Your morning jolt: Michele Bachmann and the tea party as an act of God
This morning’s topic appears to be whether – like Hurricane Irene, an earthquake, or Chuck Norris – the tea party wields enough power to be declared an act of God. Campaigning in Florida on Sunday, Michele Bachmann seemed to think so.
From the St. Petersburg Times:
“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’ Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we’ve got to rein in the spending.”
In Georgia, there was less enthusiasm for giving the tea party credit – or blame — for the failure of Gov. Nathan Deal’s effort to move the next year’s transportation sales tax vote to November. From the Associated Press:
House Speaker David Ralston downplayed the tea party’s role in sinking the transportation measure.
“I think the Republican caucus in the House thinks for themselves,” Ralston said. “We listen to a lot of groups here.”
To be sure, counties also opposed moving the date of the transportation referendum, which had an effect on the outcome.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle stopped short of calling the transportation tax a victory for the tea party, but agreed they are having an impact on the state’s politics.
“I think all constituencies that bind together have a voice,” Cagle said. “This is what democracy is all about. They clearly weighed in very heavily, but (they were) not the deciding factor.”
***
And speaking of the transportation SPLOST, an interesting few Sunday lines from Laura Armstrong of the Marietta Daily Journal:
…[T]here’s the perception among more than a few educated citizens that the Atlanta Regional Commission and their friends the municipal associations, community improvement districts (CIDs) and chambers of commerce (that have sadly evolved from really great networking organizations into just more power-imbued lobbyists with major political influence) not only want our dollars, but are also trying to force certain lifestyle concepts down our throats.
Urbanization, high density-no back yards (HDNBY) Agenda 21 “sustainable community” stuff that will transform our once quiet suburbs into, well, something very few of us seek.
***
Strange doings down in Lowndes County. From the Valdosta Daily Times:
Valdosta Mayor John J. Fretti entered a guilty plea Friday morning stemming from an investigation into his being doubly reimbursed by the city and state for the same trips.
At approximately 9:45 a.m. Friday, Fretti entered a guilty plea in Lowndes County Superior Court to felony false statement, but did not step down as Valdosta’s mayor.
Fretti knowingly signed Georgia Department of Community Affairs vouchers between June 3, 2009, and June 2, 2010, according to Southern District Attorney David Miller, and also returned to Valdosta and claimed mileage reimbursement from the city for the same trips.
Additionally during these trips, he accepted the $105 per diem from DCA, while charging all of his lodging and food expenses to the city….
The charge carries a sentence of one to five years in prison and a fine of approximately $1,000. DA David Miller requested that the sentence include full restitution to the City of Valdosta in the amount of $4,194.
***
We didn’t go to Saturday’s GOP fish fry down in Perry. But Shannon McCaffery with the Associated Press did:
Saturday’s event featured an awkward moment as Gingrich bumped into former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, who initially signed on to be national co-chairman for his presidential bid only to quit _ without so much as a phone call _ when the Gingrich campaign unraveled earlier this year. Perdue launched the middle Georgia fish fry as governor. Since he left office, the state party has taken over the event.
“It was cordial,” Perdue said of his brief hello with Gingrich. “Listen, I still respect his intellect and ideas.”
…..Gingrich said Saturday he was “saddened” that the political action committee he founded _American Solutions _ has shut down. The 527 group had struggled with financial support since Gingrich left to run for president.
Under Gingrich, the group had been a fundraising juggernaut, raising millions of dollars that allowed Gingrich to travel the country prompting his ideas.
***
That red carpet treatment of Jon Huntsman at the state Capitol last week apparently paid off. GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, who placed first in Saturday’s GOP straw poll in Perry, will address the Senate at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday – just before the General Assembly flees home for the rest of the year.
***
The AJC’s Politifact Georgia today examines GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s recent Tweet that “We spend less on defense today as % of GDP than at any time since Pearl Harbor.”
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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143 comments Add your comment
whacko.....
August 29th, 2011
11:45 am
@southpaw….you show your ingnorance and idiocy by making reference to “my president”. you have no clue. just because i criticize bachmann you claim obama is my president…..moron!! more republicans should be on here criticizing bachmann and refusing to vote for the whacko.
those who claim to speak for god are either a prophet or a nut……which one is she??
Annee
August 29th, 2011
11:47 am
If Bachman believes Irene was god’s message to D.C., surely she must also believe god is sending a message to Texas in the form of droughts. I guess we just need a good rain dance after Perry’s prayer session.
gm
August 29th, 2011
11:48 am
Retired Solider
I gues keeping America safe for the last 3 years killing more terrorist in 3 years then bush and cheney did in 8.
I guess when he has to sign those government check for the tea party hypocrite who lost their home in Irene shows his bad politicies.
Thank you Prsident Obama for keeping America safe
Dawged
August 29th, 2011
11:49 am
Dear Jim-Your headline is typical of a leftwing Progressive with a liberal slant in that it implies this was a statement of policy by Michelle Bachmann-when as reported by other national known newsmedia it was indeed delivered tongue in cheek attempt at humor over rival democrats.Of course you know this but the truth would not fit your agenda or that of your taskmaster Obama..Folks if you are looking for unbiased news go to the web(ie Drudgereport) you won’t find it only the constantly eroding and ship sinking AJC.Selah!
Kramer
August 29th, 2011
11:49 am
I belong to the Tea Party. We are not an act of God rather, an act of common sense economics and sick and tired of DC spending our money like drunken fools. That goes for both republicans and democrats.
Retired Solider
August 29th, 2011
11:53 am
gm-
Where are the stats you are using to say Obama killed more terrorists than Bush? Second point, our military has killed the terrorists, not Bush or Obama. BTW, so you like Obama’s war policies? Interesting they are 100% opposite from the war policies he ran for office.
Your second sentence makes no sense.
Thank you American military for keeping our nation safe.
messed up!
August 29th, 2011
11:53 am
Whatever happen to separation of church and state & conservatism. Stay out of the bedroom, stay out of the pews! Govern fically and let people live free! I would vote rep. but they are all nutcases!
honky talkin'
August 29th, 2011
11:54 am
Bachmann appeals to the ignorant and uninformed base of the GOP.
honested
August 29th, 2011
11:58 am
I don’t get it. Bachmann makes her latest nutcase statement and Mr. Galloway is called a ‘leftwing progressive’ (as if that were a bad thing) for publishing it.
The teapotties are still stirred up about the Federal budget, yet still have no answer of where to come up with the 4 trillion to pay for the military adventurism in Iraq and Afghanistan (money wasted and the direct cause of much of our continuing economic difficulty).
In short, don’t notice if a candidate is probably nuts, and don’t face economic reality.
It must be Monday morning in Georgia.
honested
August 29th, 2011
12:00 pm
retired,
By your logic, you place the blame for being flat footed on 9/11 on the military?
Retired Solider
August 29th, 2011
12:03 pm
honested-
You have to ask Obama about Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama followed the Bush plan in Iraq, doubled down in Afghanistan and has a third war in Libya. Don’t blame Bush any more about war, Obama has taken it to new levels.
BTW, what about Gitmo?
Retired Solider
August 29th, 2011
12:06 pm
honested-
Nope, the military is not responsible for terrorism in the United States. Flat footed? That would be the FBI, to a lesser extent the CIA and other intel agencies.
Brown Eyed Girl!
August 29th, 2011
12:12 pm
1 Corinthians 14:33 – For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
I wish that people will quit blaming things on God! In His infinite wisdom, He does allow some things to happen, but He doesn’t make mess…we do! Stop mixing politics with religion!
Tom
August 29th, 2011
12:16 pm
Where’s all the blame for the TRUE source of the hurricane….Aigaios?
Ol' Timer
August 29th, 2011
12:16 pm
I don’t know if it’s true or not, but my neighbor told me that Jeff Foxworthy was going to moderate the next Republican/Tea Party debate because he had a sack full of questions to ask them from Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader.
He’ll probably have to dumb em’ down to keep from embarrassing em’.
Pamela
August 29th, 2011
12:19 pm
hahahahahaha! Now that’s funny. There is no way in he!! that the teaparty is an act of God. They are just as much as an act of God as the Ku Klux Klan. They both represent the same thing…racism….That’s too funny!
RGB
August 29th, 2011
12:20 pm
Partisay,
You must be itching to pick a fight with someone today. I’m your huckleberry.
If you had the capacity for both reading and comprehension, you would have understood that I was commenting that Jim Galloway’s depiction of Bachman was not supported by anything she said.
I didn’t comment on $2 gasoline which has absolutely nothing to do with this topic or what I wrote.
Having said that, Obama’s energy plan is not to look for it. Do you believe that willfully choosing to block the discovery, procurement, and refinery of new petroleum sources serves to increase or decrease the price of gasoline at the pump?
I, too, am anxiously awaiting your reply and trust that you will be able to add focus and discernment to your comments.
Ol' Timer
August 29th, 2011
12:27 pm
If we were in the market for a preacher and Sunday School teacher we’d be in good shape with Michelle and Rick.
But I don’t think they’re smart enough to sit in the big chair.
gm
August 29th, 2011
12:29 pm
Retired Solider
This is hypocrite stuff I am talking about, when Sadaam was captured all the hypocrites were hailing bush for this victory his numbers sky rocketed, now when Obama has kept this nation safe by killing 1,2 terrorist in the world, now he had nothing to do with it.
I guess he did not give the order? this is why people around the world look at this country with a bunch of bigots in it.
DannyX
August 29th, 2011
12:30 pm
Watch out Texas. God is about to get the attention of the politicians in Texas.
Gov Perry was center stage at a huge stadium prayer event. Jesus said to pray alone in a closet, not in a 70,000 seat capacity fancy domed stadium with air conditioning.
REPENT!!! Matthew 6:1
mum
August 29th, 2011
12:37 pm
Wasn’t there something in the bible about false prophets? Be careful of people telling you that god sent them because if they hve to tell you, it’s a lie!
Didn’t Jesus throw the money changers out of the temple?
Didn’t Jesus say something about, “Whatever you do unto the least of these my brothers you do unto me?”
Something’s wrong if God is telling politicians to send kids into war so that the children be blessed people with are murdered. God is responsible for everything good, bad or indefferent it seems.
gm
August 29th, 2011
12:39 pm
I am waiting to see Sara, Hannity, Rush help these tea party people who homes have been destroyed by Irene Oh, but wait the gov is going to have to help them, the same gov these hypocrites takes shot at day in and day out.
Those cool rich idiots of Sara, Hannity, Rush are not going to bad mouth those checks that will be comming to the tea party.
DeVante
August 29th, 2011
12:39 pm
“…[T]here’s the perception among more than a few educated citizens that the Atlanta Regional Commission and their friends the municipal associations, community improvement districts (CIDs) and chambers of commerce…not only want our dollars, but are also trying to force certain lifestyle concepts down our throats.”
That’s my perception too. What’s being done with the taxes the government already collects from us? They never seem to have enough. If, God forbid, this transportayion sales tax passes they’ll be back in another year asking for more.
Nona
August 29th, 2011
12:40 pm
The relevant question here is how the heck a single one of these clowns came to be in a position of power.
Something’s wrong with US if these are who our leaders and potential leaders are. We allowed this. It has to STOP!
Pud Wilkinson
August 29th, 2011
12:41 pm
God’s got a sick sense of humor.
TRUTH
August 29th, 2011
12:43 pm
Tea Party, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, hmmm, if I just left those names up, wonder what kind of reaction it would get? My thoughts are that the Republican Party wish there never was a Tea Party (even though it was created by Freedomworks and other “faux grass roots” Republican auxillaries.”). This whole mess has blown up in your faces and now you’re trying to give credence to extreme fringe Republicans.
How’s that working for ya?
Bill Lewis
August 29th, 2011
12:44 pm
The Democrats want to pass it off as a small group of right wing extremist but the Tea Party is the Silent Majority that is sick of the career crooks who are in office now! Beware ! there will be major changes with Obama and his cronies added to the unemployment numbers in 2012!
Retired Solider
August 29th, 2011
12:46 pm
gm-
My response to you is due to my military background, not because I am a bigot. Bush did not “kill” any terrorists either. Your comment begs the question, did you give Bush kudos for capturing Sadaam? No? Then I suggest you look at yourself.
John Lewis
August 29th, 2011
12:48 pm
Racism is voting for a person just because they are Black!
DannyX
August 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
mum those things may have happened but we now use a new and improved Bible,
From the New Republican Bible Perry 3:1
“Poor people should sell all of their belongings and give the money to a Rich man.”
That’s pretty much the Republican jobs plan.
Donna P.
August 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
All this attention on the Tea Party is just a media distraction from Obama and his failures. He is a complete failure and I can’t wait until he just becomes a footnote in American politics.
Retired Solider
August 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
TRUTH-
Just like the 2010 elections. Keep up the faith and you’ll see a repeat in 2012.
RGB
August 29th, 2011
12:54 pm
lovelylez et. al.,
Many of you write disparaging comments about people who believe in God. You criticize people for worshiping Him and believe that elected officials not only should not be allowed to worship God publicly, you suggest that these individuals should not even be allowed to possess a belief in the Lord on a private basis. Your actions are directed at chasing these people “back in their holes”.
For a long time I failed to understand the rationale for anyone so viciously attacking people of faith. I thought that in America people had a choice whether to believe or not, and that given that pluralism was a tenet of this country’s founding that individuals would respect others’ choices in this area. Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 29 had seminary degrees.
But now I understand that having faith in the Sovereign God threatens those who have faith only in government. Therefore it is operationally consistent for these people to persecute those who profess or possess a faith.
Rick Perry’s recent meeting in Houston is sarcastically mocked by the Left even though Perry attended as a private citizen and never claimed to represent the State of Texas. The name on the mega-screen at the event simply read “Rick Perry, Austin, TX”. No taxpayer dollars were expended to hold the event. But that was insufficient for the mockers.
Many of you commenters are left unsatisfied, so I just wanted to tell you: We get it. We understand that you don’t believe in God. We realize you don’t respect or regard Him in any way whatsoever. That explains the absence of the term “Religious Left”.
Further, we get it that you don’t believe that any elected officials should ever have any religious faith. In addition, we understand that you are self-appointed enforcers whose goal is to lambast, criticize, ridicule, mock, and persecute any person of faith.
Your actions are unlikely to do anything but strengthen the resolve of people of faith. But we prefer leaders whose pastors say “God Bless America” than those who say “God D— America.”
It’s as simple as that. Deal with it.
honested
August 29th, 2011
12:54 pm
More teapottie delusions.
They never poll at over 18% acceptance, but now they are a ’silent majority’.
Only in America.
gm
August 29th, 2011
12:58 pm
Retired Solider
No one call you a bigot, just another person who try to hold President Obama to different standards then previous Presidents.
The only reason you idiots on the right won in 2010, because you lied to the American people claiming you were going to create jobs,.
This congress has not passed one single job bill and the American people know they have been had.
DannyX
August 29th, 2011
1:02 pm
Just whose “sovereign God” are we following? It sure wasn’t Thomas Jefferson’s.
He was very much against organized religion, but kept faith as a free thinking Christian.
Should we all get out our Jefferson Bibles? Did Jefferson start the war on Christmas by taking out all the miracles?
honested
August 29th, 2011
1:10 pm
rgb,
I don’t care what your pastors say, or what the pastors of elected leaders say, as long as they keep it separate from their business in Government.
pb
August 29th, 2011
1:12 pm
gm,
Your sentences run on too long. And accusing people of being racists is not going to help Obama get re-elected.
NANNY STATE
August 29th, 2011
1:17 pm
most people are too smart to argue with a fool. gm = fool
RAMZAD
August 29th, 2011
1:21 pm
The Tea Party is the Talibanization of American politics. The government is the problem. Gays are evil. Regulation is the anathema to progress. Environmental protection is a communist plot to keep America in the Dark Ages. Minorities and immigrants are leeches. The poor and the middle class have a moral responsibility to deliver the rich to the Promised Land, because that is how the former can insure that they will keep their slave wage existence. Barack Obama is Satan.
The Tea Party has picked up where Al Queda left off.
Kramer
August 29th, 2011
1:23 pm
I have learned over my 50 years of life that people who run around calling other people or groups racists are usually either a) ignorant or b) racists. I believe after looking at gm’s posts that he/she is both. The Tea Party scares the hell out of lefties and well it should. We are working to get some of you to stand on your own intead of living off the sweat and money of others. I know that concept does not sit well with your thinking but, that falls under “it sucks to be you”.
Kramer
August 29th, 2011
1:26 pm
RAMZAD, you are another ignorrant lefty that has no idea what the Tea Party stands for, not that you want to. It is eaiser to label them as what the far left tells you to label them as. For that, it shows both your stupidity and makes you a follower of people and not a leader. Somehow that would not be surprising to those that know your ignorant a**.
Retired Solider
August 29th, 2011
1:32 pm
gm-
Ok, I’ll hold Obama to the same standard as Bush. Bush’s fiscal policy was poor, Obama’s is terrible. How is that?
honested
August 29th, 2011
1:41 pm
kramer,
Many in this country who worked to modify the healtcare financing system in 2009 were working to prevent people from living off the sweat and money of others.
Unfortunately, we ended up with the for-profit health insurance companies and all their attached parasites are still in place.
I hope we do better next time.
I do wish the teapotties would hold an internal seminar to teach their minions what it costs to run a Civilization and that letting the top earners off the hook doesn’t make a lick of sense.
RAMZAD
August 29th, 2011
1:47 pm
@Kramer: Kramer, life is good. I got you to hate me and call me names and curse me. That is exactly what the Tea Party does best- invest in fear, profit from propaganda, vilify those who disagree with it, and troll for scape goats. It is your hate Kramer. Keep it. It is making you very ugly. It would be better for you if you started smoking cigarettes.
findog
August 29th, 2011
1:48 pm
If the Tea Party didn’t stop the TSPLOST then please have the Speaker, Lt Gov, Gov tells us who did!
Was it those democrats they were trying to manipulate?
Carl J.
August 29th, 2011
1:55 pm
The Tea Party has one huge “Achillies Heel” that is going to backfire on them. Namely….. their constant insistance of connecting Jesus Christ with American politics. I wish I had a dollar for every time a Tea Party member starts up with the: “”Jesus is the government and the government is Jesus”" rant. They also have a narccisist, narrow belief that just about EVERYONE in the United States thinks exactly like they do. Just wait until they find out that NOT all Americans are cornfield, Bible-thumping clones from Podunk, Nebraska.
Retired Solider
August 29th, 2011
2:01 pm
findog-
You won’t like this answer, but the democrats stopped it. They supported moving the date to Nov and then pulled their support. There wasn’t enough Reps to support it to pass without Dem support.
Retired Solider
August 29th, 2011
2:03 pm
Carl J.-
Just like it backfired in 2010? Facts are such an obstacle to invented truth.
honested
August 29th, 2011
2:07 pm
retired,
2010 was a mistake not likely to be repeated.