Temporary AL-05 Congressman Parker Griffith and his new best friend, Congressman John Boehner, weren't the only attractions in Huntsville, AL on Monday.
The labor unions in North Alabama also held their promised monthly news conference demanding their money back from Griffith. Just a few minutes later, Griffith and Boehner held a "press availability."
The Griffith/Boehner event was pretty short - by design it appears. An LIA member was in the hotel lobby and watched as the Congressmen's "handlers" prepped them for the presser. If only we'd had a camera handly for that one! The Congressmen were told by a finger-waving staffer to "keep your answers short and non-committal" and "don't take many questions."
It seems like everywhere you look these days, someone’s trying to spread...The Fear.
All around us...in every town...on every corner...a massive Army Of Fear is standing by, according to the Messengers, ready at a moment’s notice to obey the dictates of some unappointed Czar or another.
Just ask Glenn Beck: concentration camps for the white people, jackbooted stormtroopers ready to snatch the guns from your cold dead fingers...Socialist Government-Controlled Healthcare That Threatens Your Not Socialist Medicare...it’s all coming, my friends—and unless we organize, as a community, to return to the values of the Founding Fathers, The Government, meaning that awful Obama and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and George Soros and all the other Evil Community Organizers, will win.
There’s no government, we’re told, like no government.
You know who would find all of this fear of self-government just entirely bizarre?
The Founding Fathers.
In today’s conversation we’ll consider the fundamentals of American patriotism, we’ll ask one of those Founding Fathers how he saw the role of Government—and we’ll toss in a few words from Abraham Lincoln, just for good measure.
Temporary Alabama Congressman (and noted political adulterer) Parker Griffith has been telling the media that "liberals" were behind yesterday's protest at his poorly-attended, low-dollar fundraiser with Congressman John Boehner:
h/t to Go Blue and the Decatur Daily:
“I am standing by my principles, and I will not be deterred by these liberal groups that are intent on ramming through a health-care reform package that is bad for our country and opposed by the vast majority of the American people,” he said.
He said he would work with Boehner to stop President Barrack Obama’s health care plan.
Perhaps if he hadn't chosen to huddle in the back of a vehicle and sneak into his own fundraiser, the good doctor would have noticed the plethora of TEA party activists, Mo Brooks supporters, and Les Phillips supporters. Surely, Congressman Boehner would liked to have seen the sign that - all things considered - asked him rather politely to leave town.
Perhaps if he took the time to read the press release or even watch a few minutes of news coverage, the doctor-turned-funeral-home-owner-turned-TURNCOAT-Congressman might have noticed that Ms. Christie Carden of the Huntsville TEA Party group was the principle organizer.
Note to Parker.... It's not wise to ignore or annoy these people. They're out for blood: yours. And not one Democrat in the 5th district would donate a drop to save you.
PASS THE POPCORN!
More photos on the flip. Ask yourself: do some of these people appear to be liberals to you?
With a crowd of about 400 sign-waving, chanting protesters outside the Huntsville Marriott this evening, temporary Congressman Parker Griffith (R-Liar) and his new best friend, Congressman John Boehner, decided that discretion was required.
They pulled in quietly, snuggled together in the back of an SUV (they left the same way: incognito) and were whisked into a no-press-allowed "fundraiser" that can't have raised many funds. It was held in a room not much larger than my living room/kitchen. Let's just say that AL-05 citizens weren't exactly beating down the doors to get in...
A source on the inside says that our turncoat Congressman and Alabama's most famous political adulterer called the demonstration outside an "embarrassment." Once again, we see Parker twisting language - or perhaps being so damn stupid he just can't get it right.
An embarrassment? Not for the bi-partisan group of folks that I would never have believed could have even amicably stood on a street corner waiting for a traffic light to change - much less spent an entertaining hour or so snapping photos of each other, exchanging email addresses, and reminding each other that we're all best friends. At least until June 1st!
No, Parker: the protest crowd was not an "embarrassment" but rather "embarrassing" for a clueless Congressman who thought that all he had to do was announce his own Epiphany during the Advent season and be welcomed with open arms by the people who- just a year earlier - had called him a killer and lover of terrorists.
When this year's edition of the thesaurus comes out, no doubt the noun "Idiot" will have "Parker Griffith" listed as a synonym. As will a large number of other nouns: liar, con artist, and more.
Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comment thread and view a few photos on the flip. We have lots of video and pictures, but I need my dinner. I'm only posting a few tonight.
Update:Since it's the end of a long, long, satisfying day, I'm going to piggieback on countrycat's post with a few of my own observations, below. The photos at the end of the post that look like they were taken by a phone camera are mine, and they were. -- mooncat
1) The turnout was fantastic. I know it far exceeded my expectations and those of several other organizers. This morning Dale Jackson was telling his listeners that we needed at least 100 to 200 people there to make an impact -- and I'm not sure either Christie Carden or I were confident we could turn out a crowd like that. As it turns out, we had twice that many.
2) There was no trouble whatsoever between the Tea Party/Republicans and the more liberal elements of the crowd. Although labor officially just held a press conference and didn't participate in the protest, I saw several labor folks holding signs. It was a very good humored and genial crowd. For a while I was standing near a Republican woman who was surrounded by liberals (you could tell by the signs) but she was good natured about it. We agreed that this once we could stand side by side in pursuit of a better Congressman.
3) Speaking of labor participation, Alabama AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Al Henley really took a chunk off Parker Griffith. Al came prepared with all his facts and figures on Parker and laid into him good and proper. Unfortunately, my video of that went home with someone else tonight, but it's worth waiting for.
4) The AFL-CIO was generous enough to donate use of their conference area at the Marriott to the protest organizers for a presser of our own. They even stayed around to provide a cheering section. This truly was a consortium of groups on the left and on the right -- maybe even the middle -- who have found common cause against Griffith.
5) The Mo Brooks supporters were out in force. Mo worked the crowd himself and gave an interview or two. He stopped and had a nice chat with my family -- can't help but think he did himself some good with the activist right tonight.
6) There were some Les Philip supporters, as evidenced by buttons.
7) Democratic candidates did not attend the protest, although Mitchell Howie sat in on both press conferences.
8) This was a lot of fun. One foul-mouthed guy drove away from the hotel and yelled some ugly stuff out the window as he passed down the line of protesters. That was the only unpleasantness I saw. There were lots of chants of "No more Griffith" and even "Liar, liar, pants on fire." Liberals need to stop worrying so much about the possibility of looking silly and do more events like this one.
9) Many thanks to Christie Carden, Linda Haynes, the Alabama A&M Democratic Club and all the others who made this protest a success. I really feel like Griffith and Boehner know they got their asses kicked today in terms of PR.
Congressman Parker Griffith's new best friend is probably the most polarizing member of the GOP. House Republican Leader John Boehner, "The Man with the Tan" will be the "special guest" at an upcoming $100 a couple fundraiser for the party-switcher Griffith.
While Griffith hopes his buddy Boehner will draw a crowd with open wallets, there's also word that another crowd will form to protest the former Democrat and the tan one. The Tea Party is getting out the word to gather too. According to one tea bagger, they've been flooding Boehner's office with phone calls telling the Republican from Ohio to stay out of Alabama business. Meanwhile, Democrats may take this opportunity to protest too.
Choose your corner. Come early for a ringside seat. It all goes down Monday, March 8, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Huntsville Marriott Ballroom.
LANGUAGE WARNING: Today’s story is uncharacteristically blunt, and from this moment forward we will be using lots of inappropriate language in making our points.
It is by now fairly well known that Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s White House Chief of Staff, had a bit of a blow-up with liberals who were ready to start running ads against “blue dog” Democrats who were working very hard to shut down the health care reform effort.
Now we’re not gonna get in the middle of that argument today; instead, since we’re finally getting a chance to talk, I figured me and Rahm could get a few other things out of the way that have been on everyone’s mind for the past year or so.
I still here, and "they are still there". In light of our recent discussion on race, and as a follow up to skepticalbrotha's excellent diary, Keith Olbermans Presidents Day special comment is must a must see and hear for those with the time and inclination. It's time to pull the sheets off of the so called Tea Party movement and call it what it is.
When I was in 6th grade, I fell victim to the school bully. I was new to the school and became an easy target for an 8th grade girl with a bad attitude. She picked on me endlessly while other kids stood by and watched. I was humiliated, scared and completely at a loss about what I should do.
Like most Jews you are PRO COMMUNIST,
Real Americans, know what You ARE!
(UN-AMERICAN), and I hope OBAMA TAXES the hell out of your retirement funds, like he is planning!
Freedom Works -- the conservative institution behind the "grassroots" Tea Party movement -- has announced their 2010 Target List.
Parker Griffith (??, AL-05) has a target on his back in spite of his switcheroo, but he isn't classed as an Enemy of Liberty like Bobby Bright (D, AL-02) and Florida Congressman Alan Grayson. I truly believe Parker Griffith could have been another Alan Grayson had he not chosen to pander to the far right, principles be damned.
(Well, that's good news. Bright, while a conservative (with small "c") Democrat, is still a DEMOCRAT. Parker Griffith: take note.... - promoted by countrycat)
With Griffith’s announcement Tuesday, eyes immediately turned to his home state freshman counterpart, Rep. Bobby Bright.
But Bright told the House Democratic leadership Tuesday night that he planned to stay in the party, according to a senior Democratic aide.
A wise move. As Swing State Project's James points out, Griffith made a ridiculous move by putting himself in a position to be Scozzafava'd out of the race entirely by frustrated conservatives.
I sent a letter to Congressman Bright earlier today expressing my support for what he's done as a Democrat, and if you're in AL-02, I'd encourage you to do the same - even if you're only glad he's not Jay Love.
Rep. Stupak thinks that citizens shouldn't have to fund abortions - even indirectly - if that goes against their religious beliefs. Fake Consultant discussed this viewpoint in his diary at LIA.
That got me thinking... how many of us actually know how our federal and state taxes are spent?
In Fake Consultant's diary, we bandied about the idea that people should be able to direct their taxes to activities they agreed with. So if you're concerned about childrens' health care, you might direct 50% of your taxes to CHIP. If you're a defense hawk, you might want 75% of your money to fund the Pentagon.
The problem with this plan is that most people have no idea how much either their state or federal government spends on anything. For instance, public opinion surveys have consistently shown that Americans believe that 15 to 20% of the federal budget goes to overseas aid. In fact, we spend 1% of the budget for programs that feed hungry children, help refugees, and support family planning programs.
What if we could see those numbers on either our regular paychecks or even annual W-2 forms?
What if you could look at those withholding numbers and see that 21 cents of every dollar withheld from your pay is used to funds defense and war spending while 2 cents of every dollar withheld funds education?
Would that change your view of government and its role in society - and in your family budget?
Charts and graphs are on the flip. They're pretty eye-opening too.
Today the Tea Party Express rolled into Birmingham, Alabama - my hometown. Probably not a big surprise to anyone. But I'm absolutely shocked at the display that occurred in Kelly Ingram Park - right in the middle of the historic Civil Rights museum. Within feet of the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum and the 16th Street Baptist Church - where four little girls were killed on September 15, 1963. . In the middle of Kelly Ingram Park where Dr. Martin Luther King and Fred Shuttlesworth organized demonstrations for real freedom. Where Bull Connor turned the firehouses and dogs on children.
Is Birmingham a magnet for right wing crazies or something? First Focus on the Family and the Kill the Bill folks and now the Tea Party Express will be in town Monday, in Kelly Ingram Park no less.
Read a very good article by Adele Stan that connects a lot of dots regarding this "new" Tea Party movement and its origins. It's a really good read; please take some time to do so... and then pass it along.
"The men behind the religious right make a comeback with the Tea Party movement. Glenn Beck will tell you that this weekend's march of right-wing activists on Washington was six months in the making. Don't believe a word of it. Try 40 years."
"After the 2008 election, liberal pundits declared the religious right dead, as if its primary focus ever was religion. It was not: its primary focus is, and always was, power -- power that ultimately serves the interests of Big Business via the goal of defunding and disempowering those forces that argue for regulation and a social safety net -- in other words, the forces that enact the ideals of liberals and progressives."
So if you’re like me, you have been wondering just exactly what all this “tea party” stuff is about. There’s going to be some sort of protest, that we know; but beyond that the whole thing seems a little...vague.
Alternatively, it’s possible that you were unaware that “tea party” has recently become a word reborn in conservative political circles.
Well, whether you knew it or not, April 15th was indeed a day of protest, with citizens gathering for what were reported to be a series of grassroots events across the nation that was intended to invoke the spirit of the Boston Tea Party.
In an effort to find out exactly what is motivating these folks, and to find out what they are trying to accomplish, I took my handy recorder and captured a conversation with a “tea bag” protester.
We will review that conversation, and we will follow it up with a few thoughts about how this group of voters might impact electoral politics going forward.
Were you wondering what happened to all the rabid, wild-eyed bigots yelling, “Kill him!” and “Terrorist” and “Socialist” carrying stuffed monkey plush dolls at the McCain-Palin rallies?
Tubman maintains "socialist is some kind of code word".
I’ve been parsing the words and the racists have been very careful to cover their tracks and fury that a black man is President. But not well enough. I’m starting to become pretty convinced at this point that “socialist” is a some kind of code word for “nigger”.
Are the "tea parties" undercover racist attacks? Tubmans says it's up to the media we have and citizens journalist to find out.
I would urge news media and citizen journalists covering the tea parties to scratch below the surface to get at the rotting racist underbelly of these protests and ask revealing questions like these top five:
“How do you know Obama is a socialist?”,
“Do you believe Obama’s presidency is a conspiracy by the Jews and Blacks?”,
“Who do you think Obama takes his orders from?”,
“Is Barack Obama an American citizen like you?”,
“How do you feel about having a black president in the White House - what’s the worst that could happen?”
This might be a "poke in the eye" for some readers. Please read.
Surely, Congressman Boehner would liked to have seen the sign that - all things considered - asked him rather politely to leave town. 
They pulled in quietly, snuggled together in the back of an SUV (they left the same way: incognito) and were whisked into a no-press-allowed "fundraiser" that can't have raised many funds. It was held in a room not much larger than my living room/kitchen. Let's just say that AL-05 citizens weren't exactly beating down the doors to get in... 
Congressman Parker Griffith's new best friend is probably the most polarizing member of the GOP. House Republican Leader John Boehner, "The Man with the Tan" will be the "special guest" at an upcoming $100 a couple fundraiser for the party-switcher Griffith.
Freedom Works
Is Birmingham a magnet for right wing crazies or something? First 
