themselves from those who believe in less than limited government and isolationism (or non-interventionist foreign policy, as the libertarian prefer to call it). Also, sensible conservatives will distance themselves from the John Birch Society and the nutty conspiracy theorist as happened once before in the conservative movement in the 60's.

Maybe some will still claim the name "tea party," but more and more, I suspect they will drop that label of identification. Those tea party organizations that were more mainstream conservative will survive but less and less will they attach the name "tea party" to their identity. There was a dynamic conservative movement before there was "tea party" and there will continue to be.  The American Conservative Union, Heritage Foundation and National Review and dozens of others were  active prior to the tea party.   Some of the "tea party" groups that have sprouted up, such as Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity and others, will continue to be a healthy force contributing to the marketplace of ideas.  They are not dependent upon their "tea party" label to stay viable. In essence, I think the "brand" tea party has been damaged and will slowly fade. Unless the label can be reclaimed, it will become something with which no responsible conservative wants to be associated.

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Six states will host Republican primaries tonight. Does the tea party still have any clout?

States holding Republican primaries tonight are Pennsylvania, Idaho, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon and Georgia. The primaries in Pennsylvania and Arkansas are gubernatorial primaries with no serious contest and are of little interest. Here is the status of the other races:

In Kentucky, tea party favored candidate Matt Bevin is challenging incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell. Libertarian Republican and tea party favorite Rand Paul has endorsed McConnell.  The Senate Conservatives fund, a tea party PAC has spend more than $1 million on behalf of Beven. Expect McConnell to win.

In Idaho,  Eight-term incumbent Rep. Mike Simpson with an ACU score of 46, is being challenged from the right by Bryan Smith. Mitt Romney has endorsed Simpson. CNN calls Smiths campaign a "serious primary challenge."

In Oregon, of all things, there is a rare pro-choice Republican candidate, Dr. Monica Wehby, seeking the nomination and appears to be leading over her tea party favored opponent Jason Conger. Wehby has been endorsed by Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Sen. Rick Santorum has endorsed Conger. The winner will face Democrat incumbent Sen. Jeff Merkley. Dr. Wehby is favored to win the nomination.

In Georgia there is a seven-man race to win the nomination to  succeed Sen. Saxby Chambliss who is retiring. Since one candidate is unlikely to win a majority of the votes cast, there is likely to be run off. Karen Handel is the tea party favored candidate having been endorsed by Sarah Palin and Red State's Erick Erickson, however the tea party support was split and two other candidates got some tea party support. Handel is one of the top three candidates. The person ahead in the polls is David Pardue. Handel has been attacked by one of her opponents for "promoting teenage homosexuality," for a vote she took in favor of funding for an LGBT youth program when she served on the Fulton County Commission. Wow, if any member of the Metro Council ever runs for office, any one of them could be charged with the same thing as they all voted at some point for a budget that funded the Human Relations Commission.  A victory for the tea party would be Handel making the run-off.


For source material for the above see this link and this link.

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Why I will no longer call myself a member of the tea party.

Recently the Gallup poll reported that support for the tea party was down from 32% in November 2010 to 22% today.  Quite frankly, I am not surprised and expect further decline unless the tea party can become less dogmatic and extreme.

When the tea party first came on the scene, I was all on board. I opposed Obamacare and run away deficits and wanted Republicans to stand strong, vigorously oppose Obamacare and not raise taxes. I felt I was part of a movement. I saw the tea party as a movement of newly energized people who for too long had been silent. On April 15th, 2009 I attended a tea party event and wrote enthusiastically about the experience. I was exited when Tea Party Express rolled into town and reported on it.

April 18, 2009

From the very first however, I was put off by some of the fringe that I saw attaching itself to the movement. At an early tea party event on Memorial Plaza (also called Legislative Plaza), either the event referenced above or another early event, there was a John  Birch Society booth. I was surprised. I thought the JBS had disappeared long ago. I had not heard anything from them in years.

 The John Birch Society emerged sometime in the 50's as a conservative, anti-communist organization.  There were chapters all across America.  Many respectable people joined the organization. On specific policies I almost always found myself in agreement with the JBS.

However, the problem with the John Birch Society is not the position they take on most issues but that they are nuts. When they talk about "the insiders" they do not simply mean people with influence the way you and I might use the term. When the JBS talks about "insiders" they are talking about people who belong to a secret society that has been pulling the strings since about 1776 with the formation of The Illuminati. According to JBS, The Illuminati has front groups and subsidiaries like The Council on Foreign Relations, The Trilateral Commission, The Bilderburg Group and others.  The JBS believes almost nothings just happens or is the result of clashing interest or ideologies but is planned and controlled by a handful of elites they call "the insiders."  Not everyone in the JBS even knows what the organization believes and they join  not knowing. If they are only causal members they may be clueless about what it is they have joined.

By the mid 1960's, the JBS had gained so such power in the conservative movement and in the Republican Party, that William F. Buckley and Barry Goldwater issued a joint denunciation of the organization and urged conservatives to disassociate from it. After that the organization twiddled.

With the advent of the tea party, the John Birch Society found fertile ground for resurgence and growth.  One of the projects they took on was something called Agenda 21. Agenda 21 was a 1992 UN sponsored study suggesting a course of action for sustainable development. It was not a treaty.  Some countries voluntarily implemented some of the Agenda 21 recommendations.  The JBS developed training kits where one could become an expert on Agenda 21 and present slide shows and produce brochures and teach about it.  These classes were taught all over the country, including here in Nashville. According to the JBS, Agenda 21 is a plot to take away all property rights, force people to live in tiny apartments and kill 97% of the worlds population by poisoning them with aspartame and fluoride. Crazy I know, but that is the theory. Everything from wide sidewalks, to roundabouts, to traffic calming, to mass transit, to art in public places, to bike share programs, to water conservation, to reintroduction of wolves in the wild became suspect as part of the grand conspiracy of Agenda 21.

The reemergence of the JBS caused me concern but I viewed them as nutty opportunist attaching themselves to the tea party and that did not make me less enthusiastic about the tea party. There were also others associated with the movement that made me a little uncomfortable, but I dismissed them as the extreme fringe or people simply carried away with enthusiasm and exhibiting over-the-top exuberance. In the early days it seemed that the speakers and leaders never engaged in excessively militant rhetoric and discouraged any thing that would bring discredit on the movement. Contrary to what some in the mainstream press said, I never saw even the slightest hint of racism associated with the movement.

In September, 2009 I attended a "liberty rally" at municipal auditorium that made me a little uneasy. The primary spokesman at the event was  Dr. Bob Basso, who portrays Thomas Paine in numerous YouTube videos and personal appearances across the country. There was a big crowd and lots of enthusiasm and waving of flags and cheering at the event. I joined in the  enthusiasm of the moment. However, Basso pandered to the birthers at this event. He said something to this effect: “I have been called a community organizer and to a certain extend I guess I am but,” and here he paused and reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and held it up and said, “I am a community organizer with a birth certificate.” The audience went wild and cheered.  I did not. I think the birther movement is a discredit to the conservative movement and I want no part of it. As his speech went on, I also cheered  and applauded. I also want to throw the bums out. I want to reduce the size of government, etc. etc. I want to “take my country back.” As his talk went on however, he nearly advocated secession and resistance to paying taxes. I am not ready to take up arms and man the barricades. I knew this brand of tea partyism was something I did not want to be part of and I said at the time, "I feel that if the extremism is not curtailed the movement will be discredited."

While there were various other events that I attended and enthusiastically endorsed, such as the Gibson Guitar event and the Education Reform event, more and more I found myself parting ways with factions of the tea party. One group identified as "tea party" is the Glen Beck associated 9-12 group. In July of 2012, our own local 9-12 chapter took out a full-page, $5000 advertisement called, "an open letter to Governor Haslam and the people of Tennessee." It said the actions of Governor Haslam would make us subject to Sharia law and attacked Governor Haslam for his administration's hiring of a highly qualified Tennessee attorney who happened to be a Muslim. I find that just nuts and a waste of time and money, and bigoted and wrong. 

Nashville Tax Day Tea Party rally April 15, 2009

People identified as "tea party" were also heavily involved in efforts to stop the building of a Mosque in Murfressboro. While I recognize the threat of radical Islam, you do not combat that threat by denying Freedom of Religion. Opponents of the Mosque took the unbelievable position that Islam is not really a religion but rather an ideology and therefore should not have the protections of freedom of religion guaranteed in the Constitution. It seems a lot of tea partiers have a much different interpretation of the First Amendment than I do.  Maybe if they can deny First Amendment protection to Muslims, then next it will be the Church of Scientology, then Jehovah Witness, and maybe Mormons. After all, Mormonism is not really a religion but a cult, I can hear them argue. And Buddhism? Why, that is not a religion; it is a foreign philosophy.  Buddhist don't even claim a deity. Surely the First Amendment does not apply to Buddhist. Don't allow them to build temples! Where would it end?

While I disagree with the way some in the tea party movement interpret the First Amendment, I also
disagree with them on the Second Amendment. While they want to shrink the First Amendment to mean much less, they want to expand the Second Amendment to mean much more. Some who claim to be supporting the Second Amendment want to interpret the Second Amendment to mean they can trample my private property rights and can carry a gun into my home or my place of business even if I have a "no guns" policy.  Clearly the second amendment is a restriction on government, not on the right of someone to prohibit guns on their private property. Elements of the tea party defeated Debra Maggart, a good leader of the Tennessee Republican Party in the State legislature, over this issue.

Ben Cunningham at Gibson Guitar Rally Oct. 2011

Another issue that causes me concern is the many tea party people who disregard the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and support the   discredited  theory of nullification. Nullification says each state can decide whether or not a federal law shall have effect in their state. Even George Wallace when he stood in a school house door to stop integration of the University of Alabama did not do so on the basis of nullification. When the National Guard was federalized, he stepped aside. Tea party members of the State legislature have introduced laws that would require local law enforcement officers to arrest federal agents enforcing federal law. I am not ready to join an armed rebellion and engage in insurrection.

The tea party also has a history of supporting real losers for public office. Nationally there have been

May 21, 2013 IRS protest

some "tea party" candidates elected who I admire and support such as Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Curz, Tom Coburn, and Mike Lee. However, the tea party has also supported some embarrassing losers like  Christine O'Donnell in Delaware of "I am not a witch" fame, and Sharron Angle who won the primary to run against Senate majority leader Harry Reid and then lost the election when a more establishment Republican could have probably beat Reid. Candidates backed by the tea party effectively cost the GOP five winnable Senate elections in 2010 and 2012 in Nevada, Delaware, Colorado, Indiana and Missouri. Todd Akin lost in Missouri, Richard Mourdock lost in Indiana, and Linda McMahon lost in Connecticut.

Here in Tennessee, the tea party has lined up behind Joe Carr. Carr supports nullification, does not

The Tea Party supports Joe Carr for "Sentate"

think Muslims have the right to First Amendment protection and thinks the Second Amendment allows an individuals to carry a gun on to private property where the owner does not want one to carry a gun. In addition Carr has ran a bumbling campaign. Should, by some miracle he win the Republican nomination, Democrat Terry Adams would most likely be the next Senator from Tennessee.

The tea party is not a political party, but rather a movement. It is a conservative-libertarian-populist movement and I have considered myself part of it. Even when disagreeing with some of the factions in the movement and some of the leaders of the movement, I still though myself as part of it.  No one person can speak for the tea party. I have occasionally been asked if I am part of the tea party and in the past I have proudly said I was. If to be a member in good standing of the tea party however means one has to support Joe Carr, believe in nullification, believe the First Amendment does not apply to Muslims and believe the Second Amendment trumps property rights, then I no longer want to be part of it.

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After reaching its peak in 2010, Americans' support for the Tea Party has declined to 22%

After reaching its peak in 2010, Americans' support for the Tea Party declined to 22%, reports Gallup's Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport.
If you do not see the video, follow this link: Gallup poll.

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Caffeinated Conservatives May Meeting - TEA Party Edition

Saturday, May 17 at 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Uncommon Grounds 1053 Donelson Avenue, Old Hickory, Tennessee 37138

Join us and Nashville TEA Party leader Ben Cunningham as we talk about the TEA Party movement and its impact on our nation's politics. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said he is going to destroy the TEA Party; the liberal media keeps calling it a dead movement. Will 2014 be another 2010 with the TEA Party sweeping the pampered political elite from power or not?
All opinions welcome for good conversation and great coffee!

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Sumner United for Responsible Government to screen "Agenda."

Sumner United for Responsible Government will feature a screening of "AGENDA: Grinding America Down" a their Thursday, Feb.6th meeting. For 2014 Sumner United will meet the First Thursday of each month, 6:30pm, at the Hendersonville VFW on Old Shackle Island Rd. For more information, follow this link.

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Anti-Obama protesters turn out to greet the president.

I attended the anti-Obama protest today across the street from McGavock High School.  I arrived at about 1PM and had to leave to get back to work about 2PM, so I did not get to stay until President Obama arrived. I don't think I missed much however. The Presidents motorcade did not go past the protesters. Protesters were required to protest on McGavovk and the President entered the school grounds from Two Rivers Parkway and was protected from seeing the protesters.

Ben Cunningham talking to the press.

The announced start of the protest was 1PM, so I doubt the crowd grew after the time I left.  There was a brief program: Pray, pledge, brief remarks by organizer Ben Cunningham, remarks by State Rep Joe Carr who is running against Senator Lamar Alexander and someone else who I do not recall. I mingled and chatted with people and enjoyed the camaraderie. There were about, maybe 150 anti-Obama protesters, and about maybe 30 generally pro-Obama demonstrators, and about 30 or so Hispanics demonstrating for amnesty and chanting, "keep families together."   Here are some pictures I took and a YouTube video I found and chopped.
For news reports on the President's visit follow these links: here, here, and here.


For news reports on the Presidents visit follow these links: here, here, and here.

Here is Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey's Facebook comment on the Presidents visit:

I would like to welcome the President to Tennessee. Tennessee balances its budget, pays its debts, cuts taxes and saves for a rainy day. President Obama vehemently opposes these concepts. I hope the President doesn't just speak when he touches down in our great state, but looks, listens and absorbs the lessons of conservative government.

Obama's liberal vision forced conservative Democrats to flee their party and join the GOP. The contrast between Tennessee's conservative success and President Obama's liberal failure could not be more striking. I appreciate this opportunity for voters to see this comparison up close and personal.

Tennessee Watchdog U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, (in the car) had an up-close

 encounter with the Tea Party in Nashville today while stalled in traffic to see President Obama.

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Packed House at Nashville Tea Party meeting last night

Unfortunate I could not attend the meeting of the Nashville Tea Party last night but I heard it was a packed house. These pics I lifted off of Facebook.

 

Ben Cunningham

Rep. Judd Matheny

Ken Marrero

Bobby Patray of Tennessee Eagle Forum also spoke.

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A "Beat Lamar" insider's anonymous report on the disarray in the beat Lamar movement

Dear Rod,

I enjoy reading your blog regularly, and wanted to inform the public of what happened in the Coalition for a Constitutional Senate meeting last night. I apologize I have to keep my identity concealed, but as a faithful member of one of the tea parties and and as one who considers Joe a friend, I hope to do no harm to the movement, but am very worried this process is destroying both the movement and our ability to defeat Sen. Alexander.

At the beginning of the day, only 27 of the 63 groups in the coalition even showed up. Three groups left before the final voting commenced. Joe only received 59% of the vote on first ballot. Four other groups abstained (including Campaign for Liberty). And, of the 20 remaining groups sympathetic to Joe (out of 60+!) who participated in the final ballot, he could not even get a unanimous vote. Some groups are going home to our members to discuss formally withdrawing from the coalition.

The reason that the majority of the tea party groups did not show up, that seven left/abstained, and that several others are going back home to discuss withdrawing is because Beat Lamar is an absolute joke and has split the conservative movement much more than united and its leaders have tried to force Joe on everyone, including most who believe Joe is not our candidate. The fact of the matter is, the vast majority of us realize Joe cannot win. His latest embarrassment with the plagiarism can be forgiven by many, but to most of us, it shows he does not have what it takes to defeat the powerful lion of the Tennessee Republican machine. The bigger issue is Joe has not and will not win the support of national conservative groups (like Senate Conservatives Fund and Madison Project, who've said in recent newspaper reports that they will not support him), without whose money, network, and aid, we simply cannot win.

The fact of the matter is we are still looking for our candidate, with or without Beat Lamar. We believe we can still defeat Lamar, united, but that requires the right candidate and a fair process. It's not over, and Beat Lamar does not speak for us. We will start anew, and we will find our guy (or gal).

Thanks for your consideration,

A patriot in Tennessee

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More about that "Beat Lama" event today

This report from Bill Hobbs on Facebook:

 Fox News contributor David Webb (left), Senate candidate Joe Carr (center) and Kevin Kookogey on stage at the "Beat Lamar" event in Nashville. I was at another event down the hall, but slipped in to take this photo. The crowd probably numbered 150 people (I was told the room was set up for 200 chairs, and it appeared to be about 75% full.)

This report from Channel 2 tells us who was involved and who funded it: Finding 'Ted Cruz of Tennessee' event Saturday in Nashville.

The Scene reports:

Bad News for Lamar: Tea Partiers Vow to Stand United 

 The tea party settled one question this afternoon at a meeting to audition candidates to challenge Sen. Lamar Alexander in next year’s GOP primary. Both Joe Carr and Kevin Kookogey promised they'll drop out of the picture if tea partiers are rallying behind the other guy.

Carl Boyd Jr. was there and posted this picture and message on Facebook:

Carl Boyd Jr. was there and posted this picture and message on Facebook: Me and fox news contributor David Webb at the beat Lamar Forum! David was the moderator. He did a great job!  Me and fox news contributor David Webb at the beat Lamar Forum! David was the moderator. He did a great job!

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The tea party letter to Lamar

Senator Alexander,

You have served a long and marked career. You have been a part of the Tennessee political scene for as long as most of us can remember. You have worked for Howard Baker, Winfield Dunn, served as Governor, were appointed to be the Secretary of Education of the federal government, President of the University of Tennessee, were a serious contender for the nomination of the Republican Party for President, and of course you are currently serving as a United States Senator. Your life-long career in government service is noteworthy.

During your tenure in the Senate we have no doubt that you voted in a way which you felt was appropriate. Unfortunately, our great nation can no longer afford compromise and bipartisanship, two traits for which you have become famous. America faces serious challenges and needs policymakers who will defend conservative values, not work with those who are actively undermining those values. Quite honestly, your voting record shows that you do not represent the conservative values that we hold dear and the votes you have cast as Senator are intolerable to us. Furthermore we have serious doubts about your ability to fix our problems since you have played such a significant role in creating them.

The Little Plaid Book you authored contains very sage advice on politics. Rule #297 is especially important because you advise anyone running for office to “Serve two terms, then get out.” Are you willing to follow your own advice, or will you fall into the mire of hypocrisy?

As you are likely aware, there have been polls conducted that show your vulnerability. While no viable contender has yet emerged, it is becoming more probable with each passing day that one will rise to the challenge. When a serious contender eventually does enter the race, the moment their fundraising capability makes them a viable candidate, your re-election is in serious jeopardy.

Therefore, we urge you to conclude your long and notable career by retiring with dignity instead of fighting against a serious conservative primary challenger who would expose to all Tennessee voters the actual history of your voting record.


Sincerely,
Sevier County Tea Party
Tea Party of Lincoln County
Gibson County Patriots
Benton County Tea Party
Carroll County Tea Party
Jackson Madison County Tea Party
Dickson County Tea Party / 912 Project
Obion County Tea Party
Stewart County Tea Party
Tennesseans for Liberty (Madison County)
Volunteers for Freedom (Henry County)
We the People (Tipton County)
Rutherford County Tea Party
TN 9-12 Project
Caney Branch Tea Party
TN Republican Assembly
Smoky Mountain Tea Party Patriots (Blount Co)
McMinn County TEA Party
North Sumner Tea Party
Tennessee 8th District Tea Party Coalition

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Tennessee Welcomes Obama With Hundreds of Protesters

From The Liberty Paper .com:

 Tennessee Welcomes Obama With Hundreds of Protesters 

July 30, 2013

President Obama visited Chattanooga, TN today where he visited an Amazon distribution center to announce his new jobs plan. If Obama was expecting an army of supporters- he was surely disappointed. Organizers for the protest originally intended to hold the rally in the parking lot of the distribution center. However, after plans for the protest made headlines the area was closed to the public. Only Obama supporters were allowed in. Not only did citizens act by taking to the streets, but the entire state took action.
Chattanooga Times Free Press, a local news paper, ran a story welcoming Obama to the state. It reads:

 ”President Obama,

Protesters Line Lee Hwy in Chattanooga, Tennessee as Obama Drives by

Welcome to Chattanooga, one of hundreds of cities throughout this great nation struggling to succeed in spite of your foolish policies that limit job creation, stifle economic growth and suffocate the entrepreneurial spirit.
Forgive us if you are not greeted with the same level of Southern hospitality that our area usually bestows on its distinguished guests.”

The Tennessee Republican Party ran television ads in the Chattanooga market  to welcome Obama. One commercial states:

“We’re succeeding in Tennessee. Not because of your liberal policies, but in spite of them.”

Tennessee’s most prominent GOP politicians were sure to stay away from Obama during his visit to the state in an attempt to distance themselves from the President. US senators Bob Corker (R) and Lamar Alexander (R- up for reelection), have been under the gun for voting in favor of the Obama’s policies more than 60% of the time and being named the most liberal GOP senators in the South. Governor Bill Haslam (R) has also been under extreme scrutiny from his constituents for not blocking all aspects of Obamacare in the state when state senators and representatives attempted to nullify it.  

Obama also spoke in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would tax sales on the internet. This is why President Obama chose to speak at the Amazon warehouse. Senator Alexander, Senator Corker and Governor Haslam are supporting the President’s push to increase taxes on the American people. In fact, Alexander co-wrote the legislation.

The event was coordinated by Matt Collins with Tennessee Campaign for Liberty. Collins says, “Working families just can’t afford another new tax. It’s sad to see Governor Haslam and Senator Alexander pushing President Obama’s agenda by supporting the Internet sales tax.”

The above is reposted from Thelibertypaper.org, in full, unaltered, with an assumption that the editors will not object. Rod

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Obama protest in Chattanooga on Tuesday July 30th

President Obama Plans to Visit Amazon Facility in Chattanooga Tuesday, July 30.
Chattanooga Tea Party will hold a Rally to Protest the Disastrous Policies of Barack Obama.

When: Tuesday, July 30, Noon - 2:00PM
Where: Amazon Fulfillment Center
What: Bring family friendly signs, flags, water...
Who: We will have several guest speakers
WHY: "...the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Stay tuned for additional updates as situation is fluid. For more information follow this link. 

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Protesters to greet Obama in Chattanooga

With President Obama visiting Chattanooga next Tuesday, citizens from across the region are gathering to Protest Obama's Policies. One of our featured speakers will be Ben Cunningham, chairman of the Nashville Tea Party and Chairman of Tennessee Tax Revolt. 

The Tennessee Campaign for Liberty will be leading the protest against President Obama's push for an Internet Sales Tax (known as the Marketplace Fairness Act) during his visit to the Amazon.com fulfillment center on Tuesday the 30th. Amazon.com is also pushing the new Internet Sales Tax, which was written by TN's own Senator Lamar Alexander.


EXACT TIME AND LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED!!!

Tuesday, July 30th
7200 Discovery Dr, Chattanooga, TN

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video of the IRS protest in Nashville

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