Republican Sen Scott Brown Proves Bipartisanship Can Work
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Republican Sen. Scott Brown was elected because he promised the people of Massachusetts that he would vote for "what is right" regardless of party or ideology. In other words, Brown promised to act like a good human being instead of a low life partisan hack. The partisan hacks are usually deeply narcissistic and engaged in projection dynamics psychologically speaking. In simpler words, partisans and especially republicans are acting out of and voting out of and making decsicions out of their unresolved woundedness and complexes.
A Senator or Congressman/woman must be mature enough to transcend partisan politics when it comes to governing. There is politics and there is governing and the two have to be separated. Americans need representatives that are going to vote common sense and do the right thing regardless of what their party hacks and bullies would prefer. This would effectively get rid of the toxic negative shadow side of politics. The Palins, Limbaugh, Beck, Coultur, Hannity, and all the other radicals who will do and say just about anything for this country to fail under the Obama administration would quickly become unemployed.
Newest GOPer Scott Brown crosses aisle to advance $15B jobs bill
WASHINGTON - A $15 billion Democratic jobs bill has advanced in the Senate,
helped along by the vote of the chamber's newest Republican.
Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) joined several other Republicans to help Democrats
defeat a filibuster orchestrated by GOP leaders by a 62-30 tally. The vote to
actually pass the measure is expected tomorrow.
The bill would allow businesses that hire unemployed workers to forgo paying Social
Security payroll taxes on them through December and give the businesses a
$1,000 credit if new workers stay on the job a full year.
Brown said he wished the measure contained deeper tax cuts, but that it
would still "help put people back to work."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/02/23/2010-02-23_newest_goper_crosses_aisle_to_advance_15b_jobs
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
GOP To Fully Kill Its Own Party By Supporting Citizen Abolishment
So here we go again with the foolish GOP suggestion of abolishing citizenship for those born in this country by undocumented parents. Two-thirds of Latinos in this country still think favorably about President Obama. With this latest Republican move, do they really believe Latinos are just going to up and dump Obama? In the past 8 years, the GOP has acted to ensure a complete alienation of Latino voters. The Republican establishment has blown just about any chance they had, and they did have their chance, to gain support of the Latino community and its voters. Isn't it just amazing what ideas some will come up with when they feel threatened by the latino community. As of late, we've been reading that the Republican Party are looking for solutions to regain the Latino vote. What a great way to reach out to the Latino voter community. Instead, it sounds more like a great way for the GOP to fully kill its own party.
GOP bill aims to retool immigrant birthright citizenship
By Stephen Wall Staff Writer
Republican lawmakers in Congress are sponsoring a bill that seeks to abolish birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents.
Federal law automatically grants citizenship to any person born on American soil, regardless of the immigration status of the child's parents.
Supporters of the bill say that many people come to this country for the express purpose of having children who are American citizens, making the family eligible for welfare and other government benefits.
"You have many people coming to this country illegally," said Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, a co-sponsor of the legislation whose district includes Whittier, Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights, La Habra Heights and La Habra. "They come to this country and have babies. The children are citizens. The children are eligible to go to school. They receive food stamps and social programs. The American taxpayers are paying for it."
The bill does not seek to change the Constitution, which grants birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868.
Instead, it would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify the interpretation of the 14th Amendment.
The measure would limit birthright citizenship to children born to at least one parent who is either a citizen, lawful permanent resident or actively serving in the U.S. military. The legislation would only apply prospectively and would not affect the citizenship status of people born before the bill's enactment.
If the bill passes, people on both sides of the issue say it is likely to be challenged on constitutional grounds.
"This bill is unconstitutional," said Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino. "It would change one of the most basic principles that our nation was founded on: If you were born in the United States, you're an American."
Baca accused the bill's sponsors of playing election-year politics.
"We should ban these types of divisive proposals," Baca said. "All this bill is meant to do is play on people's fears, incite anger and hate surrounding anti-immigration policies. This bill doesn't do anything to fix our broken immigration system."
Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, declined to comment because she wasn't "fully informed" on the issue, spokesman Nathan Landers said in an e-mail. Napolitano's district includes Santa Fe Springs, Pico Rivera, Montebello, La Puente, Hacienda Heights, Industry and Pomona.
Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, said that granting birthright citizenship worsens the illegal immigration problem.
"There's an incentive for people to come here and quickly have a baby," said McKeon, a co-sponsor of the bill whose district includes Victorville and Barstow. "Since the baby is a citizen, it's harder to send the family back to where they came from if they came illegally. Now you have a citizen and it would split up the family."
Miller said he would welcome the U.S. Supreme Court intervening to settle the debate.
The bill's proponents say the intent of the 14th Amendment was to grant citizenship to emancipated slaves after the Civil War.
The amendment states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
Miller said the words, "subject to the jurisdiction thereof," should not apply to children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents.
"You can't tell me a person who is a citizen of any other country is subject to our jurisdiction. They're not," said Miller. "If their parents are from another country, they are a citizen of that country. They are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States."
Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, supports the Judiciary Committee deciding whether a simple bill or constitutional amendment is needed to change the law, said Jo Maney, his spokeswoman.
"Illegal immigration is absolutely a concern," Maney said. "It's something he's very much opposed to and seeks to end. Getting to the heart of the problem is reducing the incentive to come in the first place."
Adrian Pantoja, associate professor of political studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, said the legislation is "largely symbolic" and unlikely to pass.
"There's a long tradition in America," Pantoja said. "We really don't hold the children responsible for the actions of the parents. It wasn't the child's fault that the parents came here."
McKeon concedes that the bill's sponsors face an uphill battle.
"Right now, it's an impossible thing because Democrats don't support it, and they're controlling everything. We have to win the majority back," McKeon said. "It will be hard to make this happen, but I'm willing to put my name on the line and fight for it."
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_14408476
GOP bill aims to retool immigrant birthright citizenship
By Stephen Wall Staff Writer
Republican lawmakers in Congress are sponsoring a bill that seeks to abolish birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents.
Federal law automatically grants citizenship to any person born on American soil, regardless of the immigration status of the child's parents.
Supporters of the bill say that many people come to this country for the express purpose of having children who are American citizens, making the family eligible for welfare and other government benefits.
"You have many people coming to this country illegally," said Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, a co-sponsor of the legislation whose district includes Whittier, Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights, La Habra Heights and La Habra. "They come to this country and have babies. The children are citizens. The children are eligible to go to school. They receive food stamps and social programs. The American taxpayers are paying for it."
The bill does not seek to change the Constitution, which grants birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868.
Instead, it would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify the interpretation of the 14th Amendment.
The measure would limit birthright citizenship to children born to at least one parent who is either a citizen, lawful permanent resident or actively serving in the U.S. military. The legislation would only apply prospectively and would not affect the citizenship status of people born before the bill's enactment.
If the bill passes, people on both sides of the issue say it is likely to be challenged on constitutional grounds.
"This bill is unconstitutional," said Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino. "It would change one of the most basic principles that our nation was founded on: If you were born in the United States, you're an American."
Baca accused the bill's sponsors of playing election-year politics.
"We should ban these types of divisive proposals," Baca said. "All this bill is meant to do is play on people's fears, incite anger and hate surrounding anti-immigration policies. This bill doesn't do anything to fix our broken immigration system."
Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, declined to comment because she wasn't "fully informed" on the issue, spokesman Nathan Landers said in an e-mail. Napolitano's district includes Santa Fe Springs, Pico Rivera, Montebello, La Puente, Hacienda Heights, Industry and Pomona.
Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, said that granting birthright citizenship worsens the illegal immigration problem.
"There's an incentive for people to come here and quickly have a baby," said McKeon, a co-sponsor of the bill whose district includes Victorville and Barstow. "Since the baby is a citizen, it's harder to send the family back to where they came from if they came illegally. Now you have a citizen and it would split up the family."
Miller said he would welcome the U.S. Supreme Court intervening to settle the debate.
The bill's proponents say the intent of the 14th Amendment was to grant citizenship to emancipated slaves after the Civil War.
The amendment states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
Miller said the words, "subject to the jurisdiction thereof," should not apply to children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents.
"You can't tell me a person who is a citizen of any other country is subject to our jurisdiction. They're not," said Miller. "If their parents are from another country, they are a citizen of that country. They are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States."
Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, supports the Judiciary Committee deciding whether a simple bill or constitutional amendment is needed to change the law, said Jo Maney, his spokeswoman.
"Illegal immigration is absolutely a concern," Maney said. "It's something he's very much opposed to and seeks to end. Getting to the heart of the problem is reducing the incentive to come in the first place."
Adrian Pantoja, associate professor of political studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, said the legislation is "largely symbolic" and unlikely to pass.
"There's a long tradition in America," Pantoja said. "We really don't hold the children responsible for the actions of the parents. It wasn't the child's fault that the parents came here."
McKeon concedes that the bill's sponsors face an uphill battle.
"Right now, it's an impossible thing because Democrats don't support it, and they're controlling everything. We have to win the majority back," McKeon said. "It will be hard to make this happen, but I'm willing to put my name on the line and fight for it."
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_14408476
Monday, February 15, 2010
Director Kevin Smith: Grow Up Not Out
Southwest Airlines or any airlines for that matter, cannot and should not "look the other way" when a passenger's size impacts the comfort and safety of those around him.
If the passenger sitting next to me is "spilling over" into my seat (regardless of whether they were able to thread an armrest between fat folds), I expect the flight crew to correct the situation. If a mobility-impaired person is seated in such a way as to impair the emergency evacuation of others (e.g. morbidly obese person in an aisle or emergency row), I also expect the flight crew to take action.
I am surprised Southwest apologized. If I was the co-passenger, I would be concerned about my safety. Kevin, you pompous ass, get back in shape and slim down. You are responsible for being fat, not Southwest.
Kevin Smith ‘too fat' to fly Southwest
Post by Melanie Nayer on Monday 15 February, 2010 in Airline News, Featured Post, Southwest Airlines
The creator of Silent Bob wasn't so silent after a scuffle with Southwest Airlines this weekend. Hollywood director and actor Kevin Smith was kicked off a Southwest flight because he was 'too fat' for the seat.
Smith was scheduled on a flight from Oakland to Burbank, California on Saturday. According to reports, Smith had purchased two seats for his original flight but at the last minute he went standby on flight with only one seat left. The end result was no flying at all. Smith took to his Twitter account to replay the incident.
"I broke no regulation, offered no 'safety risk' (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?)" he Tweeted. "I saw someone bigger than me on THAT flight! But I wasn't about to throw a fellow Fatty under the plane as I'm being profiled. But he & I made eye contact, & he was like 'Please don't tell...'"
Airlines have specific rules about obese flyers - many of which require a flyer to purchase two seats if they can't comfortably fit into one seat. Since Smith couldn't fit into the one seat, he was asked to leave the flight.
"If a customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement," Southwest said in a statement.
Southwest Airlines apologized to Smith for the inconvenience and offered him a $100 voucher for a future Southwest flight. Smith did not accept the voucher, and we're pretty sure this isn't over...
After landing in Burbank, Smith wrote on his Twitter account, "Don't worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised."
http://news.cheapflights.com/2010/02/kevin-smith-too-fat-to-fly-southwest/
If the passenger sitting next to me is "spilling over" into my seat (regardless of whether they were able to thread an armrest between fat folds), I expect the flight crew to correct the situation. If a mobility-impaired person is seated in such a way as to impair the emergency evacuation of others (e.g. morbidly obese person in an aisle or emergency row), I also expect the flight crew to take action.
I am surprised Southwest apologized. If I was the co-passenger, I would be concerned about my safety. Kevin, you pompous ass, get back in shape and slim down. You are responsible for being fat, not Southwest.
Kevin Smith ‘too fat' to fly Southwest
Post by Melanie Nayer on Monday 15 February, 2010 in Airline News, Featured Post, Southwest Airlines
The creator of Silent Bob wasn't so silent after a scuffle with Southwest Airlines this weekend. Hollywood director and actor Kevin Smith was kicked off a Southwest flight because he was 'too fat' for the seat.
Smith was scheduled on a flight from Oakland to Burbank, California on Saturday. According to reports, Smith had purchased two seats for his original flight but at the last minute he went standby on flight with only one seat left. The end result was no flying at all. Smith took to his Twitter account to replay the incident.
"I broke no regulation, offered no 'safety risk' (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?)" he Tweeted. "I saw someone bigger than me on THAT flight! But I wasn't about to throw a fellow Fatty under the plane as I'm being profiled. But he & I made eye contact, & he was like 'Please don't tell...'"
Airlines have specific rules about obese flyers - many of which require a flyer to purchase two seats if they can't comfortably fit into one seat. Since Smith couldn't fit into the one seat, he was asked to leave the flight.
"If a customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement," Southwest said in a statement.
Southwest Airlines apologized to Smith for the inconvenience and offered him a $100 voucher for a future Southwest flight. Smith did not accept the voucher, and we're pretty sure this isn't over...
After landing in Burbank, Smith wrote on his Twitter account, "Don't worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised."
http://news.cheapflights.com/2010/02/kevin-smith-too-fat-to-fly-southwest/
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Latinos Could Undermine This Nations More Important Issues
No really, just how much can the POTUS deliver in one year!? Hell, at least you gave Bush 8 years.
First of all, Obama didn't get the full picture of the mess this nation is in till he was elected. There are far more important issues (Economy, Healthcare, Education, Foreign Policy etc..) that need the attention of the president and congress instead of worrying about granting amnesty and citizenship to those who are in this country illegally. Excuse the hell out of the government for not putting the well being of millions of undocumented over that of the citizens and legal immigrants of the United States.
Immigration reform means changing to fix what is wrong and amnesty is not a part of the solution.
Threatening the Democrats with a loss of latino support if they don't start sucking up to latinos now, and promising the GOP gains in latino support if they support 'comprehensive immigration reform' looks like someone is just looking out for numero uno and to hell with everyone else. That's how it's done in Mexico isn't it, and we all know how well that's working out for them.
If latinos are fed up and want to stay away from the polls, let them. Time has proven that patience and showing up to the polls, whether local or federal, isn't exactly a priority for the latinos. Besides it's always easier to turn a blind eye and be a quitter than it is to be a fighter isn't it. Let me also add that staying away from the polls is a nod to clear the way for the election of Tea Party candidates. Sarah Palin and Tom Tancredo alone should scare the hell out of you. I can assure you that they will have no problem addressing issues of interest to the Latino community and most likely get more prompt attention. However, the attention may not all be good, so be careful what you wish for.
I think every one just needs to give Obama a break. He has alot on his shoulders and if people would stop critizing and start participating maybe he can do his job. Democrats and Republicans should grow a couple and help make the change we all voted for. It can't be done only by the President, the people voted both parties in as well. Instead of attacking Obama, we need to ask Congress and Senate what they've done to move this country forward.
Ana Perez: Obama's immigration policy disappoints Latinos
Opinion - syndicated columns - February 9, 2010 - 5:00am
As a Latina, I am fed up with President Obama's lack of leadership on immigration reform.
Not addressing immigration head-on contributes to the invisibility of immigrants and fuels an atmosphere of discrimination and hatred against Latinos. This ultimately leads to an increase in hate crimes.
To be fair, Congress is not doing much on this issue, either.
Instead, the deep partisan divide is paralyzing our government and limiting Obama's ability to lead.
By narrowly focusing on enforcement only and using the rhetoric of rewarding "law-abiding immigrants," Obama, in his State of the Union speech, at best ignored the 11.5 million undocumented people - many of whom live in families with U.S.-born children - or, at worst, criminalized them.
Obama touched on the noncontroversial themes of our historical roots as a nation built by immigrants and yet the suffering of today's immigrants, who are currently building this nation, was not mentioned. He failed to remind us that this nation's immigration policy has historically excluded people from countries deemed racially inferior. He had an opportunity to call on us to move beyond such prejudices, but he missed it.
Yes, undocumented immigrants who have crossed the border without documents have committed a civil infraction. As it is also true that immigrants who overstay their visas also ignore civil law. Yet none of the immigration-related violations are serious crimes.
Undocumented immigrants are guilty of following human survival instincts by choosing life over death, by feeding their families instead of watching them slowly die of starvation.
In many cases, a destructive U.S. foreign policy has created the conditions that force people to leave their home countries and venture into ours. Some U.S. multinational corporations also share responsibility for driving people off their lands or for hiring them at a pittance, and then discarding them and moving operations to an even cheaper country. Abandoned, these people pack up everything and head north.
Latinos voted overwhelmingly to elect Obama, and it was our vote in swing states like Arizona, Florida and New Mexico that was critical to his win. Yet when it comes to immigration, one of the top issues in our community, so far he is doing worse than President Bush. We are now struggling to accept that the candidate we worked hard to elect has sold us down the river.
More immigrants have been deported in Obama's first year than in the last year of the Bush administration. Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have found a behind-the-scenes strategy to get rid of immigrants. They have the immigration agency comb through local jails and place deportation holds on anyone suspected of being undocumented. Local police are piling on, even in "sanctuary" cities, by increasing their arrests of immigrants for minor crimes such as jaywalking and loitering.
These immigrants don't get their day in court. Instead, they are sent to one of the country's various detentions centers, many of them run by private companies that make large profits out of holding undocumented immigrants in abysmal conditions.
We Latinos expected more from Obama. With his frequent quotes from Martin Luther King, with his appropriation of Cesar Chavez's slogan "si, se puede," we thought he would create an immigration policy based on equity and justice.
Instead, it's been more of the same - or worse.
President Obama is at risk of losing his Latino base - and surrendering the moral high ground - unless he champions the rights of immigrants.
http://rocnow.com/article/opinion-syndicated-columns/20102080331
First of all, Obama didn't get the full picture of the mess this nation is in till he was elected. There are far more important issues (Economy, Healthcare, Education, Foreign Policy etc..) that need the attention of the president and congress instead of worrying about granting amnesty and citizenship to those who are in this country illegally. Excuse the hell out of the government for not putting the well being of millions of undocumented over that of the citizens and legal immigrants of the United States.
Immigration reform means changing to fix what is wrong and amnesty is not a part of the solution.
Threatening the Democrats with a loss of latino support if they don't start sucking up to latinos now, and promising the GOP gains in latino support if they support 'comprehensive immigration reform' looks like someone is just looking out for numero uno and to hell with everyone else. That's how it's done in Mexico isn't it, and we all know how well that's working out for them.
If latinos are fed up and want to stay away from the polls, let them. Time has proven that patience and showing up to the polls, whether local or federal, isn't exactly a priority for the latinos. Besides it's always easier to turn a blind eye and be a quitter than it is to be a fighter isn't it. Let me also add that staying away from the polls is a nod to clear the way for the election of Tea Party candidates. Sarah Palin and Tom Tancredo alone should scare the hell out of you. I can assure you that they will have no problem addressing issues of interest to the Latino community and most likely get more prompt attention. However, the attention may not all be good, so be careful what you wish for.
I think every one just needs to give Obama a break. He has alot on his shoulders and if people would stop critizing and start participating maybe he can do his job. Democrats and Republicans should grow a couple and help make the change we all voted for. It can't be done only by the President, the people voted both parties in as well. Instead of attacking Obama, we need to ask Congress and Senate what they've done to move this country forward.
Ana Perez: Obama's immigration policy disappoints Latinos
Opinion - syndicated columns - February 9, 2010 - 5:00am
As a Latina, I am fed up with President Obama's lack of leadership on immigration reform.
Not addressing immigration head-on contributes to the invisibility of immigrants and fuels an atmosphere of discrimination and hatred against Latinos. This ultimately leads to an increase in hate crimes.
To be fair, Congress is not doing much on this issue, either.
Instead, the deep partisan divide is paralyzing our government and limiting Obama's ability to lead.
By narrowly focusing on enforcement only and using the rhetoric of rewarding "law-abiding immigrants," Obama, in his State of the Union speech, at best ignored the 11.5 million undocumented people - many of whom live in families with U.S.-born children - or, at worst, criminalized them.
Obama touched on the noncontroversial themes of our historical roots as a nation built by immigrants and yet the suffering of today's immigrants, who are currently building this nation, was not mentioned. He failed to remind us that this nation's immigration policy has historically excluded people from countries deemed racially inferior. He had an opportunity to call on us to move beyond such prejudices, but he missed it.
Yes, undocumented immigrants who have crossed the border without documents have committed a civil infraction. As it is also true that immigrants who overstay their visas also ignore civil law. Yet none of the immigration-related violations are serious crimes.
Undocumented immigrants are guilty of following human survival instincts by choosing life over death, by feeding their families instead of watching them slowly die of starvation.
In many cases, a destructive U.S. foreign policy has created the conditions that force people to leave their home countries and venture into ours. Some U.S. multinational corporations also share responsibility for driving people off their lands or for hiring them at a pittance, and then discarding them and moving operations to an even cheaper country. Abandoned, these people pack up everything and head north.
Latinos voted overwhelmingly to elect Obama, and it was our vote in swing states like Arizona, Florida and New Mexico that was critical to his win. Yet when it comes to immigration, one of the top issues in our community, so far he is doing worse than President Bush. We are now struggling to accept that the candidate we worked hard to elect has sold us down the river.
More immigrants have been deported in Obama's first year than in the last year of the Bush administration. Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have found a behind-the-scenes strategy to get rid of immigrants. They have the immigration agency comb through local jails and place deportation holds on anyone suspected of being undocumented. Local police are piling on, even in "sanctuary" cities, by increasing their arrests of immigrants for minor crimes such as jaywalking and loitering.
These immigrants don't get their day in court. Instead, they are sent to one of the country's various detentions centers, many of them run by private companies that make large profits out of holding undocumented immigrants in abysmal conditions.
We Latinos expected more from Obama. With his frequent quotes from Martin Luther King, with his appropriation of Cesar Chavez's slogan "si, se puede," we thought he would create an immigration policy based on equity and justice.
Instead, it's been more of the same - or worse.
President Obama is at risk of losing his Latino base - and surrendering the moral high ground - unless he champions the rights of immigrants.
http://rocnow.com/article/opinion-syndicated-columns/20102080331
Monday, February 8, 2010
"You Betcha" She's Backing Texas Gov. Rick Perry!
How lost and desperate is Gov. Rick Perry when he relies upon Sarah Palin to energize his re-election campaign? Does Perry really want someone who tells a classroom of young students, much less anyone else that the VP is in charge of the Senate, or someone who has no idea of how treaties are made, and has not clue about the Global Market? Please, some of the people of Texas are delusional enough without adding to the confusion with a Palin endorsement.
In addition, Palins iceberg is approaching. Unpaid back taxes, emails showing inappropriate and illegal activity by her spouse while she was Governor, and increasing evidence of financial shenanigans with the SarahPac funds. The point is not that she is ignorant, although she is, the point is that she's a crook with a wacko following.
Perhaps Perry and Palin are just playing Politics. Palin claims to be on the side of the people and a true conservative, and then flips and endorses those who aren't (Perry). This is just another "I'll pat your back if you pat mine" type of deal the GOP and Tea Party are known for. As we've witnessed before, it's all about Sarah and her popularity.
Palin said it best when we first met her: "Thanks, but no thanks, Sarah!"
Palin campaigns for Gov. Perry in Houston, appeals to ‘tea party' voters
By Alex Geiser
Monday, February 8, 2010
Pat Sullivan/The Associated Press
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with her daughter Piper wave to the crowd as confetti falls at a Perry campaign rally Sunday in Cypress, Texas.
Sarah Palin's campaign stump for Gov. Rick Perry may be an attempt to lure "tea party" voters away from Debra Medina, according to some experts.
The former Republican vice presidential candidate endorsed Perry for governor in February 2009 and made her first public appearance with Perry on the campaign trail Sunday at a rally in suburban Houston.
UT journalism professor Bill Minutaglio said politicians are very aware of the existence of tea party movements and their potential influence on the shape of an election. Minutaglio said it's necessary for Perry to have Palin behind him if he wants the tea party vote.
"The group responds more to [Palin] than [to] Rick Perry," Minutaglio said. "He is trying to pick up on that to access, define and maybe control the voting patterns that emanate out of this tea party movement."
A poll released Tuesday by Rasmussen Reports shows Perry leading Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison 44 percent to 29 percent, with Medina at 16 percent.
Like Medina, Palin, who gave the keynote address at the First National Tea Party Convention on Saturday night in Nashville, Tenn., appeals strongly to voters who believe in limited government and the protection of individual rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
Tea Party Patriots is a grassroots organization that believes in fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets, according to the organization's Web site.
Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said that with Palin's endorsement, some of Medina's followers who identify themselves as tea party voters may feel more comfortable voting for Perry instead,
"Palin campaigning for Gov. Perry could make some of Debra Medina's tea party support think twice about where they want to be," Jillson said.
Minutaglio said Palin and Perry's views often go hand-in-hand in terms of conservative values, but he also doesn't expect Palin to better the governor's chances of winning when they are already so high.
Perry opposes federal bailouts and is strictly anti-abortion - two issues Palin agreeably cited in last year's endorsement speech.
"He seems to be leading, so does he really need Sarah Palin's endorsement?" Minutaglio said. "Is that really going to move him up substantially? I don't really know, but I think Perry is probably positioning himself and wanting to be aligned with those major Republican figures out there."
Melanie Schwartz, vice president of College Republicans at Texas, said Palin's public appearance so late in the game is not going to have much of an effect on voters because most people have already chosen a candidate.
"Everybody knows [Perry and Palin] have been buddy-buddy. It's probably not going to change many minds," Schwartz said.
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/university/palin-campaigns-for-gov-perry-in-houston-appeals-to-tea-party-voters-1.2142532
In addition, Palins iceberg is approaching. Unpaid back taxes, emails showing inappropriate and illegal activity by her spouse while she was Governor, and increasing evidence of financial shenanigans with the SarahPac funds. The point is not that she is ignorant, although she is, the point is that she's a crook with a wacko following.
Perhaps Perry and Palin are just playing Politics. Palin claims to be on the side of the people and a true conservative, and then flips and endorses those who aren't (Perry). This is just another "I'll pat your back if you pat mine" type of deal the GOP and Tea Party are known for. As we've witnessed before, it's all about Sarah and her popularity.
Palin said it best when we first met her: "Thanks, but no thanks, Sarah!"
Palin campaigns for Gov. Perry in Houston, appeals to ‘tea party' voters
By Alex Geiser
Monday, February 8, 2010
Pat Sullivan/The Associated Press
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with her daughter Piper wave to the crowd as confetti falls at a Perry campaign rally Sunday in Cypress, Texas.
Sarah Palin's campaign stump for Gov. Rick Perry may be an attempt to lure "tea party" voters away from Debra Medina, according to some experts.
The former Republican vice presidential candidate endorsed Perry for governor in February 2009 and made her first public appearance with Perry on the campaign trail Sunday at a rally in suburban Houston.
UT journalism professor Bill Minutaglio said politicians are very aware of the existence of tea party movements and their potential influence on the shape of an election. Minutaglio said it's necessary for Perry to have Palin behind him if he wants the tea party vote.
"The group responds more to [Palin] than [to] Rick Perry," Minutaglio said. "He is trying to pick up on that to access, define and maybe control the voting patterns that emanate out of this tea party movement."
A poll released Tuesday by Rasmussen Reports shows Perry leading Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison 44 percent to 29 percent, with Medina at 16 percent.
Like Medina, Palin, who gave the keynote address at the First National Tea Party Convention on Saturday night in Nashville, Tenn., appeals strongly to voters who believe in limited government and the protection of individual rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
Tea Party Patriots is a grassroots organization that believes in fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets, according to the organization's Web site.
Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said that with Palin's endorsement, some of Medina's followers who identify themselves as tea party voters may feel more comfortable voting for Perry instead,
"Palin campaigning for Gov. Perry could make some of Debra Medina's tea party support think twice about where they want to be," Jillson said.
Minutaglio said Palin and Perry's views often go hand-in-hand in terms of conservative values, but he also doesn't expect Palin to better the governor's chances of winning when they are already so high.
Perry opposes federal bailouts and is strictly anti-abortion - two issues Palin agreeably cited in last year's endorsement speech.
"He seems to be leading, so does he really need Sarah Palin's endorsement?" Minutaglio said. "Is that really going to move him up substantially? I don't really know, but I think Perry is probably positioning himself and wanting to be aligned with those major Republican figures out there."
Melanie Schwartz, vice president of College Republicans at Texas, said Palin's public appearance so late in the game is not going to have much of an effect on voters because most people have already chosen a candidate.
"Everybody knows [Perry and Palin] have been buddy-buddy. It's probably not going to change many minds," Schwartz said.
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/university/palin-campaigns-for-gov-perry-in-houston-appeals-to-tea-party-voters-1.2142532
Friday, February 5, 2010
Latinos Need To Be Counted
Texas Gov. Ricky Perry is a Barack Obama opponent and probably one of those spreading GOP fear and advocating a Latino census boycott. Much of the focus nationally has been on Hispanics, especially the undocumented ones. Undocumented immigrants are among those most likely to distrust the government and that's what the GOP are banking on.
Also, it doesn't help when you have Hispanic/Latino clergy and groups that are borderline blackmailing the governent by pushing Hispanics to boycott the census to leverage immigration law reforms that they are seeking. Not going to work. With other pressing issues we face in this country, Immigration reform will happen in its own time.
The census is nothing to be afraid of. All hispanics need to be counted. If people are not counted, we lose money for our state , local communites and our future.-Latina TNT
MALDEF blasts Perry's inaction on census, forms Latino count committee
By Juan Castillo
More than 37 states have formed complete count committees to spread the word that filling out the 2010 census questionnaire is important, easy and safe. But Texas is not among them, spurring a Latino civil rights organization to accuse Gov. Rick Perry of failing to support the U.S. Census.
In a newsletter to supporters last Friday, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's Southwest Regional office said it had convened a Texas Latino Complete Count Committee in response to the governor's inaction. It said Perry has neither endorsed the census nor created a statewide complete count committee, despite requests by legislators, the Census Bureau and advocacy organizations.
A spokeswoman for the governor said his office had not received a letter from MALDEF or the U.S. Census and that the governor supports efforts to get an accurate and complete count of Texas residents. "We believe it's in the best interest of our state in terms of representation and our tax dollars flowing back to Texas for every Texan to be counted in the census and we will look at ways to help ensure that happens," said Allison Castle.
Meanwhile, census officials in Dallas noted Tuesday that the governor's office has never refused to form a complete count committee.
"We continue to work with the governor's administration to encourage them to help support the thousands of partners and complete count committees across the state," said Gabriel Sanchez, the U.S. Census regional director in Dallas.
Census spokeswoman Jenna Steormann said complete count committees in other states generally use their communications channels, such as mailers and Web sites, to spread the word about the census. Some governors film public service announcements, she said.
"Complete count committees know how to reach their communities best," Steormann said.
MALDEF said the statewide Latino committee would work to mobilize Latinos to be fully counted in the 2010 census.
The 2000 Census left an estimated 373,567 people in Texas uncounted, and the state missed out on more than $1 billion in federal funds over the last decade, MALDEF said. It said that Latinos are among the most difficult to count communities, such as immigrants, students and the working poor.
The decennial census counts are used as a benchmark for the distribution of about $400 billion in federal funds to communities each year - for education, public works, transportation, hospitals and other services. They're also used to redraw legislative districts and to determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. Because of its substantial population gains, Texas is expected to gain at least three congressional seats.
Luis Figueroa, a MALDEF staff attorney in San Antonio, actually noted the Latino complete count committee's formation during a January visit to Austin for a community event to mobilize Hispanic voters and to raise awareness about the census. He said partners include the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and about a dozen other organizations.
In an interview last week, Figueroa said that the committee has been meeting since early January and that the newsletter was the first broad-scale attempt to get the word out to supporters. A press conference is planned for next week, Figueroa said.
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/somosaustin/entries/2010/02/02/maldef_blasts_perrys_inaction.html?cxntfid=blogs_somos_austin
Also, it doesn't help when you have Hispanic/Latino clergy and groups that are borderline blackmailing the governent by pushing Hispanics to boycott the census to leverage immigration law reforms that they are seeking. Not going to work. With other pressing issues we face in this country, Immigration reform will happen in its own time.
The census is nothing to be afraid of. All hispanics need to be counted. If people are not counted, we lose money for our state , local communites and our future.-Latina TNT
MALDEF blasts Perry's inaction on census, forms Latino count committee
By Juan Castillo
More than 37 states have formed complete count committees to spread the word that filling out the 2010 census questionnaire is important, easy and safe. But Texas is not among them, spurring a Latino civil rights organization to accuse Gov. Rick Perry of failing to support the U.S. Census.
In a newsletter to supporters last Friday, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's Southwest Regional office said it had convened a Texas Latino Complete Count Committee in response to the governor's inaction. It said Perry has neither endorsed the census nor created a statewide complete count committee, despite requests by legislators, the Census Bureau and advocacy organizations.
A spokeswoman for the governor said his office had not received a letter from MALDEF or the U.S. Census and that the governor supports efforts to get an accurate and complete count of Texas residents. "We believe it's in the best interest of our state in terms of representation and our tax dollars flowing back to Texas for every Texan to be counted in the census and we will look at ways to help ensure that happens," said Allison Castle.
Meanwhile, census officials in Dallas noted Tuesday that the governor's office has never refused to form a complete count committee.
"We continue to work with the governor's administration to encourage them to help support the thousands of partners and complete count committees across the state," said Gabriel Sanchez, the U.S. Census regional director in Dallas.
Census spokeswoman Jenna Steormann said complete count committees in other states generally use their communications channels, such as mailers and Web sites, to spread the word about the census. Some governors film public service announcements, she said.
"Complete count committees know how to reach their communities best," Steormann said.
MALDEF said the statewide Latino committee would work to mobilize Latinos to be fully counted in the 2010 census.
The 2000 Census left an estimated 373,567 people in Texas uncounted, and the state missed out on more than $1 billion in federal funds over the last decade, MALDEF said. It said that Latinos are among the most difficult to count communities, such as immigrants, students and the working poor.
The decennial census counts are used as a benchmark for the distribution of about $400 billion in federal funds to communities each year - for education, public works, transportation, hospitals and other services. They're also used to redraw legislative districts and to determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. Because of its substantial population gains, Texas is expected to gain at least three congressional seats.
Luis Figueroa, a MALDEF staff attorney in San Antonio, actually noted the Latino complete count committee's formation during a January visit to Austin for a community event to mobilize Hispanic voters and to raise awareness about the census. He said partners include the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and about a dozen other organizations.
In an interview last week, Figueroa said that the committee has been meeting since early January and that the newsletter was the first broad-scale attempt to get the word out to supporters. A press conference is planned for next week, Figueroa said.
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/somosaustin/entries/2010/02/02/maldef_blasts_perrys_inaction.html?cxntfid=blogs_somos_austin
Tea Party The Party of Fools Is Not One To Talk About Literacy
First the Tea Bagger Convention organizers choose non property taxpayer and wacko Sarah Palin to be their keynote speaker and now Tom Tancredo wants to take this country back into the dark ages by bringing back a literacy test for voters. What a great idea, given the level of education of the average tea-bagger, this is one sure way to keep their paranoid conspiracy theories and inbred back wood logic from polluting the rest of the country.
On a serious note, the overt racism of the tea bag movement and the leeches that hang on needs to be brought into the sunlight. Whether its Alex Jones or the moderate version Glenn Beck, clueless Ron Paul and others of this latter-day John Birch Society. They need to be dragged into the sunlight and shown for what they truly are. A return to a dark era in American history.-Cihuapilli
Tea Party Fireworks: Speaker Rips McCain, Obama, 'Cult of Multiculturalism'
Ex-Rep. Tom Tancredo Suggests 'Civics, Literacy Test' Would Have Foiled Obama's Election; High-Priced National 'Tea Party' Convention Stirs Debate Among Factions
By STEVEN PORTNOY and JOHN BERMAN
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 4, 2010-
The opening-night speaker at first ever National Tea Party Convention ripped into President Obama, Sen. John McCain and "the cult of multiculturalism," asserting that Obama was elected because "we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country."
The speaker, former Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., told about 600 delegates in a Nashville, Tenn., ballroom that in the 2008 election, America "put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House ... Barack Hussein Obama."
Tancredo did not stop at the Democratic president -- ripping McCain, R-Ariz., the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, for shaping up to be a repeat of "Bush 1 and Bush 2."
"Thank God John McCain lost the election," he said, voicing his belief that McCain would have presided over big budgets and lacked a tough stand against immigration.
Tancredo served 10 years in the House of Representatives and made a name for himself with his ardent opposition to immigration. He believes the 2008 election served to galvanize the right.
"This is our country," he told the crowd. "Let's take it back."
Tancredo's speech received enthusiastic applause at times, but the crowd did not fill the large ballroom at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center.
Rancor Among Tea Party Factions?
As opponents of big government converged on what has been billed as the first national tea party convention, organizers hoped the event would further "galvanize" the populist movement and help it gather momentum after a string of recent conservative electoral victories.
But some wondered what gave organizers the right to hold the event in the first place, never mind to charge hundreds of dollars for admission.
"Nobody really is entitled to stand up and say, 'This is the National Tea Party anything,'" conservative blogger Dan Riehl said of the three-day convention being put on by a Nashville-based defense attorney, Judson Phillips, and his wife.
Phillips told ABC News that he put the convention together to try to harness the political power of the tea party movement, which helped fuel rallies and marches last summer, and helped mobilize support for Scott Brown last month in Massachusetts.
Organizers said some 600 attendees have paid $549 for access to two full days of events that culminate Saturday evening in a keynote speech by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a banquet that reportedly will feature a lobster-and-steak dinner.
While the convention itself is sold out, tickets to the banquet only were still on sale late Wednesday for $349. So far, organizers said, more than 500 banquet-only tickets have been sold.
The high price of entry to an event that celebrates grass roots, open-air activism has offended many in the Tea Party tent.
In fact, some tea party factions are furious.
"When somebody steps up and says their purpose in putting on a convention like this is to make a profit, that's really the antithesis of a grass roots movement," said Mark Meckler, of the Tea Party Patriots faction.
In a mid-January post on his blog, "Riehl World View," Riehl questioned whether Phillips "wants to be a tea party millionaire."
"[Tea party activists] generally are not the type of people who would gravitate to some very expensive hotel to dine on lobster and steak and listen to someone speak," Riehl said in an interview Wednesday.
Convention spokesman Mark Skoda acknowledged Wednesday that Phillips and his wife, Sherry Phillips, founders of the for-profit Tea Party Nation Inc., will "make a few bucks" on the event. But Skoda questioned why that should be anyone's concern.
"Have we gone so far in the Obama-socialist view of the nation that 'profit' is a bad word -- in particular, if we're using it to advance the conservative cause?" Skoda asked.
The convention plans to feature a lecture called, "Correlations Between the Current Administration and Marxist dictators in Latin America."
Who Owns This Weekend's The Tea Party Convention?
The spokesman said the proceeds would be used to fund upcoming Tea Party nation events.
Politico reported last month that the former Alaska governor would receive as much as $100,000 to address the convention.
But Palin wrote in a USA Today op-ed article Wednesday that she would "not benefit financially" from the event, pledging to throw any compensation she would receive "right back to the cause."
As she no longer serves in office, Palin is free to accept the speaking fee without encountering any legal issues. But two sitting members of congress, Rep. Michelle Bachman R-Minn., and Rep. Marsha Blackburn R-Tenn., pulled out of the event late last month citing concern over House ethics rules.
While initially restricting access to the convention to a select number of news organizations, like Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and World Net Daily, organizers announced this week that Palin's speech would be aired on cable and the Internet, allowing a broader audience to hear the former governor's address.
"We will have transparency that, frankly, is surprising to many people," Skoda said.
Palin addressed the controversy surrounding the convention in her USA Today piece.
"As with all grass roots efforts, the nature of this movement means that sometimes the debates are loud and the organization is messier than that of a polished, controlled machine," she wrote, saying she "thought long and hard about my participation," before deciding to honor her commitment to attend.
Ahead of Palin's speech, several breakout sessions are planned for Friday, under titles such as "Technology in the Tea Party Movement," "Defeating Liberalism Via the Primary Process" and "Why Christians Must Engage."
"This convention is a way to galvanize the conservative movement in a way that the general rallies do not," Skoda said. "We have seen a maturing of the movement to the point of moving protests into activism. And that activism is starting to drive results in elections."
On Saturday morning, Skoda will take part in a panel discussion entitled, "Where the Tea Party Movement Goes From Here."
That title poses a good question. Despite the fact that the Phillipses are hosting an event that nominally claims to be "the" national Tea Party convention, there is still no national organization, nor any head of the movement. It claims to have several founders.
Dale Robertson, for instance, said he's been leading the Tea Party effort "longer than anybody else," having created the Web site teaparty.org a year before the first anti-stimulus Tea Parties began in 2009.
Still, he doesn't begrudge the Phillipses for claiming that his Nashville event is a national affair.
"I mean, a name is just a name. It's just a marketing thing," Robertson said Wednesday from his home in East Texas.
The out-of-work engineer won't be attending the convention this weekend. He said he simply can't make the trip, but he will be there in spirit.
Robertson does, however, have a major problem with the keynote speaker.
"She hasn't been a part of this movement at all and she doesn't seem to be suffering at all," he said, "as [have] many of these patriots who've been donating their time, their money and their resources."
To Palin's claim that she'll be returning any money she receives "to the cause," the founder of teaparty.org, who eschews the political establishment, scoffed.
"But she's giving money back to the machine, right?" he asked. "Republicans."
Delegate: 'We're Sick of Everyone'
While the political make-up of the convention is nearly universally conservative, there was some ire for both parties.
Delegate William Temple from Georgia, who was dressed in a kilt, said he wanted to work against "Republicans, Democrats and Independents who have been in Congress too many terms."
"We're sick of everyone," he said.
However, when pressed, Temple said he could not ever remember voting for a Democrat.
Jim and Julie Dam drove five hours from Indianapolis to be at the convention. They said their biggest fear is the spending that comes out of Washington. But they said they wanted to work within the Republican Party to reach their aims.
"I'm not interested in a third party," Julie Dam said. "My husband isn't either."
"We want conservative Republicans," Jim Dam said.
ABC News' Andy Fies contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/tea-party-fireworks-speaker-tom-tancredo-rips-mccain/comments?type=story&id=9751718
On a serious note, the overt racism of the tea bag movement and the leeches that hang on needs to be brought into the sunlight. Whether its Alex Jones or the moderate version Glenn Beck, clueless Ron Paul and others of this latter-day John Birch Society. They need to be dragged into the sunlight and shown for what they truly are. A return to a dark era in American history.-Cihuapilli
Tea Party Fireworks: Speaker Rips McCain, Obama, 'Cult of Multiculturalism'
Ex-Rep. Tom Tancredo Suggests 'Civics, Literacy Test' Would Have Foiled Obama's Election; High-Priced National 'Tea Party' Convention Stirs Debate Among Factions
By STEVEN PORTNOY and JOHN BERMAN
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 4, 2010-
The opening-night speaker at first ever National Tea Party Convention ripped into President Obama, Sen. John McCain and "the cult of multiculturalism," asserting that Obama was elected because "we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country."
The speaker, former Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., told about 600 delegates in a Nashville, Tenn., ballroom that in the 2008 election, America "put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House ... Barack Hussein Obama."
Tancredo did not stop at the Democratic president -- ripping McCain, R-Ariz., the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, for shaping up to be a repeat of "Bush 1 and Bush 2."
"Thank God John McCain lost the election," he said, voicing his belief that McCain would have presided over big budgets and lacked a tough stand against immigration.
Tancredo served 10 years in the House of Representatives and made a name for himself with his ardent opposition to immigration. He believes the 2008 election served to galvanize the right.
"This is our country," he told the crowd. "Let's take it back."
Tancredo's speech received enthusiastic applause at times, but the crowd did not fill the large ballroom at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center.
Rancor Among Tea Party Factions?
As opponents of big government converged on what has been billed as the first national tea party convention, organizers hoped the event would further "galvanize" the populist movement and help it gather momentum after a string of recent conservative electoral victories.
But some wondered what gave organizers the right to hold the event in the first place, never mind to charge hundreds of dollars for admission.
"Nobody really is entitled to stand up and say, 'This is the National Tea Party anything,'" conservative blogger Dan Riehl said of the three-day convention being put on by a Nashville-based defense attorney, Judson Phillips, and his wife.
Phillips told ABC News that he put the convention together to try to harness the political power of the tea party movement, which helped fuel rallies and marches last summer, and helped mobilize support for Scott Brown last month in Massachusetts.
Organizers said some 600 attendees have paid $549 for access to two full days of events that culminate Saturday evening in a keynote speech by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a banquet that reportedly will feature a lobster-and-steak dinner.
While the convention itself is sold out, tickets to the banquet only were still on sale late Wednesday for $349. So far, organizers said, more than 500 banquet-only tickets have been sold.
The high price of entry to an event that celebrates grass roots, open-air activism has offended many in the Tea Party tent.
In fact, some tea party factions are furious.
"When somebody steps up and says their purpose in putting on a convention like this is to make a profit, that's really the antithesis of a grass roots movement," said Mark Meckler, of the Tea Party Patriots faction.
In a mid-January post on his blog, "Riehl World View," Riehl questioned whether Phillips "wants to be a tea party millionaire."
"[Tea party activists] generally are not the type of people who would gravitate to some very expensive hotel to dine on lobster and steak and listen to someone speak," Riehl said in an interview Wednesday.
Convention spokesman Mark Skoda acknowledged Wednesday that Phillips and his wife, Sherry Phillips, founders of the for-profit Tea Party Nation Inc., will "make a few bucks" on the event. But Skoda questioned why that should be anyone's concern.
"Have we gone so far in the Obama-socialist view of the nation that 'profit' is a bad word -- in particular, if we're using it to advance the conservative cause?" Skoda asked.
The convention plans to feature a lecture called, "Correlations Between the Current Administration and Marxist dictators in Latin America."
Who Owns This Weekend's The Tea Party Convention?
The spokesman said the proceeds would be used to fund upcoming Tea Party nation events.
Politico reported last month that the former Alaska governor would receive as much as $100,000 to address the convention.
But Palin wrote in a USA Today op-ed article Wednesday that she would "not benefit financially" from the event, pledging to throw any compensation she would receive "right back to the cause."
As she no longer serves in office, Palin is free to accept the speaking fee without encountering any legal issues. But two sitting members of congress, Rep. Michelle Bachman R-Minn., and Rep. Marsha Blackburn R-Tenn., pulled out of the event late last month citing concern over House ethics rules.
While initially restricting access to the convention to a select number of news organizations, like Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and World Net Daily, organizers announced this week that Palin's speech would be aired on cable and the Internet, allowing a broader audience to hear the former governor's address.
"We will have transparency that, frankly, is surprising to many people," Skoda said.
Palin addressed the controversy surrounding the convention in her USA Today piece.
"As with all grass roots efforts, the nature of this movement means that sometimes the debates are loud and the organization is messier than that of a polished, controlled machine," she wrote, saying she "thought long and hard about my participation," before deciding to honor her commitment to attend.
Ahead of Palin's speech, several breakout sessions are planned for Friday, under titles such as "Technology in the Tea Party Movement," "Defeating Liberalism Via the Primary Process" and "Why Christians Must Engage."
"This convention is a way to galvanize the conservative movement in a way that the general rallies do not," Skoda said. "We have seen a maturing of the movement to the point of moving protests into activism. And that activism is starting to drive results in elections."
On Saturday morning, Skoda will take part in a panel discussion entitled, "Where the Tea Party Movement Goes From Here."
That title poses a good question. Despite the fact that the Phillipses are hosting an event that nominally claims to be "the" national Tea Party convention, there is still no national organization, nor any head of the movement. It claims to have several founders.
Dale Robertson, for instance, said he's been leading the Tea Party effort "longer than anybody else," having created the Web site teaparty.org a year before the first anti-stimulus Tea Parties began in 2009.
Still, he doesn't begrudge the Phillipses for claiming that his Nashville event is a national affair.
"I mean, a name is just a name. It's just a marketing thing," Robertson said Wednesday from his home in East Texas.
The out-of-work engineer won't be attending the convention this weekend. He said he simply can't make the trip, but he will be there in spirit.
Robertson does, however, have a major problem with the keynote speaker.
"She hasn't been a part of this movement at all and she doesn't seem to be suffering at all," he said, "as [have] many of these patriots who've been donating their time, their money and their resources."
To Palin's claim that she'll be returning any money she receives "to the cause," the founder of teaparty.org, who eschews the political establishment, scoffed.
"But she's giving money back to the machine, right?" he asked. "Republicans."
Delegate: 'We're Sick of Everyone'
While the political make-up of the convention is nearly universally conservative, there was some ire for both parties.
Delegate William Temple from Georgia, who was dressed in a kilt, said he wanted to work against "Republicans, Democrats and Independents who have been in Congress too many terms."
"We're sick of everyone," he said.
However, when pressed, Temple said he could not ever remember voting for a Democrat.
Jim and Julie Dam drove five hours from Indianapolis to be at the convention. They said their biggest fear is the spending that comes out of Washington. But they said they wanted to work within the Republican Party to reach their aims.
"I'm not interested in a third party," Julie Dam said. "My husband isn't either."
"We want conservative Republicans," Jim Dam said.
ABC News' Andy Fies contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/tea-party-fireworks-speaker-tom-tancredo-rips-mccain/comments?type=story&id=9751718
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