Guest Commentary
by Rhonda Deniston
Listen,
I am a registered Republican. I have always voted party line, but since the conception of the Tea Party I have voted for principles over parties.
So, this is what has happened. Barack Hussein Obama won the Presidency and quickly demonstrated that he was nothing more than another broken promise. In a way, President Obama has been a blessing to all of America. His ineptitude and complete lack of leadership has forced American people of all walks of life (and all political affiliation) to get motivated and get involved. Unfortunately for the Republican ESTABLISHMENT they became accustomed to Republican voters following along as good little sheeple.
The Republican establishment clearly was not prepared for an electorate who obtained an education in civics, history, and our nation’s founding principles. They were even less prepared for when we took to the streets to demonstrate our values at numerous public events. In many cases they have tried to take credit for these events.
Karl Rove whined on Fox news and decried the victory of Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell over nine term Senator Mike Castle. Mr. Rove’s sincere lunacy is a pristine example of the Republican establishment longing for control. After all, shouldn’t the establishment control who will be the new members of their elite club?
Perhaps following Mr. Rove’s lead, prominent Republican strategist Mike Murphy referred to Christine O’Donnell’s win as Harry Reid’s dream. In this single statement, the Republicans have shown their true colors. Heaven forbid that the VOTERS have a say in the matter. The establishment had no problem with Republican party members so long as they followed the party line like lemmings going over a cliff. Poor Mr. Rove and Murphy never anticipated that the voters might develop a mind of their own.
I don’t know anything about Christine O’Donnell, but I do know she couldn’t do any more damage than what we have on the hill now and that includes both sides of the aisle. I also know that in a state that expected 30,000 Republican primary voters, over 50,000 showed up to the polls. Does she get any credit for this?
It’s time for conservative politicians to walk the walk or walk the plank. We were promised change, we didn’t get it, and now we have taken matters into our own hands. Every election we get the best government MONEY can buy and frankly the Tea Party victories over the last few months should be a signal to all politicians that it is their JOB to represent THE PEOPLE.
We look forward to the restoration of sanity to our country by promoting sound fiscal policy, encouraging free market enterprise and following the limited government principles set forth by the United States Constitution.
We have to keep the momentum going and hold these people accountable. If they make a promise, they better keep it or they are OUT!
God Bless American folks! I see real hope on the horizon and I hope you will join us for our Pre-Election Tea Party on 10-10-10 at the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater. For more information see www.StopTaxingUs.com
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This commentary originally ran at http://blog.stoptaxingus.com
Rhonda Deniston is the Oceanside Regional Director of Stop Taxing Us. Rhonda is a business owner and community leader. She is a recurring guest on San Diego Channel 9, KUSI and she is a frequent substitute host on the Rick Amato Show 1170 AM KCBQ.
Comments 23
“I am a registered Republican. I have always voted party line, but since the conception of the Tea Party I have voted for principles over parties.”
The Tea Party movement has been around only since after the last national election in 2008. Have you voted other than Republican since then? If so….who’d you vote for??? Can you clarify what the difference between voting principles and voting Republican is? Because I do both at the same time.
Why does Karl Rove equal the Republican Party? To my knowledge he’s never been elected to office and was a former staffer. Now he makes money commentating. Why does he equal the Republican Party to you?
So people are voting for conservative candidates because they are sick of Obama or because they obtained a history and civics lesson? You said both. I am confused.
And didn’t the national Republican Party come and say they are supporting O’Donnell? What else should they be doing that they are not doing?
And you don’t know anything about O’Donnell, but you are this upset about what a Fox News contributor says about her? It just seems like this entire article is making a mountain out of a mole hill. (If there is even a mole hill here) You seem confused as to the role of the Republican Party and you seem to be indicating that you voted for Obama and voted Democrat in the last general and primary elections. If that’s the case…I would squarely thank you for getting us into this mess. Not the Republican Party.
I am looking for the substance here. It is all emotion. What are you asking us all to do? Move to Delaware and vote Republican? Boycott Karl Rove’s 2 minute segments on Fox News? Vote Democrat? Why don’t you mention the opposition of Murkowski in Alaska? A lot of well known Republicans are coming out against her despite being a part of a very prominent political family which seems to disprove your point about the establishment.
“The Republican Establishment was clearly not prepared for an electorate who obtained an education…”
If I have blood, it’s boiling. This is ridiculous. Clearly you know nothing about the “establishment”
Ah, no I didn’t vote for Obama.
The point is that the Republican party Aka “the Establishment,” has lost its conservative way. Karl Rove so disappointed that his insider Michael Castle lost to a tea party candidate, that his remarks in response to the O’Donnell win came off as if he would rather hand over the Senate seat to a Democrat then support the Republican winner of the primary!
What that signals to the masses is that Party line is more important than policy.
Congressman Michael Castle supports Cap and Trade, Christine O’Donnell opposes Cap and Trade.
Tea Party supporters are looking for Conservative Candidates that will represent “The People!” Not establishment, “We know best” attitude Candidates.
Obama has been a blessing, because his governing is so dramatically ill for the country that people of all party lines have awakened and taken to task efforts to resort our Republic.
I am not going to support a Republican candidate simply because they have an (R) behind there name, I will vote for conservative candidates based on their record or that their ideas align with mine. Politicians say a lot of things and often times mean none of it!
Fiscal Conservatism, Secure Borders, less government, less taxation, better public education and a whole lot more honesty is what the American people are looking for.
Hope that clears some things up for those that have loads of criticism to sling.
Again you are equating Karl Rove with the Republican Party. He’s not.
The Republican Party needed to decide if their support of O’Donnell will help her win. I am assuming that since they are supporting her, the answer they came up with is “yes”. She is running in a state that was happy to keep Biden around for an entire generation. Is it surprising that people like Rove have more faith in Castle’s ability to win than O’Donnell’s? More importantly…who cares what he thinks? Castle lost.
Let’s hope that the majority of the 293,000 Democrats and 146,000 voters registered as “other” in Delaware agree with the 30,500 O’Donnell supporters who are anti-cap-n-tax, anti-abortion, and anti-gun. These are the same 439,000 voters who voted in anti-gun, pro-choice, tax-and-spend Biden. But the only real numbers that matter are the ones in November.
“The Tea Party is looking for conservative candidates”…OK, your candidate won. A candidate you said you know nothing about other than she is supported by the Tea Party. (So you won’t blindly vote “R”, but you would blindly vote “Tea”. Interesting.)
Also, where’s your praise of the Republican Party for their support of Miller in Alaska?
Two years ago the Tea Party was full of people who were very well informed and understood the consequences of continuing with the disastrous fiscal policy this country voted for. The left could only attack them by erroneously calling them racists. Now the criticism coming from the left is that the Tea Partiers have no plan, they just stand there and rant. After seeing a lack of participation in local campaigns before the primary, watching the Tea Party turn hostile on groups like the NRA, and reading this rant today…I am starting to fear the left has a point.
I just don’t understand your point in this rant. Why would you attack the Republican Party over Karl Rove throwing a fit? What are you informing us of and what action would you like us to take?
Know your friends, know your enemies, and know the difference.
Go ahead and blindly follow the establishment over a cliff Michael Scwartz, you are a perfect example of ” The I know Best” mentality.
Exactly why the Tea Party movement is taking back the Republican party for the Conservative voters of this country.
There are Republicans, there are conservative and the are Conservative Republicans, the Tea party that you choose to pick a fight with are the conservatives
For someone who accuses the Tea Party of having no plan, we have done more in the last year and a half than the establishment has.
When we said we were cleaning the house apparently the Republican party thought that memo didn’t apply to them!
“After seeing a lack of participation in local campaigns before the primary, watching the Tea Party turn hostile on groups like the NRA, and reading this rant today…I am starting to fear the left has a point. ” ( Your Quote )
Maybe if the Republican had put up some real candidates in California, the Tea Party might have been more involved, again your point siding with the LEFT shows that you think just like “The Establishment,” rather side with the enemy than admit you are not listening!
The Tea Party movement is not a recruitment tool for the Republican party, and now you Mr. Schwarts are attacking the Tea Party just like a liberal Democrat, because what the Tea Party is doing is working. Just like the Democrats, you now fear the Tea Party movement, therefore you attack it. You wanted to know my point, that is the point!
Know your friends, know your enemies, and know the difference!
The Tea Party can be your friend or your enemy, choose wisely.
That’s the problem, Michael. “Know your friends, know your enemies, and know the difference.” These people are ignorant.
It’s ignorance like this that will allow leftists to continue their grip on power.
We need to unite and not bitch amongst ourselves.
Bravo, Rhonda! You eloquently stated my feelings, exactly. The Tea Party is restoring government by the people FOR the people. It’s making a difference and helping people realize that their vote does matter and they can make a difference. So many people became apathetic and had an ‘there’s nothing I can do, so why bother’ attitude, the Tea Party has been a catalyst for changing that attitude.
Ms. Deniston,
Your response is a huge wave of emotion with zero content. I mean seriously…what are you talking about? The more conservative candidate won (O’Donnell) because she recieved more votes than the less conservative candidate (Castle), but most believe she has less of a chance against the liberal Democrat based on their ability to count registered voters and evaluate 30+ years of voting history. The Republican Party now wants the candidate that the people voted for to win in the general election. There is no conspiracy. There is no underground group controlling the world from black helicopters. The Bilderbergs aren’t involved. People in Delaware just vote liberal.
If your candidate doesn’t win in the primary, then vote in the general for the candidate who most closely represents your views. or you could sulk while the Democrat wins? If you really just cannot stand any of the candidates, write someone in and waste your vote or move to a different district. What does the Republican Party have to do with any of that?
You keep talking about the PEOPLE. Do you realize that PEOPLE voted for all these Republicans that you dislike. The PEOPLE might vote for O’Donnell’s Democrat opponent. If those aren’t PEOPLE voting…what are they? And if O’Donnell loses, then frankly, those who voted for her and supported her against Castle will look foolish.
Last night a friend of mine in construction said, “I wish Karl Rove woulda jus’ shut his mouth so he don’t discourage folks from votin’ fer the Republican”. In one sentence I think he eloquently explained the entire situation. He didn’t randomly attack people or groups. He didn’t talk down to every voter by describing them as uneducated and without principle. If you like, I can put you in touch with him and he can help edit your next piece?
Anyway, my original point is that your rant has no substance, point, or focus. Your attack is aimed at the wrong target. If there is a civics lesson needed, I would say you need to get a text book and see how people get elected in this country. People cast votes. Not parties. So the winner or loser has only the voters to thank or blame. Period. People run for office. The Party doesn’t “put candidates up”.
Eh, I’m done. You just aren’t even making sense. There is too much to critique here. Thanks for answering my questions. Good day.
Michael A. Schwartz…
You’re an idiot. You’re trying to discredit a movement that simply cannot be discredited. You say we’re nothing more than emotion. Perhaps in your eyes that’s what we look like however, we have solid principles behind our movement. They are not new principles at all. In fact, they are the original principles this country was founded upon. In a word: freedom. Look it up.
Schwartz comments are exactly the point Rhonda is making.
Bashing the Tea party movement only makes them fight back harder.
Lance, thanks for chiming in. Your in-depth analysis really added to any debate going on here. Not to mention how well you accurately portrayed the points I was making. Wow. Consider me put in my place. Great work. My mind is totally changed.
In no way was your post the type of emotional outburst/hissy fit that I was talking about. You are clearly well thought out, reasoned, and a shiningly stellar representative of Tea Partiers all over the country. Good work, my man.
Thor’s Assistant, please do not delete his post for calling me an idiot. I think it is best left up for all to read.
They just don’t get it and they probably never will.
Long after the name of the Tea Party has faded, the ideals will still be there, as they have been for the last 234 years.
You can’t discredit a movement of people who are true to their philosophy. The more you try, the more they will surround you and overwhelm you.
Americans won’t be ruled by elites in coastal cities anymore.
Americans aren’t born to be ruled, they are born to be free.
They are born to be represented, not ruled.
The GOP elite has had a choice, and they still might. They can be true to the founding principles of this country and lead.
Or they can follow.
But if these party elites are not supporting conservative candidates to their utmost before November 2nd, they can get the hell out of the way and stay there.
It’s simple, really. Simple enough that even a Harvard graduate should be able to grasp it.
A “Republican” who votes like a Democrat is a Democrat and will never get my vote.
We did not get to the comment prior to Mr. Schwartz’ response, but the point is well taken.
As a reminder, we engage in discussion on this blog, not name calling. Disagree if you would like, vehemently if you will, but those disagreements should be about policies and approaches, not about personalities.
It’s clear that there will be disagreements over posted opinions. Although a sharp disagreement, Mr. Schwartz and Ms. Deniston (and a few others) have been engaged in a fairly rational one.
We know it is much easier to simply resort to calling someone a name than to skewer them with rationale and logic, but we demand it. If one cannot refrain from such name calling, they will be banned from posting. Don’t like it? Go someplace else.
Some might say that those incapable of engaging in real debate are…well…idiots, but we wouldn’t say that ourselves.
Very well said, Mr. Spurlock. I agree 100%.
My hope is that we will not see a day when the Tea Party fades away. It certainly is not the movement or the politics of the movement I have an issue with. I think the majority of people following this get that, but just in case it is not totally clear:
No like:
Taxes, Deficits, Unbalanced budgets, Environmental laws, Universal healthcare, Bailouts, Gun laws, Abortion, Big government, Voting on bills that were never read, and Unethical politicians
Do like: Liberty, Freedom, the Constitution, Long Walks on the Beach…(oops, wrong message board)
You know what…the Tea Parties are made of of “real” folks. They come from all walks of life. The one (political) thing that they share is their conservatism – wish for limited government, less taxes, capitalist control of the economy an…d conservative life values. To be called ignorant, or the many other labels assigned to Tea Party members is insulting, and I supect that that tactic is not going to set well with the “regular folks”, not at all. No matter who uses the nasty tactics of name calling and finger pointing, Republican Old Guards or Liberals/Progressives, the folks are not going to take the nastiness lying down. Look out “evildoers”.See More
“It’s time for conservative politicians to walk the walk or walk the plank. We were promised change, we didn’t get it, and now we have taken matters into our own hands. Every election we get the best government MONEY can buy and frankly the Tea Party victories over the last few months should be a signal to all politicians that it is their JOB to represent THE PEOPLE.”
What part of this statement Michael Schwartz is confusing for you to understand?
In the case of Delaware’s Michael Castle, he supported Cap and Trade, which many Republican voters oppose. So, it appears that the Delaware voters were more interested in Christine O’Donnell opposition to Cap and Trade and voted for her based on her conservative view on the matter.
I don’t see this article as emotional or as a rant, the only emotion I see is coming from Michael Schwartz.
“Digger” links this up…
http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/003477.html
Mr. Richmond,
Great question. I do understand the definition of each word she used and the literal meaning of the sentence that those words put together build. I even understand the context in which she used that sentence. What I don’t understand is the reason the piece that this sentence appeared in was written nor the point the piece is trying to make nor the action people are to take after reading the piece. And that is the problem.
Ms. Deniston said that she will now “vote her principles” rather than her party. Well, thanks for coming around, but I’ve been doing that sine I was 18 and so have the rest of us. She said she didn’t vote for Obama so she must have voted for McCain. (Not exactly Mr. Tea Party) I voted for McCain and I am proud I did. He is a veteran, he fought to audit Freddie/Fannie in the early 2000’s, and he is far better on Second Amendment issues than Obama. Those are my principles. In the primary I voted for Ron Paul. He was even closer to my principles. But if you follow her logic…should I have written Congressman Paul’s name in so Obama could win by an even larger margin? Or crafted a sternly written blog and not voted at all in order to make a difference? Maybe I could have marched down to the county party HQ and given them a piece of my mind for “putting up” that candidate? That is silliness.
Too many people who claim to be involved or affiliated with the Tea Party have adopted a bunker mentality and have resigned to rants on the internet and yelling at rallies as the only activities that “work”. According to them, everyone is against the Tea Party…especially the “Republican Establishment” boogieman. People either vote for your guy or they don’t. You either got the message out about your candidate or you didn’t.
O’Donnell won against the other Republican, but barely. The only reason she will beat the Democrat is if she has enough money and volunteers to get her message to more than 50% of the PEOPLE who vote and they like her message. This is true of every single candidate in every single race nationwide. This fact is starting to get lost amongst the shouts and clever sayings written on poster boards and duct taped to yard sticks.
Almost as many PEOPLE voted for Castle as PEOPLE voted for O’Donnell. And it is the PEOPLE who vote for RINOs, conservatives, liberals, etc. As of this writing, a political party still has no vote let alone enough votes to influence an election. Without giving your time and your dime…your candidate will lose. It was the “act” in “Tea Party activist” that excited me years ago. However, it seems to be turning into the Tea Party “rantivists” as of late.
Let’s look at a local example. There was no better contrast between a Tea Party candidate and a RINO running against each other than LaSuer vs. Gore race for sheriff. LaSuer talked about liberty, the Constitution, and fiscal responsibility. Gore has a history of crushing liberty, is happy to spend huge amounts of tax money on ideas not supported by the PEOPLE, and the only part of the Constitution he seems to like is his ability to plead the “5th”. The Tea Party should have run away with this election. It was a huge election, but local enough that a difference could have been made. By the time the primaries rolled around money had clearly become an immense issue and so was finding enough volunteers to go door to door and overcome the difference in money raised. Had every Tea Partier just given $20 to his campaign he could have spent circles around his opponents. Tea Partiers…where were you?
To add insult to injury, a month after the primary I received a call from a self-proclaimed “Tea Party patriot” who was mad because the NRA endorsed Sen. Reid! Well, no…actually, they didn’t. She “wanted her country back”! Not enough to walk a precinct or research a candidate she voted for. Come to find out this “patriot” voted for Gore and wasn’t even a member of the NRA. She hadn’t even heard of LaSuer. By the end of the conversation I was walking her through the NRA website so she could become a member. I spent the summer explaining to PEOPLE that the NRA has not said a word about endorsing Reid.
To wrap this up…get off Facebook, raise money for your candidate, walk precincts for your candidate, and stop figuring out who is against you and embrace those who are clearly with you. Take the words of someone who is making a living or fame off of your principles with a grain of salt. Instead, do the activities that have proven to work.
Thanks for asking, Bob!
-Michael
PS Sorry I did not get this response to you last night when you asked. I was walking my neighborhood all evening with a Tea Party candidate for my city’s council. All my neighbors enjoyed meeting him very much.
Okay Michael,
You have made it clear you dislike the Tea Party and You dislike Ms. Deniston.
You have a love for the NRA, is there anything else we should know about you, other than you write like you may have had one to many red bulls.
Your last comment was the biggest Rant I have read in a long time.
Apparently you have your MSNBC view of the Tea Party.
Move on my boy.
Mr. Schwartz’ last comment above was posted as a blog entry with his approval…
http://sdrostra.com/?p=8406
Actually, I see little in Michael’s comment to suggest he dislikes the Tea Party or Ms. Deniston. He has challenged her on some issues and she has challenged him in response. He is indicating a disdain for some aspects of the Tea Party and/or some who proclaim to represent it.
I have a great disdain for some aspects of the GOP and some who carry it’s mantle while espousing principles with which I disagree. So? That’s different than whether I like or dislike an entire political party.
As far as I’m concerned, the Tea Party movement has done more to awaken an unprincipled elite GOP apparatus than anything I have seen in years. Outstanding! Yet, does that make every aspect of the Tea Party perfect? Of course not.
Yet, if constructiveness, suggestions and even outright criticism are automatically labeled as “dislike” or as “coming from the opposition” in every instance, I fear that some are unwilling to consider themselves anything but perfect. Not exactly a long term winning strategy.
In the past, the primary argument for voting GOP was the “lessor evil” premise. No matter how bad the RINO was, he/she was a better choice than the Democrat. But there comes a time when voters don’t buy this lame argument. Such is the quandary now facing Tea Party supporters.
By one account, crusty old GOP conservative U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallup said it best when describing the difference between the Democrat and Republican parties. “If the Democrats propose a bill to burn down the White House, the Republicans will immediately propose that we phase it in over three years.”
Folks, that ain’t good enough any more. Just slowing the socialist train is no longer an acceptable strategy.
But what’s a voter to do? Not voting is a bad idea, as it is not counted as disgust, but rather seen as voter apathy.
So instead, when all that is left is a RINO vs. a Dem in the general election, it’s time for Tea Party advocates to think about voting third party. Voting Libertarian sends a clear message for limited government, and most partisan races in CA have a Libertarian on the November ballot.
Oddly enough, you choosing to vote third party won’t effect the outcome of the race. California state and federal legislative districts are all gerrymandered, so the outcome is preordained. And the big races will NEVER be decided by a single vote — not even close.
So the real “wasted vote” is to keep voting for the wuss Republicans who count on their party affiliation to keep returning them to office. A vote that counts will send the message that you disapprove of their actions — and want a REAL limited government enthusiast representing you.
“A vote that counts will send the message that you disapprove of their actions ”
Well said, Richard Rider.