“The new debate in the Republican party needs to be between conservatives and libertarians,” says Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). “A lot of the libertarian ideas that Ron Paul is talking about…should not be alien to any Republican.”

Yet right after the 2010 midterm elections, the influential Tea Party favorite proclaimed that “you can’t be a fiscal conservative and not be a social conservative,” a comment that was widely viewed as a slap at libertarians. And South Carolina’s junior senator is also a staunch pro-lifer, has favored a constitutional ban on flag burning, and is on the record saying that gays shouldn’t be allowed to teach at public schools.

More recently, DeMint has been leaning libertarian. His new book, Now or Never: Saving America from Economic Collapse, is a warning to the nation that we need radical spending cuts (including putting defense spending on the table) or else face economic oblivion. And he was instrumental in getting Tea Party Republicans elected in 2010, including the most libertarian member of the caucus, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who also wrote the foreword to DeMint’s book.

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The mainstream media is knocking itself out making comparisons between the Occupy Wall Street protests and the tea party movement. For years, the left has tried to find a left-wing equivalent to the tea party movement without success. Remember the Coffee Party? I didn’t think so.

The protesters in Manhattan and the tea party are 180 degrees apart. This rag-tag group of unwashed, middle-class socialists protesting against corporations and the rich don’t really know why they’re protesting. They just know they want something for free.  Lots of free stuff to everyone, except to the wealthy who produce the free stuff, is what the protesters want.

The Occupy Wall Street protesters represent perfectly what liberals, such as Nancy Pelosi, initially labeled the tea party movement in 2009. Pelosi tried to halt the rapid spread of the grass-roots tea party by suggesting it was controlled by the Republican Party and calling it “astro-turf.” That failed as people recognized that the Republican Party is not capable of creating anything with the brilliance of the tea party movement. The Occupy Wall Street protesters are another matter. The strings controlling it run directly to the labor unions and the White House. Obama political advisor Patrick Gaspard, who has worked closely with the ACORN-controlled Working Families Party and the largest local within the Service Employees International Union, has actually advertised on Craigslist to pay protesters to join in the fun taking place in Manhattan. Don’t expect any reporting of this from the mainstream media! They are too busy trying to compare the incomparable Occupy Wall Street to American patriots in the tea party movement.

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This week, while walking to classes at Minnesota State University Moorhead, I kept seeing members of the Occupy MN movement walking around with signs, trying to recruit students to go down to Minneapolis and join their protest. I decided to go talk to two of the men and get more information about their movement; more specifically, I asked why they were personally involved. They told me how they both worked at fast food restaurants and were worried about getting a better job after they graduate this year.

As a college student and journalist, I can totally relate to their concerns; however, I totally disagree that forcing the “rich” (for this movement, that seems to be anyone making more than I am at a given moment) to pay higher taxes than they already do will somehow create jobs. I wanted to see what the rest of their members were thinking, so I decided to go to the meeting that night with them.

Everyone in the movement was extremely nice to me and genuinely cared about the direction our country was heading. Some of the members did make some, in my humble opinion, absurd comments. One of the older women there tried to recruit us to help the union members protest American Crystal Sugar. She told us about the importance of unions:  “Labor has made this country great. Many people are telling us that unions aren’t important anymore, but unions have got the middle class where we are today and are just as relevant as ever.”

Many of the people there didn’t identify themselves with either political party. They all talked about corporate greed and how both sides were maintaining the status quo, acting as puppets of the wealthy. One man said, “As long as both sides get paid by the same people, nothing will change. We aren’t a democracy by the people anymore; it is controlled by the corporations. Take the money out of the system or you are just spinning your tires. I don’t think the liberal model of trying to make them feel guilty is working; we need a group of protestors like in New York to scare the shit out of people — legally of course. It scares the hell out of the right wing media who is trying to turn us into an angry mob with no purpose.”

Another man built upon the previous statement, “Egypt showed the world you can show up and change things. We will be worse off and the corporations will be better off unless we are engaged like the protestors in New York. They got arrested, but they keep coming back. That’s the type of determination we need.”

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In light of a recent poll showing America’s distrust of the national media, I thought I would pick a topic for a case study. What better topical study is there when exploring the media’s methods and concerns than with the Tea Party?

My approach was simple. I took data from 2010 and up to this point in 2011 based off key word searches in Google. For example, In 2010 I searched “Tea Party and racists” and pulled the number given from its search engine. On a positive side, as you can see from the chart, spending was a major keyword associated with the Tea Party in 2010. My, though, how the change a year makes.

In 2011, the tea party/racists word association climbed to over one million results, an increase from the year before.

The tea party/terrorists word association increased by over 10 million results from the year before.

As one would expect, tea party/spending word association dropped from over 17 million hits in 2010 to just over 300,00 heading into the tenth month of the year.

Some limitations to my approach

As I searched through the fist couple of pages of results, it became apparent that not every headline used “racism” or “terrorists” negatively. For example a writer at National Review Online or Big Government may use those two words in a headline, but it would be so to point out some ridiculous claim made by a blogger or media personality, etc. However, the fact that it must be done, that the words “racism” and “terrorists” are so commonly associated with the Tea Party around the web, and that point become moot. Because instead of laughing the assortment of yahoos who make these claims off the planet, conservatives and civic minded people busy themselves with defending the accusations.

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On August 21, 2011, Rep. Maxine Waters, a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, at what was supposed to be a “jobs fair”, in Inglewood, California, made the following statement: “This is a tough game. You can’t be intimidated. You can’t be frightened. And as far as I’m concerned — the tea party can go straight to hell and I intend to help them get there!”

At a town hall meeting in Miami, Florida, on August 22, 2011 Rep. Andre Carson, also a Congressional Black Caucus member, charged that there are members of congress, who are Tea Party members, that have nefarious intentions towards Americans of African descent. Among his accusations:

•The Tea Party is stopping change in Congress
•“This is the effort that we are seeing of Jim Crow”
•“Some of these folks would love to see us as second class citizens”
•“Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me hanging on a tree”

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), another member of the Congressional Black Caucus, at the same “jobs fair” in Miami, Florida, stated: “Let us all remember who the real enemy is,” she said. “The real enemy is the Tea Party. The Tea Party holds the Congress hostage. They have one goal in mind, and that’s to make President Obama a one-term president.”

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The Left’s working motto consistently turns out to be “do as I say, not as I do.”  How else could they possibly make bold pronouncements to the media but live the exact opposite?

The day before his declaration of war on the Tea Party movement, Teamsters President James Hoffa appeared on CNN and deemed American companies as “unpatriotic,” according to the Political Ticker.

“I think the president should challenge the patriotism of these American corporations that are sitting on the sidelines,” Hoffa said. “The problem in America isn’t that we don’t have enough money. We’ve got more money than any other country in the world. The problem is American businesses not spending it and not getting it in the game.”

Is Hoffa willing to have his own patriotism challenged?  Because some inconvenient truths emerge from the financial report his Teamsters union filed with the federal government.

According to an LM-2 report filed earlier this year, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents truck drivers and some school employees, ended 2010 with $108,608,477 in the bank.  That’s a whopping 24.9% increase in net assets over 2009, when the union reported $86,942,076 in assets.

In contrast, the Teamsters reported $88,371,439 in liabilities.  So if the union could afford to go without any new revenue and still meet its obligations for well over 12 months.

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Can’t remember what Barack Obama said when he spoke in Tuscon, Ariz., at the Jan. 12 campaign rally disguised as a memorial service to honor the people killed in Tucson four days earlier? You’re not alone. After hearing AFL-CIO President Jimmy Hoffa call for war on the Tea Party Monday, the president seemed as if he had forgotten his words, too. Those words, by the way, surface at the 1:01:19 mark of the video below:

His exact words:

“But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do – it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.”

Now, fast forward to Monday when AFL-CIO President Jimmy Hoffa spoke to a mostly-union crowd at a Labor Day rally in Detroit before introducing President Obama. The video below captures the first “lowlight” of the event:

Hoffa used the following inflammatory rhetoric:

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After weeks of hard negotiation a compromise deal is has been drafted and will be voted on by both houses before the end of the day tomorrow. This deal does give a political victory for some of the players and more importantly can even lead to a victory for the country provided that GOP leadership of both houses consider this as a starting point, and make certain steps to keep the pressure coming. The bill will not forestall a ratings download, but honestly I don’t believe that anything could as even a bill that cut $4 trillion doesn’t cut the deficit but merely slows down its growth.

Truther, Self-described communist, and former Obama Green Jobs Czar Van Jones has a new mission, to start a progressive version of the Tea Party movement.  Just like the real tea party, the Van Jones creation is based on economics.  There are major differences though, being a progressive movement its basic premise is a lie, and instead of being a bottom up grass roots organization like the tea party, the Van Jones version is top down similar to the progressive philosophy that everything must be run by a central government.

I recently met with a conservative Texas Congressman. I will not reveal his name because he did not give me permission and because it’s not the first time I have heard what he told me concerning the disappointing performance of Republican House Leadership since they were returned to power.

“What is it about the November election that Republican leadership doesn’t understand?” That is the first question I ask any Republican elected official who works in Washington. Each response from the numerous conservative Congressmen has been some variation of “they just don’t get it.” The Congressman who I met with said basically what I already knew, “House leadership has no plan to cut spending, repeal ObamaCare and is not conservative.”

Beyond that, the Congressman reported that he’s even heard Speaker Boehner speak derogatorily of the tea party behind closed doors. I’m not surprised. I have often said the Republican elite would like to see the tea party movement go away much more than the Democrats. I spoke last month with another Texas conservative Congressman who reported that Boehner has surrounded himself with “yes” men who are not conservatives and, if they once were, have sold their souls for leadership positions. Do you hear me Jeb Hensarling?

It’s this simple, the House Republican leaders have no plan to cut real federal spending or to repeal ObamaCare. Repealing or defunding ObamaCare was the ONE priority Americans sent the Republicans to do when they were returned to power in the House. I began to sense how things would be when Republicans pledged to cut spending by only $100 billion. $100 billion? Wow. Veni, vidi, durmi! I came, I saw, I yawned! We have a $1.65 TRILLION deficit this year alone! And, of course, Republican leadership has already retreated from the $100 billion to a measly $51 billion. You have to hand it to Republicans, they never fail to disappoint!

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This article first appeared at the Huffington Post.

The latest James O’Keefe success story against NPR has taken a predictable pattern — panicked press releases and firings, followed by denunciation of O’Keefe in a belated attempt to discredit him. Naturally, conservatives are crowing about it, but I wanted to give a little perspective to those Huffington Post readers–whatever your political stripe–who share my passion for free speech, honest debate, and fairness in the media.

Over the past year, the mainstream media has collaborated with the White House in an attempt to paint the Tea Party as racist. Remember the protests on Capitol Hill last March against ObamaCare, and the media’s lie that members of the Congressional Black Congress had awful racial slurs hurled at them by Tea Party members that weekend? Did you know that there’s video evidence that it isn’t true?

Not just one video, either. Four of them. Yes. Four. Of. Them. There’s not one shred of objective evidence that corroborates the “Tea Party N-Word” story. But the mainstream media has allowed the lie to live on as one of the central “proofs” of Tea Party racism. It’s been debunked, but it’s raised time and time again by those claiming “reality” as their mantle.

The mainstream media promotes the idea that the Tea Party is racist because they want to delegitimize an authentic, grassroots movement that stands up to big government. And the “Tea Party N-word” story ties all the other lies about the Tea Party together–that it’s violent, that it’s extreme, that it’s a “mob.” If you want to see what a violent, extreme mob looks like, go to Madison to see the crazed throngs the media refuses to scrutinize. (more…)

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson is joined by U.S. Senate candidate Jamie Radtke to discuss the Tea Party movement, budget cuts needed in Washington and much more.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

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The Hill has a month-by-month recap of 2010:

The grassroots conservative political movement made its clout felt the entire year, from the healthcare reform debate to GOP primaries and the general election last month.

Senior Democrats, ranging from Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.), aggressively attacked the Tea Party in the lead-up to the midterms, hoping that doing so would soften losses to the GOP. House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) and other Republicans embraced the movement, believing its energy would benefit their party at the polls.

In the end, the Tea Party was in many ways a net asset for the GOP as Republicans grabbed control of the House and cut into the Democratic majority in the Senate.

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The powerful Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship is up for grabs.  Former Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) is seeking a waiver to regain the post.  As supporters of term-limits, we believe new blood and new leadership is essential for democracy.

Upton Memo – E_C Chairman Pledge

Barton is being challenged by more moderate Fred Upton (R-MI).  Rep. Upton has had some questionable votes in his past, but Big Government has obtained a memo that Upton is circulating to his colleagues that makes it clear he has received the message of the election of 2010 and has pledged to govern the Committee with a conservative reform agenda that is sorely needed.

The memo in part states:

1. I pledge to protect the sanctity of life through the vigorous oversight and by passing Rep. Pitts’ Protect Life Act and Rep. Chris Smith’s No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act to ensure that no taxpayer dollars every go to abortion.
2. I will reveal, repeal and replace ObamaCare.
3. I will exert tireless oversight of the EPA and stop implementation of a carbon regulation scheme and other job killing regulations.
4. I will immediately adopt new committee rules to foster spending cuts and eliminate government spending programs.
5. I will prevent the FCC from regulating the Internet.
6. I will ensure all of the Committee’s legislation is consistent with traditional family values.

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Senate Republicans think you are stupid.  Leaders in the Senate Republican Caucus are opposing a measure by Tea Party Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina to ban earmarks for two years.  The elites are angry.

Senate Republican Leaders have led an effort to beat back DeMint’s proposal in an effort to save earmarking.  An Earmark is a special project, usually secured by a lobbyist friend of the politician, for a project in a Senator’s home state.  See Bridge to Nowhere is an excellent example of an earmark.  An earmark is a means for Members of Congress to send federal money to projects favored by the member.  These members are elitists who think the Tea Party movement will tolerate Republicans going back to the free spending ways of the Bush years.

On Tuesday, Senator DeMint is forcing a vote on a proposal to change the rules of the Senate Republican Caucus to ban earmarks for two years.  Seems like a proposal that makes sense, yet the elites and lobbyists are angry.  Leaders of the party are fighting against DeMint to make sure that they can preserve earmarking.  They just don’t get it and believe that the Tea Party movement is here to serve selfish politics.

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One of the biggest slanders leveled against the Tea Party Movement is that they are “anti-immigrant.” That’s nonsense, and everyone knows it. We Conservatives are not “anti-immigration” — we are anti-ILLEGAL immigration, and for a large number of very good reasons; not the least of which is that it makes fools out of the thousands and millions of honest, hard-working and patient LEGAL immigrants who are playing by the rules and doing the right thing by their new home.

There’s a pretty handy response to the whole “we didn’t cross the border; the border crossed us” nonsense you hear from racist groups like La Raza (The Race!) Once you get the issue away from being for or against immigration, versus being for or against illegal immigration, well… we can win all across the board on that ground.

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On today’s Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Anne Sorock of the Sam Adams Alliance to discuss their in-depth study of the Tea Party movement, their successes and failures in the 2010 election and how they may influence governing in this upcoming Congress.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. You can find our iTunes feed at CoffeeandMarkets.com. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

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Something HUGE happened Tuesday…

No, not the shift in power in the House or the Republican gains in the Senate, this wasn’t done be the voters. No, the big story is…

…San Francisco banned the Happy Meal.

The new law takes effect on December 1 and bans the practice of giving away toys with kids meals unless the meal tastes like cardboard and is something no kid wants to eat has under 600 calories,  and includes fruits and veggies. Oh, and no excessive fat or sugar in the drink.

So, brussel sprouts, spinach leaves, a soy burger and water? Mmmmmm! Come on, kids, let’s go to McAwful’s!

The “do-gooders” on the S.F. Board of Supervisors know what’s best for you and your children. Just ask them.

“Our children are sick. Rates of obesity in San Francisco are disturbingly high, especially among children of color,” said San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar, who sponsored the measure.

Ronald McDonald, you are a red haired clown monster. You’re killing our children and you seem to take great pleasure in harming our “children of color.” How do you sleep at night, sir?

“This is a challenge to the restaurant industry to think about children’s health first and join the wide range of local restaurants that have already made this commitment,” Mar said.

This is exactly the type of government overreaching that was rejected on Tuesday. It’s the parents’ job to decide what to feed their children, not the government’s. Leave. Us. Alone.

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In today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech discuss what comes next — they are joined by RedState’s Erick Erickson to talk about today’s elections, what Republicans will do once they take over in Washington, and the role Erick and RedState have played in the conservative movement.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment.com and Stephen Clouse and Associates. We’d also like to let you know that we’ve set up a standalone site at CoffeeandMarkets.com for easier browsing of our past broadcasts.

You can subscribe to the podcast by following the links above, and if you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

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A talk Before a Tea Party rally sponsored by the Cecil County (Md.) Patriots in Elkton, Md., 10/23/10

Twenty months ago, on February 19, 2009, business reporter Rick Santelli of CNBC took to the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to deliver his famous rant against government bail-outs, and call for “a Chicago tea party.”

Santelli may have sparked the Tea Party movement. But he only tapped into outrage that had been growing in many of us for decades.

For too long, you and I have watched helplessly as a clique of politicians, intellectuals, activists, and bureaucrats from both parties have tried to obliterate our Constitution, our capitalist system, and our personal liberty. This “bipartisan Ruling Class”—as scholar Angelo Codevilla describes it—sees itself as a moral, cultural, and intellectual elite. Codevilla says that “Today’s ruling class, from Boston to San Diego, was formed by an educational system that exposed them to the same ideas and gave them remarkably uniform guidance, as well as tastes and habits.”

Oozing sanctimonious arrogance, viewing the rest of us as coarse, unsophisticated rubes who cling bitterly to guns and bibles, this class seeks to impose its own supposedly superior values and visions upon the rest of us, by force of law.

As we know too well, the ultimate goal of our Ruling Class is power. They exist—not to produce, not to invent, not to create—but to manipulate and master others. Ronald Reagan memorably summed up the Ruling Class’s governing outlook this way: “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

By contrast, the rest of us Americans seek power over circumstances, but not over each other. We acquire our personal sense of identity and self-esteem through productive work—not through imposing our will, values, and visions on our neighbors. We accept a “live and let live” philosophy.

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