Category: Activism

Tea Party Fissure In Philly

The fireworks that erupted at the end of Thursday’s post-election Tea Party panel hosted by the Loyal Opposition at The Union League of Philadelphia has resulted in the excommunication of two prominent Tea Partyers by Loyal Opposition head Kevin Kelly.

“I am hereby severing any relationship or partnership I have with Bob Guzzardi and Robert Sklaroff,” Kelly said in a broadcast email statement. “I will not work with them on any political endeavor from today forward. They are no longer welcome at Loyal Opposition events.”

Guzzardi heads LibertyIndex.Com while Dr. Sklaroff is a noted Philadelphia oncologist.

Sklaroff, Thursday, blasted  Kelly and Freind for actions relating to the controversy involving military re-enactor Rich Iott who was the unsuccessful GOP candidate in the Ohio 9th District congressional race. Iott wears Nazi-SS uniforms as part of war re-enactments.

This brought Sklaroff harsh rebukes from Kelly and from panelist Jennifer Stefano, who felt that Sklaroff was demanding that history be censored.

When the shouting ended, Kelly promised to talk with “Doctor Bob” and further discuss his concerns.

The promise, however, appears to be rescinded apparently in reaction to comments Sklaroff posted at the article on this site Early A.M. Tea Party Was SRO.

The controversy began when The Atlantic published this article in early October relating to the Tea-Party endorsed Iott.

Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia, the Republican whip and a Jew, then condemned Iott.

Some came to Iott’s defense including Freind, who in this article,  called Cantor a “garden-variety political hack” and said what Iott was doing wasn’t any different than actors depicting the Nazis in The Sound of Music.

It soon became revealed, however, that the organization to which Iott belonged, Wiking, which depicted the 5.SS Wiking Division had a website — since changed — saying the members of the SS “gave their lives for their loved ones and a basic desire to be free.”

Dr. Sklaroff, who is Jewish, was, and remains, seriously upset that a Republican candidate would be associated with an organization that would have such a view.

For the record, Dr. Sklaroff has said he has no objection to military re-enactors wearing Nazi uniforms, even those of the SS, as part of accurate historical depictions.


Early A.M. Tea Party Was SRO

A standing-room-only crowd of 50 attended this morning’s post-election meeting of  Philadelphia-area tea party groups  for a panel discussion moderated by journalist Chris Freind at a conference room at The Union League of Philadelphia.

The panel was Diana Reimer of the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots, Jennifer Turner Stefano of the Conservative Leadership Coalition, Lisa Esler of  Delaware County Patriots, Diane Canney of Valley Forge Patriots, Teri Adams of the Independence Hall Tea Party Association PAC, and Kevin Kelly of The Loyal Opposition, which hosted the event.

Before the discussion started the group was given a bit of good news from the Washington D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform which reported that it was expecting the Bush tax cuts to be extended, in their entirety, for two years.

Much of the panel discussion involved the problem of Philadelphia which gave the Democrats 280,000 more votes than the GOP on Nov. 2. It was noted that if Philadelphia margin had been the same as it was during recent presidential elections — Democrat votes in the city exceeded Republicans by 478,000 in 2008 and  412,000 in 2004 — Democrats Joe Sestak and Dan Onorato would have won the senate and governor races respectively.

The last time the Democrat margin of victory in the city was less than 300,000 during a presidential year was in 1988 which was the last time the Republicans won the state.

Kelly, who has been battling the city’s Republican establishment, again expressed his belief that Philadelphia Republicans are not interested in winning due to a corrupt and cozy patronage relationship with the Democrats in power.

Members of the audience involved in city politics expressed agreement.

The generally collegial event ended in fireworks when Dr. Robert Sklaroff blasted  Kelly and Freind for refusing to condemn military re-enactor Rich Iott who was the unsuccessful GOP candidate in the Ohio 9th District congressional race and who was photographed wearing a Nazi SS uniform for one of his re-enactments.

Mrs. Stefano pointed out to Dr. Sklaroff that military re-enactments require the enemy to be depicted as well. This, however, did not appear to appease the good doctor.

Update: There is a report that Iott socialized dressed in his SS uniform. Depending on the context of the socialization — how long it occurred after the re-enactments and such — perhaps Dr. Sklaroff might have a point.

Pre-Election Tea Party Pep Talk

Speaker James Jones fired up the 130 or so Delaware County Patriots at tonight’s meeting at Kings Mills in Aston with a pre-election battle speech about the importance of Tuesday’s election.

Jones, a Bucks County businessman and Navy veteran of the Vietnam and Gulf wars, and the Beirut conflict, described how taxes and corruption are endangering the nation.

Jones praised fellow small businessman Dee Adock who is running against incumbent Democrat Allyson Schwartz in Pennsylvania’s 13 District congressional race. Jones said he attends church with Adock and described him as a friend.

Jones is owner and CEO of QSI Consulting, a human resources firm. He lost to Mike Fitzpatrick in this year’s Republican 8th District congressional primary. He is endorsing  Fitzpatrick in the race against incumbent Democrat Patrick Murphy.

The crowd was a bit bigger than the one Democrat senate nominee Congressman Joe Sestak got for a rally Sunday in Media , which is the heart of his district.

And they had to pay a $5 admission fee.

And nobody was protesting them.

The event began with the Pledge of Allegiance and since no one objected it is unlikely that there were any members of the League of Women Voters in the audience.

 

Pre-Election Tea Party Pep Talk

Karl Denniger, Founder of Tea Party Blasts Tea Party

Karl Denniger, Founder of Tea Party Blasts Tea Party — Karl Denniger, founder of the Tea Party,  renounced is new direction on MSN.  Denniger reminded us the Tea Party began as a challenge to the 700 Billion Dollar bailout for Wall Street and the banks, and the lack of aid to the citizens with foreclosures.  The Tea Party demanded a clearer separation between Corporation and State and more regulation to protect the citizenry.

“Within one month,” Denniger says, “The people with the big money came in, paid for the buses, paid for the signs, and led the Tea Party in a totally different direction.  Instead of fighting for policing and regulation the Tea Party is now fighting against policing and regulation.”   This fighting against policing and regulation would permit the same people who received the bailouts and unprecedented power through corporate lobbyists and buying power to do as they will and take away the power of the average citizen to participate in the business world, the social life of the country, and in the political life in any effective manor.
The major feature that stands out most about the Tea Party is they have not spoken out about: unlimited corporate contributions permitted for campaigning; holding the banks accountable for the 700 Billion Dollars they received; the actions of the federal reserve; corporate lobbying; or anything related to the buying of the government through the weaving of corporations, corporate executives and the US Government; the very principles and cause on which the party was founded.  A successful coup has taken place in the Tea Party.  “It is amazing at how quickly it was taken over,” Denninger said.  “We may need to start over completely.”
Karl Denniger, Founder of Tea Party Blasts Tea Party

She’s A Witch Says Dino Media

She’s A Witch Says Dino Media — The surprise GOP nominee for senator from Delaware opened her general election campaign, Friday, with a 17-minute speech at Family Research Council’s Value Voters Summit in Washington D.C. in which she focused on the enthusiasm of a conservative resurgency and rebutted the claims being circulated about her by Republicans, Democrats and members of the dinosaur media.

“The small elite don’t get us,” Christine O’Donnell said. “They call us wacky. They call us wingnuts. We call us, ‘We the people. We’re loud, we’re rowdy, we’re passionate. … It isn’t tame, but boy, it sure is good.”
The applause was loud.

 

She noted that she never had a high-paying job or company car, and it took her over a decade to pay off student debt before Fairleigh Dickinson University would grant a degree.

“I never had to worry about where to dock my yacht to reduce my taxes,” she said in a dig a Sen. John “I Married A Republican Billionaire” Kerry (D-MA).
She said she was ready for what was going to come.
“Will they attack us? Yes”, she said. “Will they smear our backgrounds and distort our records? Undoubtedly. Will they lie about us, harass our families, name call to try to intimidate us? They will. There’s nothing safe about it. But is it worth it? Well, let me ask you. Is freedom worth it?”So how, did her opponents in the Democrat and Republican parties and the dinosaur media respond?

They accused her of witchcraft.

Really.

Christine O’Donnell: ‘I Dabbled in Witchcraft’  read the headline on the ABC news website.

Christine O’Donnell in 1999: ‘I dabbled into witchcraft’ read the headline in the Washington Post.

How did  CBS’s Bob Schieffer lead off this morning’s Face the Nation ? You guessed it — she’s a witch.

The headlines stem from comments made by Ms. O’Donnell during an appearance on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect program in 1999 in which she described something she did as a teenager.

So to sum up this weekend’s coverage of the Delaware senate race:

Ms. O’Donnell: We are enthused this year. They are going to attack us but we will prevail.

Dino Media: She’s a witch. Buuurrrrrn her. Buuurrrn the witch. Buuurrrn witch, burn.

And this pretty much explains why the dino media is going deservedly extinct.

She’s A Witch Says Dino Media

 

 

 

Tea Party Commemorates Constitution Today

Actress Janine Turner will be the featured guest at ceremony to recommit to the Constitution on the 223rd Anniversary of its signing, 7 p.m., to 7:30 p.m., today at Independence Mall, 5th and Chestnut streets, Philadelphia.

The event is sponsored by the Independence Hall Tea Party Association.

So, will the Inquirer cover it?

Karl Rove Gay Rumors And Christine O’Donnell

Karl Rove Gay Rumors and Christine O’Donnell — Republican political consultant Karl Rove on consecutive nights on Fox News Channel disparaged the character of his party’s nominee in the Delaware senate race.

After the primary polls closed two days ago and it became clear that Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell had beaten establishment choice Congressman Mike Castle for the nomination, a visibly upset Rove told Sean Hannity that she had “checkered background” and said “nutty things”.  He called her a liar and, most damningly if true, accused her of spreading false rumors about Castle’s sexuality.

The outrage from conservatives was thunderous and Rove felt obliged to appear last night on Greta van Susteren’s On The Record to clear things up.

Which he did by repeating his claim that O’Donnell had bad character, couldn’t win, et cetera, et cetera.

When Rove cited her financial difficulties with banks and the IRS as examples of this alleged bad character, Greta said those would be more likely to garner sympathy from the average Joe and Jane in these Obamanomic times.

Rove then again accused Christine of spreading false rumors of Castle’s sexuality. Greta agreed that this would be a sign of very bad character.

So, did she?

Apparently, Rove’s allegations are based on this video produced by sympathizers of O’Donnell, who had been former employees. Nobody has produced any smoking gun showing that Christine requested, approved or even knew about the production, and, in fact, she quickly denounced it calling it an insult to Castle and his wife.

“Former”, btw, Karl means “no longer”. You seem to be saying that  Christine letting go some consultants who were advocating questionable tactics is a sign of bad judgment and character.

Highly illogical, as Mr. Spock might say.

Christine would later accuse Castle of “unmanly” tactics and suggest that he get his “man-pants” on. Rove apparently equates this with making an accusation of having a homosexual affair.

Ibid. Mr. Spock

But lets turn the clock back to Y2K when then-Gov George Bush was having a toe-to-toe battle with Sen. John McCain for the GOP presidential nomination and supporters of Dubya distributed fliers alleging that McCain fathered a black child out-of-wedlock and committed treason by collaborating with his North Vietnamese captors.

Can’t get much lower than that, Karl.  You know anything about that? You aren’t projecting a little with Christine, here, are you?

Karl Rove Gay Rumors And Christine O’Donnell

GOP Cred Board Says Philly Needs New Election

“Numerous irregularities” in the elections conducted by the Philadelphia County Republican Committee have  led the state Republican Credentials Committee, in an unanimous vote, to declare the seat of Philadelphia County party chairman vacant until a new election is held.

The action was taken in response to a challenged filed by Kevin Kelly after the Philly Republicans picked Vito J. Canuso as party head in a bizarre June 9 proceeding in which the party establishment declared him the winner in a 42-12 vote. Kelly said the actual vote was 21-18 for Al Schmidt.

On June 17, he told the Delaware County Patriots , an area Tea Party organization, that  the irregularities included the old guard’s refusal to seat several newly recruited GOP leaders from black and Hispanic wards.

The Credentials Committee held a hearing Sept. 9 and largely accepted the case Kelly made albeit they did not seat Schmidt as chairman as per Kelly’s request.

While Canuso held the title of party chairman he was basically a figurehead for Michael Meehan.

Philadelphia County is coterminous with the city.

Hat tip to GrassrootsPa.com

GOP Cred Board Says Philly Needs New Election

GOP Cred Board Says Philly Needs New Election

Inherent Decency Of The Tea Partyers

About a dozen persons filled the upstairs room, Tuesday night, at Old Original Nick’s Roast Beef in Springfield for the meeting of the Delaware County Patriots.

The Patriots are the Tea Party group for the suburban Philadelphia county.

There were singles and couples, and ages ranged from 23 to seasoned citizens. The meeting was for mostly getting acquainted.  Attendees were asked their reasons for getting involved. Almost all said it was a  desire to find like-minded people and to save the country.

About two-thirds of the way through, after the beer and other drinks and delicious sandwiches, one fellow suggested a prayer be said, which is a rather unusual time to have a meeting prayer.  He didn’t want to say it, though, so the fellow sitting across from him volunteered.

And what he prayed was for the Lord to watch our nation and our leaders — and he pointedly noted all our leaders to no objections — and he asked for it in Jesus’ name.

So much for the claims of hate.

The Delco Patriots have a website and a Facebook page. The group’s larger meetings have been held at Kings Mills banquet hall in Aston.

Nick’s has locations in Springfield and Philadelphia. Rush Limbaugh has been known to enjoy a meal there.

Inherent Decency Of The Tea Partyers

Inherent Decency Of The Tea Partyers

A Sign Of Hope For Philadelphia?

To cure a disease the diagnosis must be correct and Kevin Kelly speaking before theDelaware County Patriots Delaware County Patriots, tonight, June 17, at Kings Mills In Aston, Pa., revealed he might just know what ails Philadelphia.


Kelly is seeking to make the Philadelphia GOP viable and bring a choice to residents of that city especially in the benighted Black and Hispanic wards.

The de facto head of the city Republicans is Michael Meehan who is the son of former de facto GOP chief Billy Meehan who is the son of former de facto GOP chief Austin Meehan.

Kelly, who is no third-party bomb throwing loon, described how when he approached Michael Meehan to volunteer to work to bring some life into the city GOP he was patted on the head and told to go away. He soon realized that Meehan and the rest of the party leadership had it real soft and cozy in the minority role getting no-bid contracts and a cut of the city’s patronage for not putting up a fight.

Meanwhile crime is amok in certain city neighborhoods, the schools stink, taxes are high and service in general is rather poor.

So Kelly told how he became an insurgent, and began recruiting Black and Hispanic committeepeople from the ignored wards. This amazingly made the GOP leadership rather angry and they pulled out all stops to foil Kelly. The latest round in the fight occurred just a few days before Kelly’s Delaware County appearance. 

Kelly told the Delaware Countians about the importance of a viable Philadelphia GOP for the rest of the state and even the nation. He said Republicans always start with a half-million vote shortfall in state races due to the city party’s corruption and contentment at being second.

He said also that support for the Democrats in the Black and Hispanic neighborhoods is only skin deep and it was far easier than one might expect to register them for the GOP.

The crowd at Kings Mills was about 200 and motivated. The event was well organized. The Patriots are an organization the political parties might have to soon acknowledge and maybe even fear if they are okay with state legislators getting $313,000 pensions  and bureaucrats at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency making $290,000 salaries, right Bill Adolph?