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THE MAGAZINE FOR POLIT ICAL NEWS
2 The Political Beat October/November 2010
10. THE RANGEL REPORT
20. THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON
22. IT’S THE CONSTITUTION
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2
IRON BOWL ISSUE 2010
CONTENTPB
The President 6
New Leadership in Congress
John Boehner
14
18Fred Ricgardson
Moonpie Drop
3 The Political Beat October/November 2010
Ron Wallace is an inspir ingEdi tor- In-Chief for The Po-l i t ical Beat . A Pol i t ical Pub-l ica t ion publ i shed d ig i ta l lyevery two months . Wal laceis a de tec t ive wi th the Mo-bi le Pol ice Depar tment ,where he i s ass igned to theCriminal Invest igat ion Divi-s ion . He i s a na t ive of Mo-bi le and a graduate of JohnLeFlore High School . Wal-lace served on ac t ive dutywith the U. S. Marine Corpsfor e ight years .
He has s tud ied a t the Uni -vers i ty of South Alabamaand Bishop State Universi ty.He’s a l so a cer t i f ied com-puter network engineer, anda graduate of Nor th I s landNaval Base wi th a cer t i f i -ca te as a computer sys temsadminis t ra tor.
In addi t ion , Wal lace i s agraduate of Avia t ion Main-tenance a t Naval BaseMeridian, Miss . , wi th a cer-t i f ica te in av ia t ion main te-nance adminis t ra t ion andaeronautical technical publi-ca t ion l ib rary management .He’s the previous owner andCEO of Netforce Computersand Al lgravy Networks .Wallace has received severalawards and ci ta t ions for his
outs tanding work wi th theMobi le Pol ice Depar tment .He’s a c ivic leader, mot iva-t ional speaker and mentor tolocal youth. Wallace ran forMobile City Council in 2009but came in third in his race.Af ter having a touch of thePol i t ical arena, Wallace hadthe idea of s tar t ing a Pol i t i -
cal Magazine. That is whenthe b i r th of The Pol i t ica lBeat came about . Throughhis magazine , Wal lace be-l ieves that i t wi l l be a publ i -ca t ion for ge t t ing pol i t ica lnews to the people of th i scountry.
Wal lace i s the son of thela te Mr. & Mrs . Per ry Wal-lace Jr.
ABOUT THE EDITORPB
CEO/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Ron Wallace is an inspiring Editor-In-Chief for The Political BeatA Political Publication published digitally every two months.
PB
Who will be Victorious????
AUBURN or ALABAMA
This Treaty is rooted in a practice that dates back to
Ronald Reagan. The idea is simple – as the two nations
with over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons,
the United States and Russia have a responsibility to
work together to reduce our arsenals. And to ensure
that our national security is protected, the United States
has an interest in tracking Russia’s nuclear arsenal
through a verification effort that puts U.S. inspectors
on the ground. As President Reagan said when he
signed a nuclear arms treaty with the Soviet Union in
1987, “Trust, but verify.”
by Political Beat Staff
New START Treaty
6 T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0
THE PRESIDENTPB
That is precisely what the New
START Treaty does. After nearly a full
year of negotiations, we completed an
agreement earlier this year that cuts by
a third the number of long-range nu-
clear weapons and delivery vehicles
that the United States and Russia can
deploy, while ensuring that America
retains a strong nuclear deterrent, and
can put inspectors back on the ground
in Russia. The Treaty also helped us
reset our relations with Russia, which
led to concrete benefits. For instance,
Russia has been indispensable to our
efforts to enforce strong sanctions on
Iran, to secure loose nuclear material
from terrorists, and to equip our troops
in Afghanistan. All of this will be put
to risk if the Senate does not pass the
New START Treaty. Without ratifica-
tion this year, the United States will
have no inspectors on the ground, and
no ability to verify Russian nuclear ac-
tivities. So those who would block this
treaty are breaking President Reagan’s
rule – they want to trust, but not verify.
Without ratification, we put at risk
the coalition that we have built to put
pressure on Iran, and the transit route
through Russia that we use to equip
our troops in Afghanistan. And with-
out ratification, we risk undoing
decades of American leadership
New START Treaty
T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0 7
START TREATY
Lore IpLoreIpsum mod mod
THE PRESIDENT PB
on nuclear security, and decades of bipartisanship on this issue. Our security and our position in the world are at stake. In-
deed, since the Reagan years, every President has pursued a negotiated, verified, arms reduction treaty. And every time
that these treaties have been reviewed by the Senate, they have passed with over 85 votes. Bipartisan support for New
START could not be stronger. It has been endorsed by Republicans from the Reagan Administration and both Bush Ad-
ministrations – including Colin Powell, George Shultz, Jim Baker, and Henry Kissinger. And it was approved by the Sen-
ate Foreign Relations Committee by a strong bipartisan vote of 14-4. Over the last several months, several questions have
been asked about New START, and we have answered every single one. Some have asked whether it will limit our mis-
sile defense – it will not. Some, including Senator Jon Kyl, have asked that we modernize our nuclear infrastructure for
the 21st century – we are doing so, and plan to invest at least $85 billion in that effort over the next ten years – a signifi-
cant increase from the Bush Administration. Finally, some make no argument against the Treaty – they just ask for more
time. But remember this: it has already been 11 months since we’ve had inspectors in Russia, and every day that goes by
without ratification is a day that we lose confidence in our understanding of Russia’s nuclear weapons. If the Senate does-
n’t act this year – after six months, 18 hearings, and nearly a thousand questions answered – it would have to start over
from scratch in January. The choice is clear: a failure to ratify New START would be a dangerous gamble with America’s
national security, setting back our understanding of Russia’s nuclear weapons, as well as our leadership in the world. That
is not what the American people sent us to Washington to do. There is enough gridlock, enough bickering. If there is one
issue that should unite us – as Republicans and Democrats – it should be our national security. Some things are bigger
than politics. As Republican Dick Lugar said the other day, “Every Senator has an obligation in the national security inter-
est to take a stand, to do his or her duty.” Senator Lugar is right. And if the Senate passes this treaty, it will not
be an achievement for Democrats or Republicans – it will be a win for America.
Feature Story:
Th e C am New t o n s t o r y, l i k e C am New t o n h im s e l f , i s impo s s i b l e t o b e l i e v e .
H e ’s t o o b i g f o r d e f e n d e r s t o s t o p . H e mov e s t o o f a s t f o r p e o p l e t o t r a c k
d own a n d h e i s o n p a c e t o t a k e o v e r t h i s c o l l e g e f o o t b a l l s e a s o n . C am
New t o n h a s r u s h e d f o r o v e r 2 , 0 0 0 y a r d s p a s s i n g a n d o v e r 1 , 0 0 0 r u s h i n g
y a r d s a n d a p a s s r a t i n g o f 183 . 6 . A l t h o u g h t h e r umo r s a b o u t C am New -
t o n ’s e l i g i b i l i t y c o n t i n u e t o sw i r l t h e c o n s e n s u s o n l i n e i s t h a t t h e Aubu r n
QB i s s t i l l t h e f r o n t r u n n e r f o r t h e H e i sman Tr o p h y.
T h e r e ’s n o d o u b t h i s o n t h e f i e l d p e r f o rman c e h a s t a k e n t h e c o l l e g e f o o t -
b a l l wo r l d b y s t o rm . F o r n ow t h e ESPN ’s H e i sman Wa t c h h a s N ew t o n
f i rm l y i n f r o n t w i t h Bo i s e S t a t e QB Ke l l e n Moo r e i n s e c o n d p l a c e a n d
O r e g o n RB L aM i c h a e l J ame s i s i n t h i r d . C am New t o n i s a n ama z i n g a t h -
l e t e a n d a n d h e c a n b e a t y o u w i t h h i s a rm o r w i t h h i s f e e t . C am New t o n i s
t h e mo s t c omp l e t e p l a y e r i n t h e c o l l e g e f o o t b a l l . C am New t o n h a s f a u g h t
t h r o u g h a d v e r s i t y a n d c o n t i n u e s t o b e a s t e l l a a t h l e t e o n a n d o f f t h e f i e l d .
I b e l i e v e C am New t o n w i l l c o n t i n u e t o wow t h e F o o t b a l l Wo r l d e v e n a t t h e
NFL L e v e l .
AUBURN QB Cam Newton
Photo Courtesy of Auburn University
I was gratified when I heard the
Ethics Committee’s own counsel agree
with me and say he found no evidence
of corruption or personal gain in my
investigation.
MY HEARTFELT APOLOGIES
by Rep. Charles Rangel
Rep. Charles Rangel
10 T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0
CONGRESS PB
I stood before the Ethics Committee
who recommended that I receive cen-
sure for violating the House rules. I
apologize for the embarrassment I have
brought upon you. I truly believe pub-
lic officials have a higher responsibil-
ity than most Americans to obey the
rules because we write them. There is
no excuse for my acts of omission. All
of this has been brought upon me as a
result of my own mistakes. There has
never been any corruption or personal
gain in my actions, as the Committee's
chief counsel noted. Neither has there
been any intent on my part to violate
the House rules. Even the Committee
concluded: "Although prior Committee
precedent for recommendation of cen-
sure involved many cases of direct fi-
nancial gain, this Committee's
recommendation for censure is based
on the cumulative nature of the viola-
tions and not any direct financial per-
sonal gain." However, the final
decision on sanctions for violations of
the House rules will be made by the full
House of Representatives. This has
been one of the most difficult days of
my life since I was left for dead in
North Korea, sixty years ago. In the
end, I hope that you would judge me on
my entire record as a soldier and a ded-
icated public servant -- not only by my
mistakes. For fifty years in public serv-
ice, I have had the honor to work with
many of you to defend the disadvan-
taged and the voiceless. My commit-
ment to you, our cause and to our
community remains as strong as it ever
has been. Thank you for your friend-
ship and support. Best regards,
The Rangle Report
T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0 10
POLITICS BP
No Evidence of Corruption"I see no evidence of corruption," said Blake Chisam, the top ethics com-
mittee lawyer, about Rangel. Chisam's statement was in response to
questioning by Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.). Butterfield is serving on
the eight-member panel hearing the Rangel case.
"Do I believe that based on the record that Congressman Rangel took
steps to benefit himself based on his position in Congress? No. I believe
that the congressman, quite frankly, was overzealous in many of the
things he did. And sloppy in his personal finances."
Feature Story:
On the football field, Greg McElroy is known for his leadership, efficiency, , decision-making and winning.
Last year, he led Alabama to an undefeated season and a national championship. He led Alabama to 19
victories before he suffered his first loss. His arm is stronger than analyst say. Greg McElroy is on pace
to set a school record of throwing for 2,900 yards. He is on pace to the schools touchdown record for
passes which is 19.
Greg McElroy is also a tough athlete that played with cracked ribs in a 37-21 victory over Texas that gave
Alabama the 2009 national championship. McElroy has said that "I deal with competitions on a weekly
basis," and "Unfortunately, they're not as grueling as this one may be, from a mental standpoint.
"I'm really looking forward to it, though. It's been such a great ride, and Alabama's been such a special
place for me, and just being able to represent the school, I think that's probably the best opportunity about
it. ... Hopefully I'll be able to go up there and represent us to the best of my ability, and hopefully if we
keep our fingers crossed, I'll be able to walk away being able to call myself a Rhodes Scholar."
McElroy has earned a degree in 3 years. Regardless of intelligence, that’s a great accomplishment when
considering that during the same time he’s playing college football. If that’s not enough Greg plans on at-
taining his Masters Degree while at Alabama. Greg McElroy has definitely proven that he is an all around
athlete on and off the field.
Alabama QB Greg McElroy
Photo Courtesy of Alabama University
Congressman John Boehner re-
leased the fol lowing column
highl ight ing Republ icans new
governing agenda, "A Pledge to
America," which cal ls for stop-
ping the looming tax hikes, cut-
t ing government spending, and
helping end economic uncer-
ta inty that is keeping smal l busi-
nesses in America from growing
and hir ing:
by John Boehner
TAX HIKE AND SPENDING
14 T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0
CONGRESSPB
The American People Have Spoken: It’s Time
to Stop the Tax Hikes and End the Spending
Spree in Washington "As lawmakers return to Washington for a so-called 'lame duck' session before Thanksgiving, they must make
an important decision: will they listen to the will of the American people?
"A clear message has been sent by the American people. Fed up with all the ‘stimulus’ spending sprees, the
takeovers and bailouts of the last 22 months, Americans have repudiated Washington, repudiated big govern-
ment, and repudiated a tax-and-spend agenda that is killing American jobs.
"The new Congress will be sworn into office in January, with a new majority in the House that will focus on a new
governing agenda emphasizing job creation and spending cuts. In the meantime, current representatives have
an obligation to listen to the American people and work together to help get our economy back on track.
"One of the first tests lies in stopping the looming tax hikes that are scheduled to hit every American family and
business on January 1,
2011. We can’t balance the budget without cutting spending and achieving real economic growth – and we
won’t have real economic growth if we raise taxes on small businesses and families.
"Speaker Pelosi and her allies just don’t get it. They are supporting a plan that the nonpartisan Joint Committee
on Taxation says will raise taxes on 50 percent of the small business income in America. For many employers
across the country, this tax hike would come at the worst possible time.
"Recently I received a letter from Jim, a small business operator in Fairfield.
T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0 15
PB
Jim says that unless the looming tax hikes are stopped, he’ll be unable to hire new employees or give
raises to those who already work for him.
"Unfortunately, Congress’ failure to date to stop these tax hikes from hitting small business owners like
Jim – and virtually every family
across the country – is just the latest example of Washington doing what’s best for Washington. Soon
that will begin to change.
"While continuing to fight for the priorities of the American people today, Republicans are preparing for
the new Congress where we will move forward with a new agenda that hasn’t been tried before in Wash-
ington, by Democrats or Republicans.
"This new governing blueprint – our Pledge to America – contains a series of steps that can be taken im-
mediately to boost our economy and return power in Congress to the people.
"It starts with cutting spending instead of increasing it. We’re ready to cut spending to pre-‘stimulus,’
pre-bailout levels, saving
taxpayers $100 billion almost immediately. And we’re ready to put in place strict budget caps that limit
spending from here on out.
"It continues with reducing the size of government. We have a plan to repeal the president’s job-killing
health care law and replace it with common-sense reforms that will lower health care costs instead of
killing jobs and driving our country deeper into debt.
"And equally important, it makes Congress more open and accountable. We will make it easier to cut
spending, require bills to be published publicly for 72 hours before Congress votes, and end the practice
of using ‘comprehensive’ bills to lump together issues that have nothing to do with each other.
"The American people deserve a Congress that listens and responds to their will. If there is anything to
be learned from this month’s elections, it’s that the people want a smaller, more accountable, and less
costly government.
"Stopping the looming tax hikes, cutting spending and helping end all the economic uncertainty in Amer-
ica that is keeping small businesses from creating new jobs is a great place to start.
18 T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0
STATEPB
Ti r e d o f T im e s S q u a r e o n N ew Ye a r ’s ?
Tr y s om e t h i n g n ew. G o C o a s t a l ! N ew
Ye a r ’s E v e p l a n s i n Mob i l e , A l a b ama j u s t
g o t sw e e t e r - t h a n k s t o a ma s s i v e MoonP i e
t h a t w i l l f a l l f r om t h e s k y a t m i d n i g h t t o
t h e s o u n d s o f t h e O ’ J a y s . R e v e l e r s c a n
e n j o y a RC Co l a o r a g l a s s o f c h amp a g n e
t o r i n g i n t h e N ew Ye a r i n d own t own Mo -
b i l e . T h i s y e a r ’s f r e e c e l e b r a t i o n w i l l b e
h e l d i n a n ew l o c a t i o n a n d f e a t u r e l i v e e n -
t e r t a i nmen t w i t h a n e l e c t r o n i c d i s p l a y d e -
b u t i n g a t m i d n i g h t . T h e 1 2 - f o o t - t a l l
Mo o nP i e w i l l d e s c e n d f r om a 3 4 - s t o r y
bu i l d i n g a s t h e c i t y we l c ome s 2 011 a nd t h e
b e g i n n i n g o f M a r d i G r a s s e a s o n . T h i s
y e a r ’s Mo o nP i e O v e r Mo b i l e c e l e b r a t i o n
w i l l s t a r t t h e a f t e r n o o n o f D e c . 3 1 w i t h a
Ma r d i G r a s - s t y l e p a r a d e . A f t e rw a r d s , a
s t r e e t p a r t y f e a t u r i n g t w o s t a g e s o f l i v e
e n t e r t a i nmen t w i l l h e l p d r aw t h o u s a n d s o f
p e o p l e d own t own . F r om t h e l e g e n d a r y
O ’ J a y s a n d t h e i r “ L o v e T r a i n ” t o t h e
s o u n d s o f b i g b a n d s a n d o t h e r m u s i c a l
t a s t e s , d own t own Mob i l e w i l l b e o n e g i a n t
s t r e e t p a r t y. A t m i d n i g h t , a l l e y e s w i l l b e
o n t h e RSA B a n kTr u s t s k y r i s e f o r t h e n ew
Moo nP i e c o u n t d own , a c c omp a n i e d b y a n
e l a b o r a t e l a s e r a n d f i r ew o r k s s h ow.
“Down t own Mob i l e i s g o i n g t o b e t h e
p l a c e t o b e t h i s N ew Ye a r ’s E v e , ” s a i d
Ma y o r S am J o n e s . “We a r e e x t r em e l y
p l e a s e d t o h a v e D r . B r o n n e r a n d R e t i r e -
men t S y s t em s o f A l a b ama (RSA ) h e l p w i t h
t h i s c e l e b r a t i o n . ” F i r s t s t a r t e d i n 2 0 0 8 ,
Mo o nP i e O v e r Mo b i l e g i v e s l o c a l s a n d
t o u r i s t s a c h a n c e t o e x p e r i e n c e New Yea r ’s
E v e w i t h a b i t o f Ma r d i G r a s f l a v o r.
“A l l e y e s w i l l b e o n Mo b i l e t h i s N ew
Ye a r ’s E v e ” s a i d D r . D a v i d G . B r o n n e r ,
CEO o f t h e R e t i r em e n t S y s t em s o f A l a -
b am a . “ T h e n ew l a s e r s h ow o n o u r b u i l d -
i n g w i l l b e a r e a l s h ow s t o p p e r. ”
Mo b i l e i s t h e h om e o f Ame r i c a ’s f i r s t
Ma r d i G r a s c e l e b r a t i o n , a n d t h e Moo nP i e
i s t h e f a v o r e d “ t h r ow” o f t h e h u n d r e d s o f
Ma r d i G r a s m a s k e r s r i d i n g t h e f l o a t s d u r -
i n g t h e e x t e n s i v e M a r d i G r a s p a r a d e s e a -
s o n . Mo b i l e c o n s um e s mo r e t h a n f o u r
m i l l i o n Mo o nP i e s a n n u a l l y, a n d h a s
a d o p t e d t h e d e l i c i o u s t r e a t a s a n i n f o rma l
emb l em . F o r t h e Mo o nP i e O v e r Mo b i l e
c e l e b r a t i o n , t h i s s o u t h e r n c i t y h a s t e amed
MoonPie Mania Hitting Mobile, Alabama
GIANT MOONPIE & LASER SHOW DEBUTING ON NEW YEAR’S EVE
T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0 19
COUNCILMAN FRED RICHARDSON
F r e d R i c h a r d s o n ' s N e w Ye a r ' sE v e M o o n P i e d r o p w o n t h ec i t y c o u n c i l m a n a n a w a r d f o rp o s i t i v e l y a f f e c t i n g d o w n t o w nM o b i l e .
STATE PB
20 T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o w n B o w l 2 0 1 0
Change Comes to Congress
Scarcely two weeks after Ameri-
cans gave the ruling party in Con-
gress the biggest thrashing in over
70 years, a new House majority,
which hasn’t yet been sworn in, is
already making major changes.
Speaker Pelosi may still hold
power for another month, but the
incoming Republican majority is
selecting its leaders and adopting
a slate of reforms that were forged
with the input of millions of
Americans over the last year.
The most significant reform ap-
proved thus far is the agreement
by both House and Senate Repub-
licans to ban all congressional ear-
marks during the new Congress.
Earmarks – funding designated by
Members of Congress for pro-
grams in their districts – have un-
fortunately become a symbol of
Washington waste. Despite the
fact that earmarks constitute less
than two percent of discretionary
spending, they nevertheless repre-
sent a culture of business-as-usual
most Americans resent – particu-
larly during record budget deficits.
So, it was not surprising that one
of the first votes by the new Re-
publican majority last week was to
extend our current earmark ban.
It’s important to note, however,
that the new ban will not apply to
the incoming Democrat Senate
majority. Consequently, we have
called on President Obama to per-
suade Senate Democrats to follow
our lead in order to restore public
trust in our government.
Our new blueprint for reforming
the House is based upon the prin-
ciples of the Pledge to America
which make Congress more ac-
countable and transparent; call for
reduced federal spending; and,
permanently extend the current
2001 and 2003 tax cuts. The in-
coming conservative majority has
also selected John Boehner of
Ohio to be our speaker come Janu-
ary. Just as the Pledge to America
was drafted with the input of mil-
lions of Americans through the
America Speaking Out and You
Cut web sites, the governing
agenda of the new Congress is
being shaped with your ideas.
COMENTARYPB
This Week in Washington By Congressman Jo Bonner
“Change Comes to Congress”; “Overzealous Airport Security
Screening Merits Review”; “Thanksgiving Reminds Us of
Overcoming Past Hardships”
T h e P o l i t i c a l B e a t I r o n B o w l 2 0 1 0 21
Overzealous Airport Secu-
rity Screening Merits Review
The recent implementation of
dramatically more invasive air-
port security screening has
raised concerns from many
travelers as well as lawmakers.
The Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) has re-
portedly given fliers the choice
of subjecting themselves to
what has been called a “virtual
strip search” or undergo an in-
vasive pat-down that many
have described as roping.These
extreme measures have under-
standably alarmed many Ameri-
cans who are concerned about
violations of their Constitu-
tional protections against un-
reasonable searches. While
few would question the need
for airport security screening
given the threat posed by ter-
rorists who wish to do us harm,
there must be a reasonable bal-
ance struck between effective
searches and protection of per-
sonal privacy. To this end, I
have cosigned a letter to the
chairman and ranking member
of the House Homeland Secu-
rity Committee – which has ju-
risdiction over the TSA –
calling for an investigation into
the new screening measures.
There must be an assurance that
TSA’s new methods are truly
warranted in order to provide
the most effective protection
for airline passenger safety.
Thanksgiving Reminds Us of
Overcoming Past Hardships
This week our nation pauses
to celebrate Thanksgiving.
However, for many Americans
struggling in this weak econ-
omy, the effects of the oil spill,
or other challenges, this past
year has not been an easy one.
I think it’s fitting that we
look back to that first Thanks-
giving for a perspective of the
trials our forebears faced and
overcame with courage.
The Oxford History of the
American People notes: “On
16 December (1620) the
Mayflower arrived there (Ply-
mouth Harbor) and began land-
ing her passengers. The
English had no sooner landed
and built crude shelters than
the ‘great sickness’ bore in on
them as it had on the English-
men at Jamestown; and only 50
of the 102 immigrants survived.
Hope returned with the spring
when ‘the birds sang in the
woods most pleasantly’…with
the help of a friendly Indian
they were able to plant and cul-
tivate corn…” We all know of
the joyful thanksgiving the pil-
grims enjoyed once they re-
bounded from the ordeal of
settling into a strange and
sometimes hostile new land.
Their struggles did not end
there, but their strength of will
and unending faith led to the
establishment of our great na-
tion. Working together, Ameri-
cans will always prosper.
COMENTARY PB
It’s The Constitution, Stupid!
The 1992 Clinton Campaign motto was “It’s the economy, stupid!” A pointed but effective
strategy, it focused everyone on real and perceived economic woes until the electorate was
convinced to throw out an otherwise popular president.
Again, some pundits over simplify current voter anger as frustration with a bad economy, so
otherwise good politicians will unfairly lose their jobs by a vengeful electorate. Others think
we are seeing the typical ebb and flow of politics, so when the Democrat tide goes out a Re-
publican flood is inevitable.
This is not a Republican wave. Ask establishment Republicans in Alaska, Colorado,
Delaware, Florida, Utah, and other places, where voter outrage has handily ousted big gov-
ernment loving career politicians.
Republicans may at least have recognized the popular groundswell, but most do not under-
stand it. Eager to harness this unbridled election enthusiasm, they worry the beast will run
away with them.
Democrats spent a year denying a popular movement even existed. Whenever they did ac-
knowledge the throngs at the capital gates, they decried it as artificial grassroots, “Astroturf”
per Pelosi. Mired in partisan politics, Democrats demonize the Tea Parties has fringe crazies
with not so subtle Nazi like comparisons. In a desperate attempt to avoid electoral disaster,
they are trying to cast the Republicans as extremists infected by the Tea Party.
Once again, the press has failed. There has been little or no coverage of literally thousands
of events across the country. They occasionally seek out the single kook in any crowd and
then paint the Tea Parties in broad strokes of intolerance, xenophobia, and racism.
Since the Tea Parties started, all politicians have been suspicious of the unwashed masses
that freely and spontaneously assemble. Quite happy to leave all the accusations and slander
unchallenged and the truth undiscovered, the press has no curiosity about the real motiva-
tions of angered average Americans.
It is not the economy, the war, or the environment. And, it’s certainly not whether Democ-
rats or Republicans win. It’s the Constitution, stupid!
By Pete Riehm Mobile Free Press
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Millions of Americans are getting our seminal document and READING IT!
Obvious to anyone that bothers to read the Constitution, our Congress has grossly exceeded
the enumerated powers in Article 1, Section 8. Our founders enshrined self-government
with local control and a heavily restrained federal government because they knew the op-
pressive dangers of a strong central regime. Congress passes innumerable laws with ever
more creative ways to confiscate the fruits of our labor.
They demand our money to ostensibly care for our needs, but like mafia dons they dole it
out to favored groups or only after coerced state and local concessions. We no longer work
for our interests but are forced to pay tribute to a tyrannical government inimical to Ameri-
can values.
Too strong? Congress forces education curriculum contrary to common morals and absent
American history. They pile on tax laws to ensure they can find anyone in violation on a
whim. And now, they will tell us how and where to purchase health care and then ration it.
The administration routinely skirts Constitutional checks and balances by appointing bu-
reaucratic Czars beyond Congressional accountability. The EPA without law tells us our
every breath (CO2) is pollution seeking to control every aspect of our lives. The IRS is
commanded to scrutinize Veterans organizations seeking to rescind their non-profit status.
Is this what the founders intended? Is this what we fought for?
More and more Americans are realizing the answer is NO! None of this nonsense is Consti-
tutional. Americans led by the Tea Parties are discovering the erosion of our Constitutional
rights is directly proportional to the growth of out of control government by both Democrats
and Republicans for the past century.
If you are still skeptical, listen to the politicians; they talk about money and programs. The
people talk about rights and the Constitution. The electoral wave heading to Washington is
both wide and deep, sweeping both parties and seeking to dismantle the federal leviathan
threatening our republic.
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