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TEA Party or Grand Old Party?

Mark Noonan

Interesting thoughts over at Instapundit on the prospect that Governor Palin’s resignation is preparation for founding a new political party. In the back and forth of it all between Reynolds and his reader Paul Lee it is very intelligently laid out in the sense of the plus and minus of the concept. Its impossible to quote it without diminishing the full effect, so go read it – then come back and read this.

All done? No, seriously, go read their stuff first. Its important.

Now, are you really done? Ok. I’ll have to trust you on this.

The failure of the third party efforts are due to two things:

1. Those parties which stake out a kook platform and thus can’t gain any traction with non-kook people (ie, Green Party, etc).

2. Those parties which shoot for the moon right out the gate (ie, Reform Party, etc.).

If you really want to start a third party, your key will be first to gain at least 300 State House seats and 30 US House seats – preferrably with a couple Senate seats and a governorship or two, as well. Once you have that, you’re for real – you’ll probably hold the balance of power in the US House and if you have those governorships you can start to implement some policies to give a track record for public consumption. If you can’t do this, then don’t even try – and if you want to have the White House, don’t waste your time (the White House will come, in the by and by).

First Commandment of Third Party Success:

THOU SHALL NOT BE IDEOLOGICALLY PURE

In other words, you can’t be either single issue kooks or overwhelmingly committed to a particular world view. You have to allow for the fact that its hard to get even 51% of Americans to agree on anything, let alone those enduring majorities necessary to change America. So, you have to allow for differences. Certainly, you have to have core principles and there are some people who are just going to be beyond the pale, but there must be a bit of “give”, or you’ll take nothing at all.

If anyone is attempting to build a TEA Party for 2010 and beyond, you must start today. Like, get off this website this very moment and start working on it. Just to get candidates on the ballot will take an enormous amount of time. So, if someone isn’t seriously working on this, then its not going to happen – at least, it won’t happen in time for 2010.

So, what about Sarah? I, personally, don’t see her seeking a third party route – but I do see her doing something I’m going to do (in my much smaller way)…run an insurgent campaign from below and outside the GOP establishment and secure power without owing the old guard anything. This doesn’t mean “don’t work with the old guard” it just means “old guard doesn’t run the show”. The smarter part of the old guard is already seeing the winds shift in American politics and will swiftly fall in line – the dumber part will be rolled over. To me, it is time for new people to get into the mix (even you pinkos can do it, ya know? Unless, that is, you really think Pelosi is doing a swell job…you can call it the Green TEA movement…come on, admit that its a cool name). We have to take back our government before the fools in it destroy this last bastion of liberty in the world.

The key to success for Sarah Palin (and for any of us who wishes to make a try) is to capture the moment – Bismarck said he wasn’t all that smart, he just heard the hoofbeats of history and latched on to the horse’s mane. Its a bit like that for us – the people are rising up. I’ve never seen so many people happy at the thought of a Second American Revolution; I’ve never seen government so unpopular; I’ve never seen people more disgusted with the way things are. All we have to do is put forward leaders who can speak to the people’s concerns and who aren’t tainted with the “insiders” brush. But a Third Party doesn’t seem the way to go – a revolutionary capture of the GOP provides us with the best national platform, already built in to all 50 States…and with fresh leadership, we’ll no longer concede certain areas to the liberals, nor believe that sabotaging ourselves with RINOs is a good idea.

We need a diverse coalition, to be sure – no one is to be turned away, sight unseen. Our requirements will have to be short and sweet…limited government, local control, sound money and a few other things, clearly enunciated as to why they’re good and what particular benefits they’ll bring to average Americans. Within this broad framework we can put up with a lot, even some rather stark divergence of opinion.

Service to America – meaning service to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and we’ll get it all back.

Phrase of the Day

Mark Noonan

What are we to do?

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. – Matthew 7:7-11

And want to know something? It works. Infallibly.

Don't Lie About Our Sarah

Mark Noonan

‘Cause she (and we) just ain’t gonna take it any more:

Ratcheting up her offensive against the news media, Gov. Sarah Palin’s attorney threatened on Saturday to sue mainstream news organizations if they publish “defamatory” stories relating to whether Palin is under federal investigation.

In an extraordinary four-page letter, Alaska-based attorney Thomas Van Flein warns of severe consequences should speculation that until now has largely been confined to blogs — about whether Palin embezzled funds in the construction of a Wasilla, Alaska, sports arena — find its way into print.

“This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who republish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, The New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law,” Van Flein warned, citing Alaska liberal blogger Shannyn Moore.

Much like Palin did in her Facebook statement Saturday, Van Flein savages the news media in his letter.

“Just as power abhors a vacuum, modern journalism apparently abhors any type of due diligence and fact checking before scurrilous allegations are repeated as fact,” the Anchorage attorney wrote.

The fascist tactics of the left have simply got to be stopped – we cannot allow them to slander another conservative into the ground, as they did with President Bush. Take ’em to court, sue ’em for the last cent they have. Prosecute them if we can find even the slightest criminal offense. Don’t lie about us; if you can’t prove it, don’t print it. As for me, I’m not at all a rich man, but I’m ready to spend money to support such efforts.

Twitter Updates for 2009-07-06

Matt Margolis

Is There a Chance to Stop Sotomayor?

Mark Noonan

Latest poll on it from Rasmussen:

A heavily publicized U.S. Supreme Court reversal of an appeals court ruling by Judge Sonia Sotomayor has at least temporarily diminished public support for President Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted on the two nights following the Supreme Court decision, finds that 37% now believe Sotomayor should be confirmed while 39% disagree.

Two weeks ago, the numbers were much brighter for the nominee. At that time, 42% favored confirmation, and 34% were opposed.

A GOP campaign highlighting the fact that Sotomayor voted to discriminate based on race, and was overturned by the SC she wants to be on, would probably crush her chances – there are enough red State Democrats to do so. The questions remain – will the GOP do it? and would doing it cause damage to GOP hopes for hispanic votes?

Honduras Remains Defiant

Mark Noonan

And good for them – our government is gutlessly following the demands of thugs like Castro and Chavez and minority-elected President Ortega of Nicaragua, but it seems that the majority of the people of Honduras have decided that the rule of law is paramount. Looking around for some Honduran comment on the issue, I found this:

…The President of Honduras in Council of Ministers (Cabinet Council) emitted the Executive Decree PCM-005-2009, through which he called upon a consultation to the people with the ultimate goal of summoning a National Constituent Assembly to emit a new Constitution, which would allow the elimination of the “Articulos Petreos”, an act that is considered unconstitutional and is considered as a crime of Treason to the Country…

…The Attorney General began a judicial action that ended with a decree prohibiting the consultation.

The Executive Decree PCM-005-2009 was never published, making it impossible legally dispute itt, an improper behavior of the Executive Power.

The Attorney General publicly warned that the President’s behavior and that of his advisors was illegal.

The President of Honduras, in Council of Ministers, emitted the Executive Decree PCM-019-2009, through which he annulled the Executive Decree that called upon a consultation related to the summon of a National Constituent Assembly to emit a new Constitution, and replaced it with a new Executive Decree which ordered a national poll that would take place on Sunday, June 28 of 2009, in which the following question would be asked: Are you in favor with the addition of a fourth voting box in the general elections of 2009, in which the people will decide on the summon of a National Constituent Assembly?

The new Executive Decree number PCM-019-2009, dated may 26, 2009, was not published until June 25th of 2009, with the manifested goal that the same would not be judicially challenged.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal and the General Attorney of State began legal actions to confiscate the poll’s material and named the Air Force Chief as depositary of the confiscated items.

The President and a mob of his followers broke the order of legality, rejected the resolution by the Judicial Power, assaulted the Air Force facilities in Tegucigalpa, where the confiscated material was being kept, misused his authority as President of Honduras, publicly expressed that he would not respect the rulings of the Judicial Power, and put forward that the Legislative Power was not representative of the People, but himself, who had been elected president of Honduras.

The Armed Forces of Honduras re established the order and legality.

The National Congress followed the constitutional process established in the Article 242, regarding the succession of the President in case of a definite absence.

The facts, as known to us outsiders, appear to correspond with this narrative of events – the ex-President of Honduras, emulating Chavez of Venezuela, was attempting to do an end-run around the Honduran constitution in order to secure for himself de-facto unlimited power. Certainly, the ex-President had (and has) some popular support for this, but even if it could be demonstrated that he had majority support for it, the actions taken by him appear to be in direct violation of the Honduran constitution.

The rest of Honduran society decided that, difficult as it was, it was better to get rid of the President than either fall under dictatorship or be forced in to civil war – summoning their legal powers, these opposition forces in Honduras turned the would-be tyrant out. Imagine if an American President attempted to submit a popular, national referendum as to whether or not we should call a constitutional convention? It can’t be done like that – any President attempting to do such a thing would have to be removed from office in order to protect our democratic republic even if such a move could be shown to have majority support. It must be kept in mind that in a democracy, it can never be pure majority rule – that isn’t democracy, that is tyranny dressed up as democracy. The key to successful democratic governance is to have things the government simply can’t do.

Our proper course is to respect the people of Honduras and allow them to work this out on their own – we certainly don’t need to be taken in train by the likes of Chavez and Castro.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-05

Matt Margolis

Reid Will be Beaten by Whomever the GOP Nominates

Mark Noonan

Handing it to us on a silver platter:

“I think I am an expert on getting things passed,” Reid told the Sun. “And before anyone gets too high and mighty about principles, they should understand that principles are in the eye of the beholder.”

Well, Senator, the people of the State of Nevada are beholding you – and you won’t be a Senator come January of 2011.

This is just so “Democrat” – who cares what is right or wrong, as long as power is exercised and Democrats can do whatever they please, its all good. We’re gonna have to change that…

Obama May Ignore Constitution, Rule by Decree

Mark Noonan

No, I’m not kidding:

With the clock running out on a new US-Russian arms treaty before the previous Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, expires on December 5, a senior White House official said Sunday said that the difficulty of the task might mean temporarily bypassing the Senate’s constitutional role in ratifying treaties by enforcing certain aspects of a new deal on an executive levels and a “provisional basis” until the Senate ratifies the treaty.

If isn’t ratified then it isn’t a treaty and thus isn’t a law – the President cannot enforce figments of his imagination. This is grounds for impeachment, if he does it…though with solid “don’t-give-a-hoot-about-the-constitution” Democrat majorities, nothing will come of it…