The Tea Party, The Grassroots & The Republican Party

There are some important things that need to be said about the “tea party” movement, the grassroots and the Republican Party. In the past 9-12 months, we have witnessed a remarkable, non-violent uprising throughout this nation – a revolution like nothing before seen in our lifetimes. It started last spring when President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress passed the $800 billion so-called “stimulus”, a trillion dollar omnibus spending package, cap and tax legislation and few other massive, unfunded spending bills. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Obama also signed a series of executive orders before setting his sights on the implementation of a socialized healthcare plan that he cleverly attempted to sell to the American people as “healthcare reform”. All of this took place even as unemployment skyrocketed to over 8% (something the president promised wouldn’t happen if his stimulus was passed). And in response to the passionate outcry of displeasure from the American electorate, expressed via phone calls, faxes, emails and letters to their elected representatives, many members of Congress – along with a complicit media – either blatantly ignored them, or disparaged, maligned and dismissed them as angry racists, unable to get over the fact that a black man was now in the White House.

As the nation’s frustration and anger continued to rise, a CNBC anchor by the name of Rick Santelli went on an on-air rant, clearly articulating what many everyday Americans were feeling as they watched from their living rooms – exasperation at the economic illiteracy of the White House and Congress. Citizens around the country who had never protested anything in their lives got tired of yelling at their televisions and being ignored by those with whom they’d entrusted the responsibility of leadership and representation by and of the people. Thus they were compelled to get up, get out of their comfort zones and protest the out-of-control spending and taxation they’d been subjected to for far too long from both Democrats and Republicans. “Taxed Enough Already” or T.E.A. became a national slogan. And in the spirit of 1776, the modern-day TEA Party movement was born. Some may argue the order of events, or the actual individuals responsible for setting it in motion, but what is undeniable is the fact that a signification movement had been established.

“Tea Party” has now become synonymous with the preponderance of grassroots organizations that have sprung up in all 50 states, and in every corner of the country. Groups like Tea Party Express, Tea Party Patriots, 9/12 and DC Works For Us – all grassroots organizations with parallel goals – have grown and attracted like-minded, patriotic Americans, offering them a vehicle through which they can assemble peacefully to express their discontent, make their voices heard, and above all, stop the radical agenda of the Obama Administration and their ultra-left wing allies in Congress – an agenda aided and instigated by special interest groups including the labor unions; the environmental lobby; ACORN; and other far-left groups.

By way of town hall meetings, street corner protests, mass phone calling drives, emailing and faxing campaigns, social networking and of course, the million-plus person 9/12 March on Washington, D.C., Americans have repeatedly tried to get the message across to those who are supposed to represent them, that they fully reject statism and socialism – the obvious and undesired direction in which their elected leaders are moving this nation.

In response to the sincere efforts of average, hard-working, tax-paying American citizens to exercise their First Amendment right to peacefully express their grievances, the President of the United States, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives promptly branded them as “racists”, “Nazis”, “tea baggers” (an especially repugnant term), “Astroturf” and even “un-American”. Members of Congress have literally laughed at the notion of reading bills that will have long-reaching and potentially devastating effects on our nation, imposing an even greater burden on already struggling people and businesses.

But in spite of the smear campaign propagated against them, freedom-loving Americans refused to be stopped; the voices of true patriots would not be silenced.

Now several months later, due to the tenacity of the American people, passage of Obamacare is still in doubt, cap and trade is stalled in the Senate and the Democrats are poised to suffer an electoral massacre in November.

However, the narrative has also changed somewhat. Many Republicans, seeing an opportunity unavailable to them since 1994, are fighting the good fight against the president’s agenda by voting against the harmful, socialist legislation Obama, Reid and Pelosi seem hell bent on passing, even at the cost of their majorities in both houses of Congress. Some, but unfortunately not all, appear to have gotten the people’s message and are heeding it, while RINOs like Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Charlie Crist continue to play footsie with progressives on things like “climate change”, “cap and trade” and amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Simultaneously, just this past week Nancy Pelosi, the same woman who once demonized everyone who opposed the radical agenda of the Democrat majority, publicly stated that when you get right down to it, she actually has “a lot in common with the Tea Party”. No doubt the speaker herself is still trying to figure out exactly what she meant, along with every member of legitimate, grassroots organizations.

Pelosi aside, there are other much more sinister, disturbing changes in the narrative of the movement. Some self-appointed “leaders” of the Tea Party have begun to enjoy the power and notoriety involved in steering and orchestrating a large group in the achievement of a shared goal. They’re no longer involved in order to save our nation from the runaway spending and relentless march towards socialism and statism, but instead to promote themselves and – in some cases – make a nice, healthy, self-serving profit (assuming their motivations were even pure to begin with). There are some that have never met a television camera, a microphone, or a reporter they didn’t like. When mugging for the camera and getting your name in print become more important than the ultimate goal of the movement, then either the movement collapses or a new one replaces it.

Some have tried to spawn a Tea Party political party, which has led to lawsuits and distracted from the basic purpose of the movement. Not all the attempts at creating a political party using the Tea Party name have come from within, however. Here in Florida for instance, it’s rumored that two Democrat lawyers filed the papers and have been suing Tea Party groups, in an effort to force them to stop using the name. Obviously, this is a concerted attempt to hurt the movement from the outside, but it’s still an unwanted distraction.

Either way, forming a third party now won’t stop the progressive agenda everyone has been valiantly fighting against. Like it or not, at its core, the Republican Party is the party of smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense and pretty much everything else the Tea Party and companion grassroots groups hold dear. We simply have to elect Republicans who will support, uphold and fight for the ideals outlined in the party platform – Republicans who have not been corrupted by Beltway-itis. In other words: voters must take responsibility for informing themselves, and then choosing their candidates wisely.

Human nature being what it is, yet another problem has cropped up in the grassroots movement: inter-group rivalries. As Democrats, Republicans and the media have come to call every grassroots person a “tea partier”, and every group by the generic term “tea party”, some within certain Tea Party Patriot groups have expressed their disdain for members of other grassroots groups for working within our established political system to effect positive change through dialogue with party leaders. Such folks are doing everything they can possibly do to get both Republicans and Democrats to heed the will of the people – a simultaneously valid and welcome approach that should be applauded by all like-minded Americans.

Is it jealousy? Is it vanity? Is it a desire for the party to never end? Historians and citizens can be the judges of that. But what’s apparent is that there are members and true leaders who have become disenchanted with what has become of the movement and have decided to move on to other things. There is a splintering occurring – not everywhere or in every organization – but definitely within some of the most powerful and most well-known groups. So far they’ve managed to keep the disharmony quiet, but it’s becoming more pronounced and detrimental.

This writer is not a member of any aforementioned group, but is well-acquainted with many of their members, and is quite concerned by what he sees. He’s spent much of his time trying to get the Republican Party back to its fiscally conservative roots from the inside, because ultimately the genuine platform of the GOP is in line with the goals of the various grassroots organizations. All the while, he’s been supporting friends who are actively involved in their fight to let those in power know that they’ve lost the consent of the governed. When he observes the infighting, and the resulting departure of genuine grassroots leaders due to understandable disgust and frustration, he feels legitimate concern that the movement may come to a crashing halt.

Those who are in it for themselves should either get with the program or step aside. If they can’t or won’t do the right thing, then their members should either remove these selfish figureheads or move on to another group. With our very freedoms at stake, real American patriots have no room or tolerance for grandstanders and camera hogs.

SHANNON CURFMAN- “WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO” (CD REVIEW)

***1/2 (out of 4)

Label: Purdy Records

Singer/songwriter/guitar player Shannon Curfman’s 4th Album “What You’re Getting Into” was released on February 9th of this year and is currently #12 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart.

In 1999 Curfman released her debut album “Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions“- at the tender age of 14- to rave reviews. The impressive blues album sounded like the product of someone with far more years behind her; since then, Curfman’s stellar songs and soulful vocals have only gotten better.

”Seven years later she released the EP “Take It Like A Man”, followed quickly by “Fast Lane Addiction” which incorporated the songs from the previous CD with additional tracks to create a full-length album. With the release of these two albums, Shannon moved away from her blues roots in favor a harder rock attitude.

Curfman credits her time living in Detroit, working with members of Kid Rock’s team, and the influence of Led Zeppelin while in L.A. for inspiring her transition to hard rock-which of course was itself influenced by the blues. Other influences on Curfman’s exceptional work include: Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Jeff Healey, Jonny Lang, Jimi Hendrix, Chris Whitley and many others, including the guitar player Shannon calls her “biggest influence” Jeff Beck, with whom she’s spent much time hanging out.

With the release of “What You’re Getting Into” Shannon has returned to her blues roots while maintaining a rock edge. Her amazing cover of Eric Clapton’s “The Core” is stellar; not surprisingly, she notes that she’s been playing the song since she was about 11. Her cover of Brian May’s “Dragon Attack” is another great selection for classic rock lovers, with amazing guitar work by Stevie D of Buckcherry.

There are three cover songs and seven original songs on “What You’re Getting Into” -all of which add up to a hell of a lot of listening enjoyment. Offering pure escapism, there are no political overtones or heavy messages in Curfman’s songs. This is music designed strictly for entertainment, whether you’re with friends, driving in the car or just hanging around the house alone.

If you like the blues and classic rock, performed with passion and soul, this album and all Shannon’s music are for you. Since she’s on an independent label it’s preferable to purchase her music on her website atwww.shannoncurfman.com, where you can also see her current tour dates and purchase a copy of her original, private label version of “Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions” which has a few songs you can’t get anywhere else.

You can listen to my exclusive interview with Shannon Curfman by clicking here.

Interview w_Recording Artist Shannon Curfman_ A CRF Non-Political Special – Feb 27,2010

Florida CD-19 The Next National Race

What do the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, the congressional race in NY-23, and the come-from-behind victory of underdog senate candidate Scott Brown in Massachusetts all have in common? Each of these local elections had national implications, sending a clear message to the Democrats in Congress and the Obama Administration, that the majority of the American People flatly reject their radical left-wing agenda.

Some people, unfortunately, are harder to reach than others, notwithstanding the boldness and clarity of the message. Rather than acknowledge voters’ legitimate concerns and change course accordingly, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama have forcefully recommitted themselves to their leftist ideology, flooring the accelerator and driving America even faster down the dead-end highway of ever-expansive government, higher taxes, socialized healthcare, Cap and Trade legislation, and foreign policy weakness in dealing with our enemies.

As disturbing as it is, this unabashed power-grab and willful disregard for Americans must serve as a motivator and a reminder that we all have an obligation to keep our focus on Washington, D.C. No matter what state we may reside in, we must look upon every race as an opportunity to relentlessly advance the message of limited government, strong national defense and individual liberty. In 2010, we will take our government back one House and Senate seat at a time.

The next step in restoring the republic is upon us. In Florida’s 19^th Congressional District, Republican nominee Edward Lynch Sr. is poised to win in a special election against Democrat Ted Deutch. Deutch is a Florida State Senator who was anointed by his predecessor, Robert Wexler, the self-described “fire-breathing liberal”. Mr. Wexler resigned in January – halfway through his seventh term – to work for a tiny Washington based think-tank. Deutch has made it clear that if he’s elected he will proudly back President Obama’s agenda one-hundred percent.

Edward Lynch, on the other hand, is a conservative Republican who opposes several of the current major pieces of legislation being considered in the Democrat-controlled Congress. Far from being simply obstructionists to a radical, left-wing agenda, Lynch will tell you with conviction that “Republicans aren’t the party of ‘no’, but the party of ‘know’” because we have common-sense solutions to the problems confronting our nation.

Unlike the majority of sitting members of Congress, Edward has actually read the healthcare bills; therefore, he understands that what they contain won’t solve our healthcare problems. On the contrary, the proposed healthcare legislation will have a devastating effect on the populace by raising rates, reducing quality and putting government bureaucrats – not patients and doctors – in control of medical decisions.

Lynch wants free-market health insurance reform that will fix the system for Americans who either can’t afford or qualify for healthcare insurance, without destroying the things that make the American healthcare system the envy of the world. His plan includes common-sense solutions like tort reform, interstate competition for insurance companies, and tax deductions for individuals and small businesses. Not only is this a viable solution to the problem, it costs the taxpayers nothing.

Lynch wants to get Americans back to work by reducing taxes on individuals and small businesses. He wants to reduce the burden of massive federal regulation on businesses and get government out of the business of picking winners and losers in the private sector.

Candidate Lynch is a strong supporter of Israel and believes in a single state solution for our best ally in the Middle East. Lynch believes that Israel has the right to self-defense and to act preemptively, just as the United States would when its citizens are threatened.

Already Bill Clinton has traveled to Florida to fundraise for Lynch’s opponent. The Democrats are scared, and they sure don’t want to lose this reliably liberal seat; therefore, they will do whatever it takes to hold onto it. Pulling out all the stops, they will pour as much money and influence into this campaign as possible. If it means dispatching the Clintons or even Obama himself, make no mistake – they will fight hard.

The stakes in this FL-19 special election are huge – not just for Florida, but for every American who is concerned about the leftward direction our elected officials are frantically steering our republic. Every time a Democrat in a “safe seat” loses, it makes every other Democrat facing reelection in November a bit more nervous about their own future, thus further impeding the crazy, runaway train that is the president’s agenda.

Bluest State Goes Brown

It’s been called the next shot heard around the world, the transformation of the bluest of blue states into a new shade of Brown and a political tsunami – just to name a few. The victory of Senator-elect Scott Brown in Massachusetts should have been a wake-up call to the Obama administration that even in one of the most liberal states in our great union, the out- of-control spending and radical agenda relentlessly rammed down our throats by President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid has been resoundingly rejected. But all indications are that President Obama is stubbornly digging in his heels, and “stupidly” (to use his own term) pressing forward in arrogant defiance of the electorate he purports to represent. Despite the fact that Nancy Pelosi has said she doesn’t have the votes to pass healthcare, and the fact that Harry Reid will likely lose his Senate seat in November, the president has stated his intention to do everything he possibly can to pass his agenda.

The good news is that it appears many Democrats are no longer willing to walk the plank for their party’s leader; they aren’t going to risk their careers and political fortunes for a president that simply doesn’t get it – not to mention one whose coattails have already been rendered useless (just ask Creigh Deeds and John Corzine). When a Republican wins a Senate seat previously held for four decades by Edward Kennedy, the logical conclusion is that there is no such thing as a “safe seat” in this election cycle for any Democrat in the country. And you didn’t have to be a psychic to predict the outcome of the Massachusetts race – the signs were there well in advance of last Tuesday’s historic election results. Senator Chris Dodd had already announced his plans to forego another senate term in Connecticut, while Barbara Boxer (or “Ma’am” as I prefer to call her) has been polling poorly against both of her possible Republican opponents for several weeks. Perhaps in reaction to these events, many other congressional Democrats have announced their pending retirements.

Over at MSNBC, the primetime hosts are in mourning, obviously unable to understand why the public has turned sour on the president and congressional Democrats. But rather than present a thoughtful analysis for their viewers as to why this is the case, they resort to smearing those who disagree with their radical, leftist agenda as “racists” and “teabaggers” (a vulgar term that has no place on any respectable news outlet). Keith Olbermann went so far as to declare Scott Brown a racist simply for driving around his home state in his pick-up truck, making an effort to meet the folks he desired to represent (while his opponent apparently couldn’t be bothered seeking the approval of the masses).

In one of the most bizarre incidents, Chris Matthews and former DNC chair Howard Dean faced off on ‘Hardball’, trying to decide which of them was crazier. The “highlight” of this fiasco occurred when Howard Dean scolded Matthews, “There’s only one crazy person sitting at this table and I’m about ready to hold up a mirror so you can see his face.” If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to go YouTube to witness the absurdity for yourself.

So what lessons should we take away from all of this? Most importantly, in the aftermath of the 2008 election of Obama, there is no such thing as a “safe seat” in this entire country for either party anymore. The people are tired and they’re angry – enraged by the out-of-control spending, the backroom deals, and the unprecedented expansion of the Federal Government and the trampling of the Constitution by those who are sworn to protect it.

Republicans should proceed with caution and avoid all assumptions of automatically winning a race by virtue of having an “R” after their names. Candidates, now more than ever, will be required to convince voters that they’re worthy of the honor of representing them on every level of government.

I am a Republican, but I’m looking for Republicans that stand for the core principles of our Party: lower taxes; smaller government; personal responsibility; strong national defense; and adherence to the Constitution, which is a limiting document for the Federal Government – not the people. With that said, as a Republican, I expect that when a primary has ended and the dust has settled, the losing primary candidates support the nominee chosen by the constituents in their districts. Ronald Reagan, the conservative icon, said that a Republican should never speak ill of another Republican. When he lost his first presidential primary to Gerald Ford, he supported the Party’s nominee, because he knew two things; first that the Republican candidate was better than the Democrat alternative, and second (and more importantly) that the people had spoken.

Ultimately the government only has as much power as we the people give them. The Constitution is a limiting document, but the people are the true power in our great republic.

The Haitian Disaster and the Lunatic Fringe

In the wake of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated Haiti, the government and people of the United States responded just as we always do when a natural or manmade disaster strikes anywhere in the world: we summoned every resource at our disposal to render aid and comfort to those in need. Within hours of the quake – which has killed as many as 200,000 souls and left tens of thousands more in shock, wounded and homeless – aid in the form of food, water, blankets, clothing, equipment and perhaps most critically, manpower, went forth from the United States to the relentlessly beleaguered island nation.

Almost as quickly as the aid started flowing, however, lunatics on the extreme right and extreme left came out of the woodwork to assign blame to what is by definition, a blameless occurrence. On the fringe right, Pat Robertson shamelessly declared that the people of Haiti were being punished by G-d because they’d made a deal with the Devil when they were trying to expel the French from their country. Robertson, a scriptural literalist, found it necessary to make this highly inappropriate statement in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, just as he did following Hurricane Katrina’s path of destruction of the Gulf Coast of the United States.

On the fringe left, Hugo Chavez-hugging, washed-up actor Danny Glover declared that America and the West were somehow at fault for the Haitian earthquake. This moron, whom Red Eye host Greg Gutfeld described as “nuttier than elephant poop”, also tried to tie the “failure” of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit to the disaster. Perhaps most absurdly, he further claimed that nations like Venezuela – who’d contributed a whopping one planeload of aid – or China – who’d committed a paltry five million dollars to Haiti – were somehow on an even keel with the United States in terms of humanitarian relief.

The USA has poured billions of dollars into Haiti in the past and will likely funnel another billion into the impoverished island nation before all recovery and rebuilding efforts are through. And that’s not even counting the tremendous amount of private donations streaming out of the wallets and bank accounts of hardworking, generous Americans. Ours is an exceptional nation that has done more good and helped more people than any other in the history of the world. Of course, these days you’d never know that listening to our current president, most of Hollywood or the lame-stream media. Nevertheless, it is true – and we prove it every time there’s a tragedy or disaster anywhere on Earth.

For Democrats Taxes Solve Everything

Today President Obama proposed a tax on the 50 largest banks that took TARP money last year. Obama said, “We want our money back.” On the surface it may seem reasonable – to some – to impose a tax on the “greedy” banks that took so much taxpayer money and caused our current financial crisis.

But what’s left out of the president’s argument is that the banks have already paid back two-thirds of the TARP money they borrowed with interest. Also missing from the discussion is the fact many of them didn’t want the TARP money in the first place, but were threatened by former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson into taking it, regardless. In addition, several were told that they couldn’t pay back the money last year, after their balance sheets came back into line.

The irony in all of this of course, is that the banks wouldn’t even be in this predicament if it hadn’t been for the unwelcome intrusion of the federal government in the first place. But thanks to Congress – dating back to the CRA Act of 1977 signed into law by Jimmy Carter, and further accelerated by Bill Clinton’s loosening of any reasonable restrictions previously contained within – banks were forced to make high-risk loans to borrowers who could never hope to repay them. Add the thuggery of organizations like ACORN into the mix (whose actions were sanctioned by the federal government in the name of “fairness”), and it’s easy to see how we arrived at this precarious financial destination.

Back in 2005, some sane members of Congress, including Senator McCain, along with President Bush sounded the alarm for reform in the hopelessly corrupt Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. However, instead of demanding accountability and reining in these organizations, Congress ordered them to make even more bad loans – backing them with hardworking taxpayers’ money.

President Obama’s proposed new tax would be in effect for ten years, and like most taxes, wouldn’t necessarily go away after the TARP funds are repaid. Predictably, the banking industry is opposed, declaring the tax to be punitive and unnecessary. Equally predictably, President Obama resorted to his typical class-warfare tactic by condemning the “massive profits and obscene bonuses” of the banking industry’s top earners as an excuse to exert even more government control.

For the moment at least, we live in a capitalist society, where the free market determines what is appropriate and what is “obscene”, not the government. Banks are comprised of divisions, some of which may profitable while simultaneously, others may be floundering. If the market determines that a high-achieving employee who greatly contributes to the success of his bank or financial institution merits a million-dollar bonus then his company has a choice: either pay him what he’s worth, or lose the valued employee to a competitor that will.

It seems that Democrats think that taxes solve everything. But history has shown that when you keep taxes low you actually create a greater revenue stream. When taxes are low, companies have more money to expand their businesses, and hire and retain high-quality employees. When taxes on individuals are lower, they have more money to purchase things, thus keeping the engine of the American economy – small business – growing. But this is a lesson lost on people that believe that government is the answer to all the nation’s ills. “Cap and Tax” environmental regulations and the Healthcare “reform” bills are just the two largest examples of the attitude that government and higher taxes are the answers to our woes.

The polls clearly show that the American people are ahead of our so-called leaders on this issue. The people know that they can better decide how to spend their hard-earned money than ideologues like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama. And they know for sure that in these troubled economic times, they can’t afford any more taxes that are designed to change our behavior, not improve our nation.

The $787 billion “stimulus” didn’t create private sector jobs that would grow our economy and the tax base. What it did stimulate was the growth of government and the salaries of government and union employees. This growth of the federal government only leads to more regulations, fees and taxes that will ultimately prevent small businesses from recovering and in turn our economy as a whole from recovering in a timely fashion. Government doesn’t create wealth; government creates bureaucracy, waste and more dependence on government. It’s a vicious cycle and clearly it is unsustainable.