Taking a Stand Against Violence

Yesterday, I called on all candidates for the Republican nomination against Tom Perriello to stand against violence and for civility in politics. So far, Laurance Verga, Ken Boyd, and Feda Morton have all stepped up to set a strong example as conservatives who strongly disagree with Tom Perriello and are working to remove him from office, but doing so through the ballot box, not by using the bullet box. The Jefferson Area Tea Party, based in Charlottesville, has also condemned the violence. So have our Governor, Bob McDonnell, and our Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, have also stood up against this attempt at intimidation. The Roanoke Times has the story.

Gov. Bob McDonnell echoed Perriello's beliefs that any problems with Perriello's performance should be handled at the ballot box.

"I certainly condemn anybody using any acts of vandalism or violence to express their opinion," he said. "That's not the way we do business in Virginia."

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who has a following in the Tea Party movement, called the posting of Perriello's brother's address "appalling."

"I think that is way over the line," he said. "I don't think it's close. It's an appalling approach. It's not civil discourse. It's an invitation to intimidation."

But the NRCC's Andy Sere wants to make sure we don't forget that Tom Perriello isn't the victim.

While his organization doesn't condone such behavior, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Sere said Perriello is not the victim.

"Central and Southside Virginians are the ones who are going to have the bear the burden of increased taxes," he said. "What you're seeing is a frustration among his constituents who believe he's not listening to them."

Yes, Central and Southside Virginians will suffer. But to claim that Perriello isn't the victim, when the lives of his brother and his brother's family are in danger, is deeply offensive. It's just the sort of out of touch and anti-family comment I've come to expect from the jerk who attacked Rick Boucher for missing votes because his mother was on her deathbed.

A day after all of the Charlottesville area candidates managed to come out against threats of violence, where is Robert Hurt? Is Hurt too busy fundraising at the end of the financial quarter to make a statement? Is he too worried about coming out in opposition to the antics of the Danville Tea Party, which have been condemned by the local paper? Is this just how they do things down in Southside? Or maybe Hurt's going to let a spokesman explain everything for us because he's too afraid to do anything on his own?

Target Tom: Tea Party Activists Cross The Line

I blogged on Sunday about my concerns that parts of the Tea Party movement has crossed the line and is now threatening to bring down the greatest grassroots conservative movement since the election of Ronald Reagan. I thought that spitting on members of Congress and hurling slurs at them was unbecoming of a civilized nation such as the United States. It's certainly not how my mamma raised me.

Now we have the news that local Tea Party activists, including the Chairman of the Danville Tea Party, spread an address they believed to be Congressman Tom Perriello's residency. They were encouraging people to "stop by" to express their views to Perriello after his health care vote. A vote that saw vandalism of several Democrat offices and threats of assassination against President Obama.

This is getting out of hand:

When Coleman learned the address was actually Perriello’s brother’s — Politico reported he and his wife have four young children — Coleman commented on another blog that the mistake was “collateral damage.”

“Do you mean I posted his brother’s address on my Facebook?” Coleman wrote. “Oh well, collateral damage.”

What angers me is that Nigel and Mike are totally unapologetic about their mistake:

“If they would like to provide me with the address of Tom, then I’d be more than happy to take it down,” he said. “I have no reason to believe it’s not his house.”

. . .

Feigel justified Troxel’s decision to post the home address by saying that Perriello’s office does not “respond to e-mail, they don’t respond to letters, they don’t respond to us showing up at his office. So what am I going to do?”

“We should be protesting on his front lawn. He betrayed his district,” Feigel added.

I am getting pretty sick and tired about complaints that Perriello isn't responding to us. Look, the guy is a liberal Democrat. Everyone knew that in 2008. Virgil narrowly lost because of the historic turnout of the Democratic base in 2008, good campaigning by Perriello, and horrible campaigning by Tucker Watkins. Perriello is just doing what he ran to do, vote like a Democrat. And given that the polls show him neck and neck with any opponent, instead of far behind, there seem to be a damn many liberals hiding around in the Fifth. If you don't know any, get your ass out of Southside and go to Charlottesville. And don't complain that Perriello is hiding from us when the guy did 21 town halls in August and appeared on Bradley's show! The guy talks to the public far more than Virgil ever did. I disagree with what he's saying, but you're an idiot if you think you're going to change his mind. Do you think liberal protesters and Code Pink could ever have changed Virgil's mind? Hell no!

But back to my anger . . .

I don't know if I have words to describe this.

Law enforcement authorities are investigating the discovery of a cut propane gas line at the Virginia home of Rep. Tom Perriello’s (D-Va.) brother, whose address was targeted by tea party activists angry at the congressman’s vote for the health care bill.

An aide to the congressman confirmed to POLITICO that a line to a propane tank behind his brother's home near Charlottesville had been sliced.

WHAT.

THE.

HELL.

Yesterday, Republican Laurance Verga tweeted his response to the story of Perriello's brother's address being posted:

I discourage all from protesting on @TomPerriello's private property. Show him the respect we all deserve http://gop.am/505o

The same day, Lucy Goode defended the posting of the address, calling it a distraction from the real issue. I wonder how she would feel if her life were in danger.

As far as I know, Verga is the only Republican candidate with the basic human decency to come out and defend Perriello and his family. I demand that EVERY Republican in the race against Perriello come out and say the same, or else they have shown themselves to be the candidate of the terrorist fringe.

Tea Party Overreach?

This weekend, the Tea Party movement appears to have overplayed its hand and risks alienating the rest of the nation just as much as the Democrat Party has.

Spitting on members on Congress and using racial slurs against them totally undermines the work of other Tea Party activists, including those here in Virginia, to present the movement as respectful and fueled not by racism, but by liberty and freedom.

I cannot express how . . . annoyed, to be polite, I have been with the constant tweeting of phone numbers of members of Congress, followed by constant complaints that no one is answering the phone. I wonder why? I see tweets from people listing the members who they swear to defeat this fall that includes members who are retiring. Are you that uninformed? I see tweets labeling some members as undecided who have come out yes or no. The whole process is an unorganized chaotic mob.

I am close to the point of giving up on politics entirely. The Tea Party movement is showing itself to be utterly disorganized with most members lacking in any degree of civil discourse. The work of a few selfless organizers is being overwhelmed by the raw anger of conservatives who, ultimately, care more about yelling than anything else. I frankly question how many of the Virginia folks who went to DC this weekend understand that unless something happens quick in the GOP primary, we'll have a tax-raising liar as our nominee.

Perriello's Perfect End Game

We are just days, if not hours, away from a final vote on the Democrat health care "reform" package and the Republican Party, particularly the NRCC, is allowing Tom Perriello to position himself perfectly for victory.

You heard me right.

Let's recap what the Republican Party is doing. In the final hours before the Democrat majority passes a massive government take over of health care, a take over that includes a slate of new taxes and Big Brother forcing you to buy their health insurance, the Republican Party is focused on the secondary issues of abortion and parliamentary procedure.

Don't get me wrong. I'm pro-life. I'm pro-democracy and pro-Constitution. What the Democrats are doing is total sleaze. But I'm not now nor will ever be a swing voter. I'm smart enough to see through the Democrat lies.

First, the NRCC's Andy Sere foolishly pounced on an offhand comment by Perriello on MSNBC to claim that he was backing away from his pledge to oppose federal funding of abortion. This gave Perriello the chance to reinforce his pledge, which was spread across the district.

This might have worked if the NRCC felt confident that they could trap Perriello as a hypocrite if he later voted for the Senate version of the bill AND if they convincingly argued that it did allow for federal funding of abortion. But in a masterful attack on the Republican Party, Perriello came out firing from both barrels to argue that the Senate language was good enough. The district coverage is comprehensive. The supporters, from Catholic Hospitals to local Virginia professors, are strong. And now Perriello has Catholic groups running ads in the district backing him up, citing a group Perriello founded!!!!!



Andy Sere has been caught with his pants down. Perriello has totally out played the Republicans on this one and has left Sere crying on the side lines like Vanderbilt against St. Murray. This has become a story of "He says, she says" in which the Republicans can cite their pro-life organizations and Catholic bishops while Perriello has his Catholic nuns and other religious organizations. A swing voter isn't going to know who to believe, but they are going to know that Perriello manages to get called "pro-life" in almost every article out there without having done or said ANYTHING to define himself as "pro-life."

So now that Perriello has neutralized the issue of abortion, he's turned to the parliamentary procedure. Or the insider baseball crap, as he calls it. Once again, Perriello is able to vote against his party on something meaningless and look like the good Catholic choir boy who believes in fairness and transparency.

If the Republican Party doesn't move fast, Perriello will be able to vote for a "reconciled" health care bill that fixes the most "offensive" parts of the Senate bill, like the kickbacks to Nebraska, Louisiana, and Florida, but not the socialist core of the bill. Will the new bill suddenly reverse course and embrace the free market? Hell no. Will it allow choice and competition? Hell no. But will it sound a lot better than the scary pro-abortion and pro-corruption bill that the GOP has been talking about for weeks? Yes.

The Republican Party has to start listening to the Tea Party movement, the folks who really see what matters. There is a big government takeover of our society. All aspects of our society. Focus on these issues and we'll win. Ignore them and you'll keep Democrats like Pelosi and Perriello in power.

Big News in VA-05

I am surprised that there's any member of the General Assembly willing to bolt the establishment and support anyone but Robert Hurt. I'm even more surprised that they picked Feda Morton to endorse! Now if only Morton could get endorsed by someone in the district, unless she's thinking of running against Rob Wittman. This press release came via e-mail:

Republican Fifth District Congressional candidate Feda Morton has received the endorsement of State Delegate Brenda Pogge (R96th). Delegate Pogge joins a growing list of influential conservative leaders throughout the Fifth District and the Commonwealth who are backing Morton's candidacy.

"Feda Morton is a conservative leader of principle who has worked tirelessly for decades leading on issues important to our movement. As a member of Congress, she will not only cast the right votes, but will be a leader on the issues that matter the most in putting our nation back on the right course. I predict she will be a leader in the mold of the late great Congresswomen Jo Ann Davis, for whom I worked with closely in the past."

"I am very thankful for the confidence and trust that Del. Pogge is entrusting in me and in our campaign", Morton said. "She knows that I will be an advocate for the citizens of the Fifth Congressional District", Morton said in response to Delegate Pogge's endorsement. Morton stated that her 20 years of experience working to build the conservative wing of the Republican Party is one of her key strengths that prompted Delegate Pogge to endorse her candidacy. "Delegate Pogge knows that I have been consistent in my conservative beliefs throughout my years as a builder of our party", Morton continued. "The positions that I have on the issues that our country is facing today are consistent with the beliefs that I have had throughout my adult life."

Time to Cull the Herd!

The Second Lump Report is out ranking the candidates in the Republican Primary field.

Let us once again clarify to the those who are unfamiliar with the TEA Party movement, the political foundation and focus are; (1) limited government, (2) fiscal responsibility, (3) free and fair markets, (4) individual liberty base on personal responsibility, and (5) a return to constitutional governance. We, the TEA Party, believe these constitutional principles, as well as others, have been consistently disregarded by the current, and past administrations.

That's great, and their rankings provide some insight into how to cull the herd of candidates:

McPadden: 3.5 lumps
McKelvey: 3.5 lumps
Verga: 3 lumps
Boyd: 2 lumps
Morton: 1.5 lumps
Hurt: 1.5 lumps
Ferrin: 0.5 lumps

Ferrin and Morton have to drop out, now. Hurt isn't going to drop out, so if we want a chance at defeating him in the Republican Primary we need to reduce the number of candidates. Ferrin and Morton don't have money, don't have any name ID, and don't have the support of the conservative grassroots. I think McPadden needs to drop out too, but I understand he's a grassroots favorite. I also think McKelvey should consider a plan to drop out now to prepare a run for seat as an independent, as he has the resources and willingness to give it a go.

Also, here's their take on Goode:

Although Mr. Goode is not a candidate, the TEA Party leaders included him in their discussions, and “IF he were a candidate to recapture the seat he held for 12 years as many TEA Party and other VA5th district voters wish, he would garner a minimum of 4 Lumps.

Agreed!