Let's Appeal to "Tea Party Dumb Asses"

To paraphrase Ken Buck, there's a lot of political mileage to be had from the "dumb ass" Tea Party crowd, especially if you're a state GOP Attorney General looking to keep a government job. How else to explain the same AGs suing the feds over Affordable Care Act  now piling on to Gov Jan Brewer's self-funded defense of SB 1070

 

Maes Disappoints - and Educates - His Base

Dan Maes continues his pointless campaign, holding onto his legal right to represent the Colorado GOP in the governor's race. Except for the charmingly out of touch Lu Busse, Maes' Tea Party support is fast eroding.

 

Jennifer Bailey, president of the Western Slope Conservative Alliance, was an early supporter of Maes and hosted events for him. On Thursday, she called him "disappointing."

"That's the reason the grassroots got going, because we don't make excuses for someone," Bailey said. "I wish we weren't screwing around with all this."

Read more:GOP, Tea Party leaders back away from Maes - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_15979509?source=rss#ixzz0yT6jvZRT

 

"We don't make excuses..." Well, you do now.

 

Welcome to grownup politics.

Colorado GOPer Fails to Grasp the Problem

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has unveiled a federally-subsidized program that aims to offer health care coverage to citizens with pre-existing conditions. Supported by a $90 million fund, the temporary plan is intended to offer support to people who have been rejected by insurers. In 2014 those insurers will be required to cover pre-existing conditions and this program will end.

This does not make everyone happy, but state legislator Cindy Acree gets the prize for stupid responses. Claiming "free-market solutions" would fix everything, she ignores the fact that the "free-market" has already spoken. It said "No." 

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Colorado Constitutionalists are Puzzling

That’s as an incredible twist on freedoms promised by our Constitution as is the repugnant turn on Jefferson’s words where “Separation of church and state” are now used to infer meaning that is the opposite of that intended by our Constitution.  

I'm dense today. How does Jefferson's phrase in a private letter apply to the 1st amendment guarantee of right to redress? 

Tea Party 1 Year In

"On July 3rd, 2010, we held a Tea Party in Cole Park in Alamosa, CO. There were about 80 people there to enjoy the beautiful weather and a couple of truly inspirational speeches by local citizens and candidates. This marks the one year anniversary of the Tea Party movement in Alamosa and the San Luis Valley"

A year after its raucous inception, this is it? 80 people? 

I hear a lot about the "enthusiasm gap" between Republicans and Democrats.  The thinking seems to be the GOP's  numerical disadvantage will be overcome by a high voter turnout rate. Since midterms attract even fewer voters than quadrennial elections there is a possibility that the Tea Party energy may translate into more voter participation. 

But I wonder how that would play out. 

Take our Alamosa TP event. On the major political holiday an estimated 80 folks showed up. Assume better-than-average voter turnout in November, say 50%, which means 40 of these folks will actually cast a ballot. Will that translate into electoral victory? By any measure, the Tea Party types are a minority inside Republican ranks, ranks that account for less than one third of registered voters. The expectation that TP enthusiasm will somehow balance their numerical disadvantage seems unrealistic. Being excited about your vote is great, but it's still just one vote. There's not an enthusiasm dividend. 

Colorado Primaries are in a month, the general election in four. There's lots of time for event to unfold and minds to be influenced. Increasing voter participation may tip some balances, but it seems unlikely that the faux angry "I Am the Mob" faction will be a major factor. 

"When is a military service lie not a lie?"

Daily Kos: State of the Nation: "When is a military service lie not a lie?"

From my military experience 3 decades ago:

What's the difference between a fairy tale and a sea story?

A fairy tale begins with, "Once upon a time," and a seas story starts with "This is a no shitter!"

It Seems a Harmless Request

'99.9pc certainty' of Noah's Ark discovery on Mount Ararat | News.com.au

A documentary team is claiming fresh evidence of Noah's ark. As part of the group's report, they quote a 99.9% certainty that they have the authentic ark.

The interesting part?

Local Turkish officials would ask the central government in Ankara to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status so the site could be protected while a major archaeological dig was conducted,

Why not? Apparently it takes considerable effort to reach this location, it's described an uninhabited. So let someone be allowed to dig around in peace. If they find something, terrific for them, for science, for all of us. If not, well, at least it did create a few jobs and gave focus to a few careers.

It seems a harmless request.