Rand Paul Explains Mourdock Win

Sen. Rand Paul deconstructs Richard Mourdock's victory in Indiana's Republican primary over Sen. Dick Lugar. This election, Paul concludes, manifests the Tea Party's continued vibrancy.
In an op-ed for the Washington Times, Paul is gracious about Lugar while nonetheless welcoming Mourdock as the sort of "statesman," not "horse trader" that Paul hopes to see in the Senate next year.

Paul notes that Mourdock's victory over Lugar is in some respects similar to Paul's victory over Trey Grayson in Kentucky's Republican primary last year.

Just days ago, when France and Greece lurched left, Democrats pointed to this as evidence that the Tea Party victories of 2010 were a fluke, not to be repeated this year.  Mourdock's nomination says otherwise.

A few excerpt's from Paul's analysis of Mourdock's win, in which he lays out a de facto Tea Party Agenda. Reagan fans will enjoy the reference "painting with bold colors":

We win as Republicans when we paint in bold colors. We win when we stand up for issues such as smaller government, constitutional principles, true liberty and the protection of life. We win when we take strong stands for the Second Amendment and the right to work. We succeed when our vision is clear and our principles are sound.


What happened on Tuesday was not one angry group of voters rebelling. It was not one or two conservative groups pushing an agenda. It was all of them, acting as one, urging the Indiana GOP to nominate someone who would stand with them.

We must fight to continue the small battles we already have won. Hoosier voters rewarded the candidate who pledged to keep the earmark ban and rejected the senator who just weeks ago voted to restore earmarks. . . .

The Tea Party sprang up out of two main events in 2008-09: the TARP bailouts and Obamacare. These were huge new reaches for big government. They were massive intrusions into running the private sector. They were against everything we as a party were supposed to stand for.



Senators and candidates who either were on the wrong side of these issues or simply did not stand up and fight have been deservedly running for cover ever since.

The Tea Party is not a single-issue group. Rather, it is a group that is fed up with an attitude in Washington. Tea Partiers are fed up with politicians who spend money we don’t have, racking up trillion-dollar deficits year after year.

They are tired of politicians who do not see limits in the powers of Congress and the federal government to intrude into our lives.

They are sick of being told they have to accept a mealy-mouthed version of what they believe and what they know we must do to save our country.

We must balance our budget sooner rather than later, or we will face ruin. This will require entitlement reform. Tuesday, Hoosiers voted for a candidate who publicly pledged to support the Tea Party budget in the Senate, which balances in five years.

We must repeal Obamacare and ensure that nothing like it passes ever again. Hoosier voters nominated the candidate who stood the strongest for the Constitution and for freedom


Paul is correct that Lugar is a decent man who served honorably.  However, he had become an Obama apologist, and was so entrenched that he no longer maintained a home -- not even an apartment -- in Indiana.  Good for the Republican primary voters for voting for bold, unapologetic conservatism.
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Sen. Santorum Discovers Tea!

Rick Santorum's latest email blast shows that he is trying to style himself as the Tea Party candidate -- apparently oblivious to the fact that Ron Paul is still in the race.

Touting his wins in the Deep South, Santorum begins his email, "Dear Patriot".  Classic Tea Party.  And he goes on to talk about taking our "country and our party back."  That sounds an awful lot like Sen. Rand Paul's tag line when he ran for Senate. ("I have a message, a message from the Tea Party. We've come to take our country back."

The there's the signature:  "For America."

All Santorum needs to do now is to lose the sweater-vest and don an tri-corner hat.

It feels a little disingenuous for a guy who endorsed Arlen Specter. I thought we were trying to take our party and  our country back from the Arlen Specters of D.C., not give it to them.

Tea Party Caucus to Propose Medicare Reform

Tomorrow those  senators who comprise the Tea Party Caucus -- Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Jim DeMint -- plus Lindsay Graham will unveil a plan to reform medicare.

Based on previous comments, I expect it to grandfather those approaching retirement age. (Forgive the verb choice; it is not a pun!) For everyone else, look for the qualification age to be pushed back to reflect longer life expectancy.  And look for means testing for those in upper income brackets. 

It's good to see that the Tea Party is still focusing on trying to reform entitlements, while everyone else seems to be in a stupor over the Republican primary.

Interesting to see Lindsay Graham in this line up. 

Tea-phobic Progressives

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is so desperate to win an election that it has staged one: a pick the bumper sticker slogan election.

Apparently this contest is what passes for grass-roots activism among Democrats these days. Or perhaps it's just a way to save money; instead of hiring an ad agency to pick the slogan, the DSCC has farmed out the task.

The "voters" have narrowed the potential bumper sticker down to two slogans:

GOP: It's Not My Cup of Tea

-or -

No Tea For Me, Thanks. I Prefer Progress

Both slogans show that Democrats remain obsessed with the Tea Party. This plays into the Mainstream Media narrative that the Tea Party is a racist horde. It also incorrectly assumes that all Tea Party members are Republicans, when in fact, many are independents who voted for the fiscal conservative candidate in 2010. Most of these candidates were Republicans, but it doesn't necessarily follow that Democrats can't recruit fiscal conservative, libertarian candidates.

In light of two slogans in the run-off, however, it seems that the DSCC has decided to kiss off the Tea Party vote. Big, big mistake.

The second slogan reflects the Democrats clinging to the "progressive" label they have attempted to supplant "liberal." As if voters cannot discern that not much has changed among the Democratic party since Jimmy Carter was president.

Tea Party Can Swing Both Ways

I am always amused with the news media handling the Tea Party Movement. They just never seem to get it correct and I don’t ever see a poll or interview of Tea Party members to see what they truly stand for. They would be surprised if they just ask the question.

The Wall Street Journal's poll mentioned in the below article states we were formed a year ago when it has been over 18 months and on the way to two years. Do you remember Rick Sabtelli’s rant on CNBC???? How long ago was that. This article also mentions that the Tea Party Movement are fiercely ANTI ESTABLISHMENT! When was the last time you heard that phrase out of the sixties. It give a different twist to "You joined the Establishment Man!"

I feel that I am capable of commentary on this subject as I have been an active member since April 15th 2009.

Not a day goes by when I don’t hear something on the mainstream news media stations yet they continue to call us names and brush us off as inconsequential to anything.

Look at all the elected officials that have gotten in office with the support of the Tea Party Movement. Do they seem like they are all republicans? Well not all of them. It just happens that the republicans represent a more fiscal conservative view with less taxes and smaller government for the Tea Party Members.

After attending the second Tea Party March on Washington we were told it is not over on November 2nd but it is just beginning. This was not a message I wanted to hear as I am tired and worn down and my business suffers from lack of attention and our current fiscal policies.

Yes, November 3rd the public and media will get a different perspective of the Tea Party Movement. No matter what the outcome of the November 2nd elections there will be more Republicans in office and hopefully our local candidates will be there as well. If not we are not discouraged as our efforts have obviously changed the political landscape in Washington. We will be there to hold the feet of the newly elected to the fire. More importantly I see a strong potential for the Tea Party Movement to be more active in the Democratic races supporting those conservative Democrats that we all know are out there. As soon as the tide changes they will be moved to concede to the Tea Party Movement agenda.

See, it is not about being a Republican or a Democrat it is about making our country better and stronger for the next generations.

Our Founding Fathers and Patriots had it right the first time. They were fiercely Anti Establishment as well.

Here is the article from:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/121533-new-poll-shows-tea-party-momentum


New poll shows Tea Party momentum
By Jordan Fabian - 09/29/10 07:51 AM ET

A high percentage of Republicans consider themselves supporters of the Tea Party and a plurality of Americans believe the groups have been a good thing for politics, a new poll shows.

The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Monday evening shows that 71 percent of Republicans consider themselves Tea Party supporters. Forty-two percent of the public believes that the conservative groups have been a good thing for U.S. politics.

. . .


Democrats and some centrist Republicans have expressed worry that the Tea Party groups, which have a fierce anti-establishment streak, could divide the GOP by demanding ideological purity from political candidates.

But the survey casts doubt on that argument, showing that a considerable majority of Republicans back the activists. It also shows a majority for Republicans in voter enthusiasm measures and a sub-50 percent approval rating for Obama. . . . .

McConnell on End of Primary Season

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sent this olive branch to the Tea Partiers today:

I would like to thank everyone who participated in Republican primary elections across the country. Whether you were a first-time voter, a lifelong Republican, or simply fed up with Washington and the direction of our country, your participation has made our party stronger and our mission clearer. As we unite in a common effort over the next seven weeks, Republicans will carry an optimistic vision for the future and a conservative alternative to the ‘government knows best’ approach of Washington Democrats.

“Turnout and enthusiasm are off the charts because Americans have had enough of a Congress and an administration who simply refuse to listen to Americans who are speaking out. Now that the primaries are over, the flood of enthusiasm is all pointed in the same direction with the same focus: creating a positive environment for job creation, stopping the damage caused by Washington over the past two years, slowing the growth of the federal government and reducing the debt and tax burdens on our families and job creators.”

Tea Party Gathering

The Louisville Tea Party will hold a "roving social" tomorrow evening, Thursday, September 9 from 6:00-8:00 at Zazoo's, on Bauer Avenue in Louisville. Resa Camoriano has details.

Tea Party Moves on to KY Gubernatorial Race

There's been speculation this week that Rand Paul's campaign manger from the primary, Dave Adams, is going to seek the Republican nomination for Kentucky governor with Tea Party backing.

The Lexington Herald-Leader says that Adams confirms he is leaving the Paul campaign, but to be the campaign manager of the Tea Party-backed gubernatorial slate -- not the candidate.

Adams ran the Paul campaign during the Republican U.S. Senate primary and then was "promoted" to campaign chair after Paul won the primary and immediately misfired on the Rachel Maddow and Good Morning America shows.

No word yet on who the Tea Party will back; we'll know by the end of this week, according to the H-L.

There was speculation last week about a David Williams -Richie Farmer Republican slate, with differing views about who should run for governor and who for lieutenant.

Although Williams backed Rand Paul in the primary, I cannot see the Tea Party credibly anointing Williams as their candidate for governor, or lieutenant governor for that matter.

Williams supported a tax on alcohol that infuriated many Kentuckians not just because it raised the cost of their hooch but because the bourbon industry is a huge source of revenue, jobs and pride to Kentucky. Indeed, Indiana apparently started courting bourbon companies to move across the river after the tax hike.

Given its decentralized, ad hoc nature, it is never altogether clear what the Tea Party supports. It is clear, however, what the Tea Party opposes: tax increases. The "Tea" name, after all, is an acronym for "Taxed Enough Already." That is not a moniker that David Williams can wear after agreeing to the tax hike on alcohol.

So if the Tea Party gubernatorial candidate is not Williams, then who? Perhaps Bill Johnson?

Foreign Policy Rift Hurts the Pauls

Tea Partiers are not fungible. And some of them are beginning to speak up and criticize career politician Ron Paul for policies that cannot keep America safe from terrorists. This criticism has direct implications for the Kentucky Senate race, where Ron's son Dr. Rand Paul has lured his father's national contributor base by aping his father's policies.

Ron Paul -- who mainstream media paint as the Grand-daddy of the Tea Parties --now has his own opposition in Texas, three primary challenges from, you guessed it, other Tea Partiers.

Take this criticism of Paul from the Dana Show via Hot Air:

I love Ron Paul immensely with one exception: I vehemently disagree with his foreign policy. A nation alone in a world of enemies is a nation that does not last long. It’s part of a strategy in protecting American citizens. Big difference from “nation building,” a broad, sweeping term tossed at anyone who dares look to protect America from outside her borders – that and “neoconservatism” which just, ugh, gag me.

I disagree with Allahpundit:

The only sin Paul’s clearly guilty of in tea-party eyes isearmarking; his foreign policy is obviously a major issue, but unless I missed a memo, there’s no concrete foreign policy (i.e. isolationist vs. interventionist) that’s been settled on by a majority of tea partiers.

I don’t speak for all tea partiers, but having been involved in politics most of my life, this movement for a year, and having met thousands of tea partiers, I’ve yet to met one who thinks that eradicating terrorism, beyond our borders if need be, isn’t a good idea. There isn’t a concrete policy on anything but limited government power, low taxes, and devotion to the American government’s first (and only, really) priority which is protecting its people.

In Kentucky, Rand Paul acts as if the Tea Partiers have annointed him with Holy Oil. He begins every stump speech with the line that that He (and by implication, only He) has "message from the Tea Parties: we've come to take our government back."

Rand Paul, however, has his own opposition from Tea Partier and veteran Bill Johnson. To be sure, Bill Johnson's father didn't run for president last term; he has no national email list for dropping "money bombs" and not much name identification. In short, Bill Johnson is running as an outsider against the son of career politician Ron Paul.

The chastening lesson for both Pauls is that a movement as decentralized as the Tea Parties is by nature heterogeneous. And while many within in it may agree that Gitmo should be closed and the like, not all do. There are similar differences on abortion.

The Tea Partiers are united by fiscal conservatism, an abhorrence of deficits and a respect for the constitution -- principles upon which most Republicans agree. On foreign policy and abortion, there is a range of disagreement and a willingness to vet every candidate, regardless of Who's Your Daddy.

It's Almost Tea Time

Resa Camoriano at the Jefferson Review reminds us that Louisville's "tea party" will take place April 15 from 11:00-1:00 at 6th and Jefferson Street.

Save the date, and come to protest an Obama administration that spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much. I don't want to waste my Earl Grey, so I think I'll bring "green" tea.