Ron Paul's Democratic Allies

Last night, the House of Representatives defeated an attempt by the Republicans to add Congressman Ron Paul's "Audit the Fed" bill to the Wall Street "reform" bill that was being debated. All of the Republicans united in this valiant but failed effort. Twenty-three Democrats also joined the effort, just short of two dozen. I'm listing all of these Democrats as I think they deserve special praise from Tea Partiers everywhere. I am an independent conservative and don't agree with Republicans all of the time, so I certainly don't agree with Democrats most of the time. But I am able to recognize an ally when I see one.

Boucher (Virginia)
Carney (Pennsylvania)
Childers (Mississippi)
Critz (Pennsylvania)
Edwards (Texas)
Giffords (Arizona)
Grayson (Florida)
Hodes (New Hampshire)
Kirkpatrick (Arizona)
Kratovil (Maryland)
Lipinski (Illinois)
Markey (Colorado)
McIntyre (North Carolina)
McNerney (California)
Minnick (Idaho)
Mitchell (Arizona)
Nye (Virginia)
Perriello (Virginia)
Ross (Arkansas)
Skelton (Missouri)
Space (Ohio)
Teague (New Mexico)
Titus (Nevada)

Thanks for your help guys (and gals)! We'll get them next time.

What is Robert Hurt Afraid Of?

The Perriello campaign lays the smackdown against Robert Hurt and his refusal to talk to Tea Party members and other independent voices:

Perriello’s campaign manager, Lise Clavel, said Friday that it is “pitiful” Hurt is unwilling to face Clark in a debate.

“Sen. Hurt could not get the majority support of his own party and now wants to silence independent voices that reflect many in this district, including many views of the Tea Party,” Clavel said. “Tom Perriello faced hundreds of Tea Party constituents during his 21 town hall meetings last summer. If Sen. Hurt wants this job so badly, why is he afraid to face just one?”

Tom Perriello isn't afraid to debate Robert Hurt and Jeffrey Clark together. Tom Perriello isn't afraid to spend hundreds of hours listening to constituents. Tom Perriello isn't afraid to meet one on one with Tea Party groups. Tom Perriello isn't afraid of going onto conservative radio to defend his views.

What is Robert Hurt afraid of?

Robert Hurt is afraid of debates and, after ducking several during the Republican primary, is now trying to avoid any debates during the general election.

Robert Hurt is afraid of talking to journalists without Chris LaCivita writing the press releases.

I think the next step for the Perriello campaign is to propose a compromise. LaCivita can stand in for Hurt and debate Clark and Perriello.

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.