The Insider GOP CrapBurgers Have Finally Hit the Fan

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Tom Balek Standard 3

How long have we been trying to wake up the Republican party? Even before emergence of the Tea Party, the mainstream “real” Americans who go to work, pay their taxes, mow their own lawns and worry about their kids’ futures were trying to express that we are fed up with the political correctness, the deceit, the secularization, the corruption, and the failed domestic and foreign policies of our government officials. We’re sick of not being heard. We’re tired of being lied to. We’re sick and tired of the condescension.

Year after year we worked for candidates, contributed to campaigns and causes, studied and wrote and taught conservative principles. It only got worse. “They just don’t get it,” we complained to each other. We sent officials to Washington who we thought were conservatives, only to see them melt into the cushy lap of the DC Cartel, rendered incapable of standing up to the leftist leadership, who ran roughshod over our values and our wallets.

They offered us loser McCain. They put up loser Romney. They gave us Speaker Boehner, and Justice Roberts and Leader McConnell and Speaker Ryan. They refused to stop funding for Planned Parenthood and to keep nukes away from Iran. They funded opposition to conservative candidates. They stood by and silently watched the president abandon our allies, and condoned his military “shrinkage”. They would not defend our constitution or our borders. They signed off on one porky CrapBurger budget after another, ballooning our debt.

Now, finally, the CrapBurgers have hit the fan. We actually have two presidential candidates, Cruz and Trump, who are not in the pockets of the Cartel. And the Insider Republicans are FREAKING OUT.

It’s a pathetic sight. Today the Insider Republicans trotted out Romney, the guy who couldn’t even match up against the worst president in our nation’s history, to try to bully the outsider candidates who now threaten their DC cocktail party invitations.

Listen to Romney and the Insider Republicans bashing the challengers: “You’re a RAAAACIST! You’re a nasty rich guy taking advantage of little old ladies! You hate women and the handicapped! You are an intolerant Christian! You hate the poor and the immigrants! You hate gay people! Racist! Racist! Racist!”

Sound familiar?

When Hillary Clinton was asked, “What is the difference between a socialist and a Democrat?” she had no answer. I’d like to ask the Insider Republicans, “What is the difference between you and the Democrats?.” wimpy.-King-Features1

They still don’t get it. They know their very existence is threatened, but they don’t know why, and it looks like they are incapable of understanding or change.

It’s time to start over. And it’s way past time for the Insider Republicans to stop asking me for money every five minutes. I will NOT pay you Tuesday for another CrapBurger today!

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

CrapBurgers and Sleazy Lies
You fooled us once and you fooled us twice
The Inside Republicans have met their demise
No more CrapBurgers and Sleazy Lies!

to the tune of CheeseBurger in Paradise
(apologies to Jimmy Buffet)

Just Sayin’ . . .

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

Hillary Clinton, after winning the SC Democrat primary proclaimed: “Despite what you hear, we don’t need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great. But we do need to make America whole again. Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers.”

If Hillary thinks we need to make America whole again, why does she continue to divide Americans into “victim groups” by skin color, by achievement and income level, by religion, and by sex or sexual orientation and pitting us against each other? Hillary promises to continue Obama’s direction when she is president. Are people going to grow more divided and suspicious of each other every year during her presidency, too? Just sayin’ . . .

The Reverend Al Sharpton (along with Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell) has announced that if Donald Trump is elected president, he will leave the country.

Um, can we make sure the good Reverend has paid his $4.5 million in back taxes before we let him out? And by the way, would somebody please find out what church the Rev is preaching at every Sunday? Just sayin’ . . .

Washington insider and GOP consultant Juleanna Glover said, “If Cruz doesn’t beat Trump in Texas, there’s going to be full-scale panic.”

Seems to me if the Washington insiders are scared to death of Trump moving into their neighborhood, that might be exactly why people are voting for him. Just sayin’ . . .

Environmental activist / actor Leonardo DiCaprio told Vanity Fair he was terrified when global warming caused the weather in Calgary to rapidly change on his recent visit. “There would be eight feet of snow and then all of a sudden a warm gust of wind would come,” DeCaprio cried.

Anybody who has spent a winter on the east slopes of the Rockies will tell you it happens all the time, Leo. It’s called Chinook winds, and it’s been going on since long before those evil white men first set foot in Montana or Alberta. Just sayin’ . . .

On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace badgered Ted Cruz, repeating the juvenile and baseless insults thrown at him by his opponents in the recent presidential debate. When an exasperated Cruz charged that Wallace was using Trump’s opposition bullet points, Wallace flew into a rage. Wallace did not ask Cruz a single policy-related question during the interview.

Isn’t this the same Chris Wallace whose eyes well with tears each week as he lists the political figures who won’t answer his requests for an interview? Just sayin’ . . .

Bernie Sanders says a college education should be provided to all students free of charge.

You get what you pay for, Bernie. You get what you pay for. Just sayin’ . . .

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Tell me what I say,
Tell me what I say right now
Tell me what I say
Tell me what I say!

What I Say – Ray Charles

Senate GOP – Don’t Give Up Like You Always Do!

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Tom Balek Standard 2

scalia Here we go again.

Now we have lost Supreme Court Justice Scalia, the last and best guardian of the Constitution. And you know — you just know — that the weak-kneed, self-serving GOP establishment Washington, DC cartel is going to cave in and give President Obama his replacement.

Afraid of appearing to be “mean”, lest the people who don’t vote for them anyway will dislike them even more, these DC weenies are still in the lineup despite batting .000 in the National Negotiation League.

I am one of the small handful of people who still listens to Michael Medved’s radio show; there are few choices in the wee hours of the morning. Medved is the designated talk radio spokesman for the squishy Republicans. His assignment is to defend and make excuses for the GOP liars in Congress who promised they would stand up to the Obama regime at election time, and now refuse to do so at every opportunity.

Today he opens his show with the topic, “Is Compromise A Dirty Word?” He regularly excoriates conservative listeners who call his show to support Donald Trump’s hard-line populist positions against out-of-control immigration, bad trade deals, and the Obama/Kerry nuclear giveaway to Iran.

Medved is even more hysterical about Ted Cruz, insisting that Cruz has “no chance of being elected” because he refuses to be bullied into submission by the intractable left and their assault on virtually all of our traditional American values.

He even goes after Dr. Ben Carson, the quiet but tough-as-nails conservative who brought down the house at an event I attended last week at Winthrop University. A coed asked him if he was concerned about the environment. “Of course I am,” Carson responded with his usual warm, slow smile. “I wouldn’t allow a company to dump chemicals in a river and harm everybody downstream. But the stuff you have been fed about “climate change” — what a bunch of CRAP!”

An exasperated caller to Medved’s show was about at the end of his rope when the establishment apologist insisted that the Republican party is dead because they refuse to compromise with the Democrats to provide more freebies to the victim groups who are lining up behind Bernie Sanders-Claus. “Why are we the only ones who have to ‘compromise’?” the caller complained. “The Democrats never compromise. They hold their ground or they advance.”

Medved’s answer was stunning. “That’s not true! Obama wanted to raise all taxes, and end Bush’s tax cuts. But a few of Bush’s tax cuts were left in place!” Right, Michael. The Democrats didn’t get everything they wanted, just most of it – and to you and your DC Republican friends, that is a compromise on their part.

They still don’t get it. I don’t know why, but it appears that they will never get it. Churchill, in the darkest days of World War II, rallied his weary countrymen to victory with the famous words: “Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”

What will it take to convince our “always give in” Republican officials that this time it’s important? Obama’s Supreme Court appointee will doubtless be the exact opposite of Justice Scalia, bringing irreparable harm to the country for decades to come.

You know that liberals will howl “unfair!” if the Senate doesn’t confirm Obama’s first pick. If the shoe were on the other foot, do you think the Democrats would give the Republicans a free pass? Frankly, I will be surprised if Obama doesn’t make a recess appointment while the Senate is out of town.

Let’s just hope that maybe, for once, our Republican senators will grow a pair and hold the line until after the election. And let’s vow to primary out any defectors this time.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Don’t give up
’cause you have friends
Don’t give up
You’re not beaten yet
Don’t give up
I know you can make it good

Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel

Republican Voters Would Crawl Over Broken Glass to Defeat Hillary

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Tom Balek Standard 3

trump1 Here we are at the end of 2015, and it’s still all Trump, all the time.

Trump’s juggernaut campaign remains a total mystery to the Washington Insiders, especially the Republicans. Michael Medved, one of many pretend conservatives on talk radio, pees his pants every time he hears Trump’s name. Wonder where Trump’s campaign funds come from? He takes Medved’s lunch money every day – and Bill Bennett’s, and George Will’s, and Karl Rove’s and a whole bunch of other wimps.

Here’s the latest CNN national poll results and my unfiltered opinion of each.

Pataki (withdrew)- 0%: Ptooey.

Santorum – 0%: Nice guy, desperately means well, but Rick, it ain’t ever gonna happen.

Graham (withdrew) – 1%: His (my) own conservative state can’t stand him – it took Democrat votes via our open primary system to keep him in DC. He wants strong military and open borders. Huh?

Huckabee – 2%: Bright. Maybe devious. For some reason I wouldn’t want to buy a used car from this guy.

Kasich – 2%: Why can’t we all just be friends and play nice together?

Fiorina – 2%: She is so smart and so strong-willed. Oh wait, that scares the hell out of most people.

Paul – 4%: He really understands the Constitution. Sadly, nobody cares.

Bush – 3%: Sigh.

Christie – 5%: He says his greatest attribute is his desire to make deals with the liberals. Next.

Carson – 10%: Brilliant, and conservative. But people who visited his house said every square inch of wall space is covered with pictures of Ben and awards presented to Ben. He may have a bigger ego than Obama.

Rubio – 10%: Gang of Eight. Next.

Cruz – 18%: If I am ever caught in a dark alley with a menacing gang of debaters from Harvard, I want Ted on my side. He will shred any opponent, including Hillary. He’s smart, tenacious, ambitious, conservative. A few weeks ago he chaired a Senate committee meeting, and not a single Republican senator attended, leaving Cruz to face a roomful of Democrats alone. His fellow Senators absolutely HATE him. That’s good enough for me.

Trump – 39%: At first I was really put off by his personal insecurity (“I’m really smart! Really I am!) And I was convinced he had no depth of thought on any issue. I still sometimes think he might be a few fries short of a happy meal. But I’m starting to get it.

I listened to a complete hour-long Trump speech tonight, for the first time. And I found that he actually does address important issues, albeit in his own odd way. He talks off the cuff, and his stories wobble and wander all over the place. His over-use of adjectives and hyperbole is almost criminal. He spends too much time talking about himself and his lead in the polls, which he defends, saying, “But I am leading the polls! Jeb Bush sure doesn’t want to talk about the polls.” I guess maybe saying “we’re number one” is not a bad marketing pitch.

If you get down to the nitty-gritty, you find that his message is usually right, and sometimes even illuminating. Tonight Trump talked about a friend who had always bought Caterpillar tractors but just bought a new Komatsu instead. “It’s the devaluation of their currency, Caterpillar can’t compete, ” Trump explained. That led to talk about international trade, and the exodus of American manufacturing companies overseas, and the billions of dollars of offshore profits held by American companies due to our outdated and unfair corporate tax structure. “It’s called ‘corporate inversion'”, Trump said. “I doubt the other candidates have heard that term.”

I have mixed feelings about his admission to “paying off politicians” for business favors. I don’t get the feeling he could be bought, though. And I know damn well the vast majority of our elected officials are, shall we say, influenced by big contributors.

Most of his positions and proclamations are just populist common sense, but they shine brightly in a world that has gone PC. I think his strong stand against unfettered immigration and refugees is the biggest bullet in his pro-second amendment clip.

“He can’t beat Hillary,” they whimper. It seems to me he is probably the only Republican candidate who will smack Hillary between the eyes with her blatant lies, her stinks-to-high-heaven “charitable” foundation, and her coverups for her violently lecherous husband. Yep, he can beat Hillary. And the recent revelations that he has strong followings among minority groups doesn’t hurt.

Am I in the Trump camp? Not yet. But I’m like the caller on Little Mikey Medved’s show the other day. Medved challenged him, “If it came down to Trump or Hillary, would you vote for Trump?” The caller responded, “No question. I’d crawl over broken glass to beat Hillary.”

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

So take me from the wreckage
Save me from the blast
Lift me up and take me back
Don’t let me keep on walking…
Walking on broken glass

Walking On Broken Glass – Annie Lennox

One of the all-time greats, Annie Lennox has got it going on!

GOP Candidates: Here’s Why Trump Is Eating Your Lunch

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

photo from sogoodblog.com Conservative voters (still the majority of American-born citizens) are focused on a single overriding issue in their quest for a 2016 presidential nominee, and this explains Donald Trump’s seemingly invincible lead in the primary race.

Other candidates can’t understand why Trump continues to dominate the campaign. He is not consistently conservative, having supported single-payer health care, tax hikes, and earlier Clinton campaigns. He is not opposed to big government, having admitted that in the past he frequently bought off politicians to get favored government treatment. His people skills are awful. He doesn’t have an cogent economic plan, a realistic foreign policy, or a very deep understanding of . . . well, much of anything.

So what separates Donald Trump from every other wannabe President? One thing only. He understands the dangers we face from rapidly increasing immigration (legal and illegal) and refugee resettlement from third-world countries, and he vows to stop it.

And that is enough to put him at the top of the pack of contenders for the most important leadership post in the world.

Thinking Americans instinctively know that we must seal our borders and ports and stop the tsunami of unskilled, needy foreigners. Most immigrants today don’t intend to learn our language, won’t assimilate to our common culture and values, and will not identify themselves as Americans. And even if some do, now is not the time to dilute the resources and spirit that made our country and economy great. Maybe later, if we can get things back under control! But right now our schools, our employers, our workers, our social services and our frazzled nerves need a break.

Think about any problem facing America right now (and there are plenty.) Unemployment, falling wages, national debt, rising crime rates and overcrowded prisons, rising health care cost and declining availability of services, election fraud, failing schools, abuse of women and children, income inequality, national security and threats of terrorism, deteriorating family values. List them in any order of priority you want. Now look back at each item on the list and ask yourself, “which of these situations would be improved for American-born citizens if the flood of immigrants and refugees stopped today?”

Or let’s take the other approach. Which of these problems for American-born citizens would be solved by having more immigration and refugee resettlement?

We need only look to Europe for a preview. Canada is next. If we have such humanitarian concern for downtrodden foreigners, why aren’t we helping them improve their lives in their own homelands? It would cost so much less than moving them here and caring for them. Instead of taking in millions of strong young men from the Middle East, why isn’t Europe arming them to defeat their oppressors? The politically correct position dangerously defies logic.

Donald Trump may not know what end of a toothpaste tube to open. But his many supporters don’t care. Because he, alone among all of the candidates, can state in plain language and in one sentence a way to improve most of the problems facing our nation. Stop the wholesale import of problems from the third-world.

There are many candidates who have skills and experience that Trump can’t begin to compete with. Most of them talk about building a southern fence. Some of them dance around immigration “reform”. Here’s a message for all of them: you’d better get a clue that Americans want immigration and refugee resettlement stopped immediately if you want to have any chance of beating Donald Trump to the White House.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Just eat it! Eat it!
Don’t you make me repeat it!
Have a banana, have a whole bunch
It doesn’t matter what you had for lunch
Just eat it! Eat it!

Eat It – Weird Al Yankovic

Speaking of eating your lunch, and competition and all, here’s Weird Al vs. Michael Jackson. I would have to say Weird Al eats Michael’s lunch . . .

Prediction: Trump’s Vanity Will Wear Thin

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Tom Balek Standard 2

photo by Gage Skidmore

Trump, Trump, Trump!

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump continues to dominate the news, leaving other candidates scratching their heads and scrambling for scraps of airtime.

Several of the early favorites in the GOP primary race are barely hanging on as their funds dry up, their ratings continue to sink, and the only question reporters ask them is, “How about that Trump?” Many observers thought the flop-haired tycoon would be kicked to the curb when his lack of depth on issues was revealed, but his campaign continues to gather steam.

While pundits no longer deny that his candidacy is for real, they still don’t understand how he has won the hearts of so many voters. Insider elites call Trump’s followers at best “angry”, and at worst “stupid.” They are still waiting for him to self-destruct.

One thing is certain: he is not winning support because of his conservative positions on the issues, which have been anything but consistent. He was for abortion before he was against it. He is against ObamaCare, but for single-payer health care. Trump was for amnesty, then against it, then for it again, kinda. He has been a consistent supporter of Hillary Clinton over the years – unthinkable and indefensible to right-wingers.

Other Republican candidates have held back their frustration with his scattershot positions and also with the apparent lack of discernment on the part of the voters. Their patience is wearing thin. Moderate-leaning Jeb Bush, who wanted to run a “happy” campaign, has begun to take retaliatory shots at ‘the Donald’. Solid conservative Carly Fiorina is the latest to take on Trump, saying, “I think it’s very difficult to lead if you don’t have the requisite knowledge.”

Some speculated that Trump won early support because he was the most “masculine” of the candidates, causing opponents Cruz and Walker to visibly “cowboy up” their presentation styles. Trump’s aggressive style is masculine, for sure, but also gratingly self-aggrandizing.

Trump certainly gets approval from disaffected conservative voters who have had a gut full of politicians whose actions don’t resemble their campaign promises – with Speaker John Boehner and Leader Mitch McConnell at the top of the list. But Trump is joined in the race by fellow “outsiders” Carly Fiorina and Dr. Ben Carson, and Ted Cruz has shown a willingness to stand up to the DC insiders as well.

It’s early, but not too early for my prediction: primary voters will tire of Trump’s vain rhetoric and failure to do his homework on the issues. But one of the other outsiders will triumph, and the Republican nominee will have Boehner and McConnell to thank for her success.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

You’re so vain,
You probably think this song is about you.
You’re so vain!
I’ll bet you think this song is about you!
Don’t you? Don’t you?

You’re So Vain – Carly Simon

Here’s another of my favorite Carly’s!

The Guy Who Works At the Dump is Angry

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Tom Balek Standard 1

boehner-and-mcconnell-3 I haul my own garbage to the dump. Call me old fashioned. Or cheap. Or both.

Here in South Carolina we have “waste collection and recycling” centers conveniently located around the county. Instead of sending out an army of men and trucks to pick up trash door-to-door once a week, whether we need it or not, our county lets us take our trash to them. No charge (other than the small cost of operation added to our property taxes). No wasted miles, no noisy diesel trucks fouling the air, no bloated union driver pensions. It’s one more example of how refreshingly common-sensible I find our state and local government to be – unlike our federal government.

Yesterday my truck’s radio was tuned in to my favorite political talk show, and as I jumped out at one of the huge trash collection bins, I couldn’t help but notice the caretaker’s radio was on the same station. “You have a great job,” I kidded him. “You get to just sit around and listen to Rush all day!”

That started our discussion about the current state of political affairs and, of course, the presidential campaign. And it reminded me how ignorant the mainstream media and the political elites of both parties are about the voters’ state of mind this time around. It is unfathomable to me that they still underestimate or totally dismiss the level of discontent out here on the street.

The man at the dump is backing Donald Trump all the way, and he defends his position vigorously with facts and figures about the damage illegal immigration is doing to our country. He is furious with the corrupt Republican house and senate leaders and the sheepish representatives who abandoned their conservative promises for fear of retribution. He is pro-life, pro-second amendment, anti-ObamaCare and anti-Iran-agreement.

Just like virtually everybody I meet.

My next-door neighbor is educated, wealthy, and black. He is raising his three beautiful girls with traditional conservative American values: work hard, have respect, be responsible, and don’t expect to receive anything you don’t earn. He hasn’t picked a presidential candidate yet, but is watching the race closely and says he will vote for the most conservative one.

The guy that set up my pool table puts in sixty hour weeks, and he loves it. He enjoys the competition, the financial rewards, and the independence of owning his small business. He just bought a bigger building and will be hiring more people, but government intrusion makes running his business difficult, and the anti-America agenda of the left just makes him mad. “I can’t understand these liberals. They waste so much time and money on things that really aren’t important, and won’t deal with the things that are.”

This week I attended Congressman Jeff Duncan’s “Faith and Freedom” barbecue event. In addition to some fine barbecued pork, we also got a heaping portion of red meat politics from presidential contenders Governor Scott Walker, Dr. Ben Carson, and Senator Ted Cruz. These guys know what is on the minds of the common folks, 2000 strong, who sang the national anthem with inspiration and harmony. The candidates hit every hot button: Planned Parenthood, ISIS, tax reform, energy independence, ObamaCare, Iran, national debt, corporate cronyism, honesty and values. They know the man and woman on the street are angry at the Republicans they elected and who refuse to represent them.

“If you elect me,” Ted Cruz bellowed, “I will always tell the truth, and I will do what I said I would do!”

Trump’s supporters unanimously appreciate the way he “tells it like it is.” After initially dismissing Trump as a serious candidate, pollster Frank Luntz finally admitted, “Trump is punishment to a Republican elite that wasn’t listening to their grassroots.” Charles Krauthammer insisted in a recent editorial that Trump’s nomination would guarantee Hillary Clinton a victory. Then he added, “Yes, I understand. The anger, the frustration, etc., etc., that Trump is channeling. But how are these alleviated by yelling “I’m mad as hell?”

The guy at the dump is mad as hell, and he doesn’t know what else to do. Like the rest of us, he studied the issues and voted for people who promised they would be conservatives when they got to Washington. We thought we elected conservative majorities in both houses, but things keep getting worse.

The DC elites need to put down their martini glasses, cut their Martha’s Vineyard vacations short, and take a good hard look at the guy on the street. He’s angry, and they had better not ignore him any longer.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

There’s a place in the world for the angry young man
With his working class ties and his radical plans
He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
And he’s always at home with his back to the wall.

Angry Young Man – Billy Joel

Another Rebel Yell From House Conservatives

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

Speaker of the House John Boehner has survived yet another coup attempt, led by his arch-rival and one of the leaders of the conservative rebels in the house, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC).

One of Meadows’ rebel friends in Congress told me yesterday that the move was ill-fated from the start and would “set back” the cause of the small but growing group of conservative members who are trying to do what their voters back home sent them to do. “I don’t know what Meadows was thinking,” he said.

Republicans on the street (or should I say “former” Republicans, because almost nobody I know still claims the GOP) are livid at the leadership. Conservative voters, still the largest ideological group, are furious that the Republican members have consistently legislated against their wishes since winning majorities in both houses. Under Boehner and McConnell Congress has voted against defunding ObamaCare, voted in favor of giving Obama fast-track authority over trade deals, voted to raise the debt limit, and voted against reducing federal spending. They allow Obama’s unconstitutional amnesty to continue and refuse to put an end to the flaunting of federal law by sanctuary cities. They abdicated all foreign policy direction and oversight to a comicly inept administration and State Dept., resulting in Obama and Kerry’s disastrous nuclear proliferation agreement with Iran. More examples abound.

Boehner claims to be a stellar leader, saying, “Under Republican leadership, Congress is getting things done.” He’s right. The problem is, everything they are getting done is exactly what the Democrats want, not what conservatives elected them to do.

Conservative Americans feel completely disenfranchised. We find current Democrat policies and priorities wrongheaded and even repugnant. And the Republicans we elected to Congress seem unwilling or unable to stop even the most egregious actions of the left. Even the obsolete, corrupt Export-Import Bank, thought to be dead and finally buried, was resurrected by McConnell.

Boehner and McConnell have no idea how upset the grassroots conservatives are, or how significant are our numbers. GOP presidential hopefuls are starting to get it, especially seeing how even a clunky outsider like Donald Trump is hailed for giving voice to conservative values in public.

What was Congressman Meadows thinking? Did he think maybe he could embarrass Boehner into stepping down? Or did he hope that his fellow rebels would finally jump into the fight with guns blazing this time?

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

He lives in his own heaven
Collects it to go from the seven eleven
Well he’s out all night to collect a fare
Just so long it don’t mess up his hair.

Rebel Yell – Billy Idol

South Carolina Grassroots Conservatives – Something Old, Something New

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

TedCruz_at_2015SCTPC The South Carolina Tea Party Coalition gathered last weekend in Myrtle Beach, and there was never a dull moment. All the leading right-wing organizations were there, including the Tea Party Patriots, Freedom Works, the Heritage Foundation, the Tea Party Leadership Fund, and Americans for Prosperity. Contenders for the 2016 presidential race made stump speeches. Senators and congressmen tossed red meat to the hungry throngs.

The event sold out, skewering the notion that the Tea Party is in decline. Conservative celebrities lined up to participate. I have been attending events like this for a long time, and let me tell you – these people are more fired up than ever.

Some things haven’t changed. Barack Obama remains the target of the Tea Party’s ire, and the conservative faithful are more baffled than ever that so many Americans are still oblivious to the damage he continues to inflict on our nation. And the Tea Party is still an army of mostly gray-haired, fair-skinned grandmas and grandpas.

Yet the Tea Party and the conservative movement continues to evolve.

Lately the grassroots conservatives are as angry at Republicans as they are at arch-rival liberal Democrats. They stood and cheered as speaker after speaker exhorted them to “hold the Republicans in DC accountable.” Congressmen Louie Gohmert, Jim Bridenstine and Jeff Duncan got standing O’s specifically to thank them for their anti-Boehner votes. Still, Rep. Mick Mulvaney came out guns blazing in defense of his vote for the Speaker, and scored some points.

Minorities continue to gain in numbers and in comfort level in Tea Party circles. While they have always been warmly welcomed by the Tea Party, African American and Hispanic conservatives no longer feel conspicuous and are taking a significant leadership role.

A fairly large contingent of young conservatives also attended. One of the most compelling presentations came from Lauren Cooley of Turning Point USA. Cooley, a striking and very hip young lady, is winning high school and college students over to the conservative side at a wholesale clip. She single-handedly shut down the gender-studies department and its series of obscene programs at Furman University, and handed attendees to a Jesse Jackson event a list of unflattering direct quotes by him, standing her ground in a confrontation with the embarrassed sponsors. Her charges carry the pithy message, “Big Government Sucks”, and in growing numbers they understand and articulate the abuses heaped on young Americans by their government in recent years.

But the biggest change in the conservative movement is more subtle, and significantly more important. Grassroots conservatives have learned that they must work within the system to accomplish real reform. The days of loud complaints but little action are history, as conservative activists now work to reorganize precincts, run for local offices, and learn policy issues in detail, making them formidable citizen leaders and constituents. And the top conservative organizations all have focused goals with serious action plans in place to accomplish them.

Two larger-than-life issues in South Carolina took center stage at the convention. A determined group of conservatives led by Greenville activist Diane Hardy contends that primary registration by party would prevent election perversions such as moderate Republican Lyndsey Graham’s narrow win over several conservative primary candidates. Graham’s name, by the way, was roundly booed whenever uttered at the event.

Another policy issue that caught a lot of attention is the failure of the state to honestly implement its new law that struck down the Common Core standards. A panel was assigned to write new state standards, but instead they merely copied the Common Core standards and gave it a new name. An aggressive campaign is underway by Shari Few and her group, South Carolina Parents Involved in Education, to rewrite the standards.

South Carolina is an early primary state, a fact not lost on presidential hopefuls. Dr. Ben Carson was soft-spoken, but his conservative convictions were rock-hard. He admitted a lack of experience and expertise in both foreign and domestic affairs, promising to surround himself with smart people. Senator Ted Cruz made a rock-star entrance and then machine-gunned his well-rehearsed talking points with precision and authority, if not much inspiration. Cruz knows exactly what buttons to push. Rick Santorum was sincere, but didn’t show much fire in the belly. Donald Trump was . . . well, you know. Arrogant and embarrassingly shallow. But he was warmly received.

In conversation and informal straw polls, most of the attendees seemed to favor Scott Walker and Dr. Carson for president.

Nobody went home from this event feeling cheated. I’m sure this group from South Carolina provides a good cross-section of the Tea Party nationwide. And while the grassroots conservative movement has been consistent over the years in its values and aims, one can’t help but sense the changes underway.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Sha la la la la la,
Live for today!
And don’t worry, ’bout tomorrow, hey
Live for today!

Live for Today – the Grass Roots