Senator Reid Attacks Tea Party
January 18, 2012 at 12:41 am in News by Steve Davies 20 Comments
On January 15, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid again attacked the Tea Party, and urged Congressional Republicans to leave Tea Party “extremism” behind and “learn what legislation is all about.” What is so “extreme” about the Tea Party’s support of the core principles of: fiscal responsibility, constitutional limited government, and free market economics? After all, those are the basic core principles that made America great.
There is something very ugly and unprincipled about Harry Reid’s attack on the tea party movement – on the American citizens that call themselves tea partiers. And while he attacks innocent Americans who are simply engaging in the civic process, as is always lauded in speeches and editorials, he makes claims about his own record that are demonstrably false.
Sen. Reid’s statements on his website stand in stark contrast to reality. For example, on Sen. Reid’s website:
- Reid’s claim: “Senator Reid understands the serious long-term challenges facing the Federal government and has been an outspoken critic of policies that have led to a substantial increase in Federal debt over the past several years.”
- FACT: The national debt has risen from $8.7 trillion when Sen. Reid became the Senate Majority Leader in 2007 to $15.2 trillion as on January 12, 2012.
- Reid’s claim: “Sen. Reid introduced legislation calling for a top-to-bottom review of the entire federal budget, to root out federal waste, fraud and abuse.” S.10, Introduced 1/6/09.
- FACT: After three years this bill has not even passed out of a Committee in the Senate despite Sen. Reid being the leader of the Senate.
- Reid’s claim: “He took the lead in a successful effort to put tough pay-as-you-go rules [PAYGO] into law”.
- FACT: Sen. Reid has repeatedly ignored the PAYGO rule. If PAYGO had been implemented the debt will not be rising.
- Reid’s claim: “He helped push through budget resolutions that call for substantial reductions in our budget deficits”.
- FACT: Under Sen. Reid’s leadership, the Senate has not passed a budget in over 1000 days.
Reid said it is time for Congressional Republicans to “learn what Legislation is all about,” yet he refuses to work on a bipartisan basis on even the most important issue: Jobs. The Republican controlled House has passed 28 Jobs bills and Reid has refused to hold a hearing on any of them. “Legislation is all about” the Senate actually holding hearings on bills that passed the House and either amending them or passing them and sending them to the President for his signature. Legislation is NOT all about refusing to hold hearings; refusing to work on a bi-partisan basis; and not even passing a budget for almost 1000 days.
Apparently Sen. Reid believes that bipartisanship means accepting, without question, whatever Sen. Reid thinks is beneficial to furthering his agenda.
Article by Bob Willians – President of State Budget Solutions, a non-partisan organization advocating for fundamental reform and REAL solutions to the state budget crises.
The actual truth Mr. Reid, is that the entire Democratic party has become “extremists”. The DNC as a whole has exchanged the tennants of capatalism for the ideals of socialism. Just because free markets, constitutionaly limmited government and fiscal responcibility, which was the cornerstone of our republic for 200 years, has now become herresy to you and your ilk, does not make TPP extremists. What you are really upset with, Harry, is that due to the collosal failures of congress, the citizens of the U.S.A. are starting to wake up and get more involved and providing greater oversight of our elected representatives. This is not “extremism”, it’s the way a democrasy is supposed to function. “The success of a democrasy is directly dependant on the involvement of it’s citizens” – Thomas Jefferson
Not a credible comment . You poor inane,pathetic excuse for a thinker, why do you not learn to spell and then get your brain functioning after you have researched the facts.
No wonder the Tea Party extremists are the butt of so much hilarity internationally.
I just noticed your name …..Callahan ! We Irish should not be mixing with a bunch of
clowns like the Tea Party.
The Tea Party was formed because a lot of people were tired of being lied to by both parties. I haven’t forgotten and I’m sure most of the Tea Party members haven’t forgotten that both parties now have had control for 2 years, in the Bush administration and now the left. Niether party kept their promises to us. They both just crammed their agenda down our throats and cried when they got voted out of control for it. As an independent neither party deserves my vote and from here on out they have to prove to me that they are serious and not just telling me what I want to hear to get my vote. It is really sad to me that you are so insecure with yourself that you have to bash others to make yourself feel better. Even if you are a lefty or a righty you didn’t get what you were promised either. Take a stand for yourself insted of your party.
Tom, please learn proper punctuation before criticizing someone else’s spelling! You’re making us Irish-Americans look stupid. And when you’re quoting a historical person, like Thomas Jefferson, you do have to use the spelling of the author, which if you actually read historical documents as written, you’d realize these things.
Tom, People that live in glass houses should not throw rocks.
@Tom — I like James and his frankness. I’m glad he’s a TPP.
Fellow Citizens of America. If we do not like the way things have turned out over the last 30 years, then get rid of who is still there from 30 years ago.Vote them all out !!!. We must have a repeat of 2010, and gain the Senate, as well as the Presidency.
Senator Reid has consistently proven how out of touch he is with the majority of Americans by the comments he makes regarding any reasonable solutions to the problems we face as a nation. He also demonstrates his true ego-centric attitude he applys to any productive idea put forth by others, as they search for possible fixes to any problem. If the solution isn’t his, it is not brought to the floor or out of committee for a vote. He is so power hungry he refuses to allow common sense solutions by any one else to proceed to the White House for signature.
This man is a clear example of a trully incompetent politician riding on the coat tails of all the Union votes his flunkies in Nevada could force illegal Mexican workers to cast for him. He also has a large majority of mining companies in Nevada pressuring their workers to cast a vote for this prime example of a desert jack-ass on two legs.
A person concerned with retaining the votes of regular voters who put him in office, would not have the gall to so blatantly stand in the way of progress proposed by other Senators in their efforts to solve America’s economic disaster, as repeatedly as he has. His behavior makes a clear statement he is not worried about getting elected again by appearing to do anything meaningful to help the working people anywhere, especially in Nevada.
It must be remembered that Nevada is a right to work state with only two major industries to support the economy, mining and entertainment and unions control both of those industries. If you fail to do exactly what the company or the union wants, you lose your job in a heart beat. The last thing you want to do in that state is something to piss off the boss or a union official, because there’s at least five illegals waiting to take your job just outside the gate you entered that morning to come to work.
The real true tragedy in all this mess is that he is Majority leader in the U.S. Senate. We must do all within our power to make sure incompetent fools like this man are not re-elected, and that they never gain this much power for a long time.
The Tea Party Express messed that up for us. They did not support Sue Lowden who would have beat Reid. Why they did not listen to us I do not know.
Citizens of the United States lay to heavily on government to be the flawless mechanism of non-bias representation and need to brush up on the true disgusting socializing gears of “politics” which have consumed legislation. The Senator is pandering vocally and come on what the heck do you expect it’s the same way bloggers on this cite aim their passion at Barrack. We are extreme and it’s human but we cannot tolerate when any of the Tea party Republicans pander to the middle because it is not the mojo they voted for. Citizens are the true problem because only Citizens can become these men and women, so talk to your friends and get this social isolation theory out of our minds and put the good of America in our hearts
You have got that right Al. I lived in Nevada for 12 years. The Elardi’s owned the Frontier Hotel and it was not Unionized. The Unions posted pickets all around the Hotel and harrased everyone entering and leaving it. They did this for years. As you know it was Never Unionized and was sold and imploded. The Unions run the State of Nevada and this is who keep Reid in Office.
Al,
You have got it right. Reid lost to every precinct in the state but for Las Vegas (the city)
There is the one thing you missed, the illegals that voted.
It’s incredibly funny to watch people try to judge the government. I would LOVE to see someone Like any of you try to become a senator or president. You would have NO idea what to do. Few people who criticize the government have even taken a basic economics course. America can’t collapse as we make up 20% of the worlds economy, and we are so economically tied with the world economy thatWE are too big to fail. If creative destruction were to take place then the world would go to poop.
The world is going to poop! Haven’t you noticed?
Reid doesn’t need the urge the Republican Establishment to split with us, they have never been on board with the Tea Party in the first place.
Reid is a slime. What the public needs to understand that the Republican party are not going to go for any of Obama’s Socialistic Agenda or Reid’s for that matter. He has held up 30 Bills in the Senate all to do with jobs and the economy. He is the one who is not cooperating and is holding back people getting jobs and getting this country back on track because they want to throw their socialistic agenda down our throats. What they basically do is tear down the society. i.e. giving condem education to kindergarten children and the like that bring down the society and along with being dependent on the government. And then comes along Obama who if he were to get his way, he would be a full on Dictator, our lives would be controlled from cradle to grave, and we would be completely dependent on the government for everything. Medical, jobs, housing, food, the whole works and we would have lost our freedom forever. Socialism has been tried many times in Europe, Canada, and Cuba. It does not work. As Margaret Thatcher said, “The problem with Socialism, You run out of Other People’s Money”.
The Republicans are fighting to retain our capitalist form of government and our constitution and that is the main reason why they are not going along with any of Obama’s Bills or ideas to change this country. We have had enough of his Hope and Change and the sooner he and his wife are out of the WH the better. You can bet that this election will be the dirtiest yet.
As a group, I think the Tea Party organization and members should think about another big rally in early spring or summer and more people this time although last time we had well over a million participants, just to show solidarity and strength and let DC know we are here and we are not going away. God Bless America….
Doris, the problem with another huge rally is that Van Jones and his minions are spoiling to start violence. I was at the Americans for Prosperity conference in DC in early Nov. THe Occupy DC thugs roughed up folks who were just trying to get from the convention hall to the hotel a block away.
I can understand your pining for another massive rally. I was at the million plus TP rally in 2009. It was inspiring. You felt the heart of America was still beating strongly. But TP folks will not tolerate the thuggish behavior that took place at the AFP event. They would fight back and play right into Van Jones’ Rules for Radicals hands. And then Dingy Harry could really paint us as radicals.
I think we can be more effective holding patriot house parties and going door to door to wake voters up.
I think that it needs to be said, those in Washington work for us, no matter what demographic they leaned on to get to the their elected position. They need to be made to understand that they are not “royalty”. When they are finally made to understand this, then we’ll be able to do what is right for our country at the ballot box.
Another scenario we need to worry about is the issue of photo identification at the ballot box. This will prevent voter fraud, which is something that the left has no intention of stopping. We have to show a valid photo i.d. in order to receive our presecription meds and also to buy tobacco, and liquor. Why not make it mandatory for voting as well?
Know thy enemy. One of my maxims that is as I have fought against them on two continents. You would do well to be forewarned. We need to rally, and we need to do what is right, just, and true.
Go to the ballot box and rally. Cast your vote and be heard.
Senator Reid has not worked in the American peoples or Nevada’s best interest, ever. All he cares about is his liberal agenda, and keeping his beloved Cowboy Poetry well funded at taxpayers expense. I am proud to be a Tea Party Patriot member and a Teaparty First Brigade supporter. We have been called every name the left and MSM could think of from teabaggers to Nazi’s, to discredit us and make us irrelevent. Nothing they have said or done has worked. If anything, it has knitted us into a tighter bond, and strengthened our resolution. We are getting stronger every day, and one thing you can be sure of. We are not going away.
“… the Tea Party’s support of the core principles of: fiscal responsibility, constitutional limited government, and free market economics…” Unfortunatly, the Tea Party has muffled it’s own voice by stepping away from it’s core.
I’ve read multiple articles debating endorsements that should be made for Romney or Gingrich – because they are “electable” and we “must defeat Obama” – but what about the principles this movement was based on? It’s hypocritical.
Ron Paul is the “unelectable” because we have made him so. But since when do WE give up our right VOTE? WE, the people choose. Ron Paul may not be the perfect candidate, but he is the ONLY one that comes close to the criteria that we have decided matters – He’d uphold the constitution and maintain governments course strictly as indicated in the constitution. That’s exactly what this movement asks.
I guess as part of the movement we should add that they are 55-65 years old and look like Ken…. or is that really that important…. ?