Tennessee lawyer Judson Phillips, leader of Tea Party Nation hosting the National Tea Party Convention this weekend in Nashville, had some straight talk for gathered reporters. Phillips didn't flinch when surrounded by media asking him if he agreed with convention speaker Tom Tancredo's remarks, that Obama was a "commited socialist ideologue."

From CNN, "Tea Party organizer; Tancredo 'Fantstic Speech'":

"The word 'socialist' is a word you don't want to be labeled with in the American political system. It's got a lot of negative connotations, but it also has a very specific political meaning. It refers to a specific political ideology. I think it is very clear that that is the political ideology of Barack Obama."

Photo of Phillips speaking at a TN Tea Party rally. Rep. Marsha Blackburn can be seen in the lower right corner.

The Providence Journal is reporting that rather than launching a third party, Tea Party activists in Rhode Island are just going to take over the existing Republican Party. What's more, the existing Republican establishment has signaled that it welcomes such a move.

From ProJo Politics Blog, Jan. 18:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Lacking a formal party structure of their own, Tea Party activists in Rhode Island and elsewhere -- despite consistent pledges of non-partisan status -- have set their sights on the Republican establishment.

Local conservatives openly embrace the mission of the National Precinct Alliance, an organization that seeks to take over the Grand Old Party by becoming elected "precinct executives" who endorse candidates.

Rhode Island Tea Party president Colleen Conley says she will attend a Texas conference next week that offers a session devoted to the strategy.

"We want to build a farm team. And that's what this is," she told Political Scene. "It is through the GOP, and clearly we have a lot of independents and libertarians [involved in the Tea Party]. It's just that the GOP here is such a nonentity."

State Republican Party Chairman Giovanni Cicione, himself a self-described "libertarian," according to RH Libertarian Party officials, had this to say:

"I absolutely support the efforts of the Tea Party activists to get their people involved in grassroots Republican politics. We are the only possible home for any reform movement."

Note - the Rhode Island Libertarian Party essentially operates as a subset of the RI GOP. All three RI Libertarian Party Executive Comm. members also serve as local GOP Precinct Committeemen, and two of them ran for the State Legislature as Republicans in 2008.

Photos of RI Tea Partiers at the Capitol in Providence, plus Colleen Conley.

From Eric Dondero:

Is embattled Rhode Island Representative Patrick Kennedy next on the endangered Democrat list? A drunk driving (he says muscle relaxer) incident at the Capitol in DC back in 2006. And most recently a thoroughly embarrassing mis-speak: "Marcia" Coakley, at the Massachusetts Coakley rally for US Senate in early January. Now, Kennedy is attacking newly elected Senator Scott Brown as a "joke." Here's the full Kennedy quote from the Boston Herald this morning:

"Brown’s whole candidacy was shown to be a joke today when he was sworn in early in order to cast his first vote as an objection to Obama’s appointment to the (National Labor Relations Board."

He went on to hint that Sen. Brown did not have Massachusett's best interests at heart:

[He's] "in the tank for the Republicans..."

But Kennedy is facing an increasing amount of heat from folks back home in Rhode Island. From WRPI-12 Providence:

Congressman Patrick Kennedy may be facing his most difficult re-election campaign in 16 years, according to an exclusive WPRI-12 Poll released this week.

The poll shows 31 percent of those interviewed said they would "consider another" candidate and 28 percent said they would "vote to replace" Kennedy. Those who would re-elect the eight-term Congressman came in at 35 percent. Five percent weren’t sure.

Enter John Loughlin. The Republican Party has managed to recruit perhaps its strongest candidate ever to challenge Kennedy. Loughlin is a longtime State Representative, community buisiness leader and family man from Tiverton. Eerily similar to Lt. Colonel Scott Brown, Loughlin is a retired Lt. Col. from the Rhode Island National Guard.

Also like Brown, Louglin is all about Jobs and the Economy. From his website:

Rhode Island’s economy is a total mess. While our career politicians in Washington have done little to nothing to fix the underlying problems, our local economy steadily worsens. Sure, you will see giant checks being presented by the career politicians on the six-o-clock news, evidence, they say, that they “bring home the bacon,” but keep in mind that check represents money borrowed from the Chinese government that you, your children and even your grandchildren will be forced to pay back in higher taxes. Rhode Island needs more taxpayers not more taxes.

Damien Baldino, publisher of RIRepublican blog described as "Personal Responsibility, Fiscal Conservatism, and Self-Reliance" writes at Pundit.net:

Patrick Kennedy is the perfect example of someone who gets by solely on his family name. With an anti-incumbent sentiment spreading across the nation, disgust with the Democrat’s thirst for bigger government, and a strong Republican candidate, Patrick Kennedy might be looking at his last term in Congress

If you would like to help rid Congress of Patrick Kennedy, please visit the website of his opponent, John Loughlin. He’s an exceptionally strong candidate, and worthy of your help.

DEVELOPING...

Jack Ryan Redux?

From Eric Dondero:

This news just breaking this morning... Only two sources so far, so we're reluctant to move full speed ahead.

The politician in question manages a huge state, and has been heavily rumored to have had affairs in the past. So, revelations of a Swingers Lifestyle would not come as a great surprise.

To date, the best-known politico to have been a Swinger, was ironically Jack Ryan of Illinois. Ryan and his wife Jeri, were said to be full-blown in the Lifestyle. In court documents trips to elite Paris clubs, and Chicago-area Swingers parties were detailed. The couple eventually divorced. But not before Ryan, viewed as a rising star in the GOP, was knocked out of a US Senate race.

The Chicago Political Machine: Then and Now

He lost to none other than a budding young State Senator from Chicago's southside: Barack Hussein Obama. It was rumored at the time that Obama's opposition reseach team had uncovered the allegations about Ryan, which eventually led him to drop out of the race. Ryan had been favored to win the seat. (Perenniel candidate Alan Keyes then stepped in as a replacement for the GOP with disastrous results.)

With the current situation, the individual in question is also a political opponent of Obama's, and it has been known for quite some time that he has wanted him out of the race, to make way for a more trusted Obama-ite.

UPDATE!

The celebrity news site Asia One is reporting:

New York Governor David Paterson... is facing rumours of sexacapades.

El Partido Movimiento Libertario

Otto Guevara, Presidential candidate of Costa Rica's Libertarian Party says he's confident of victory heading into election day, Sunday.

His main opponent is Laura Chinchilla (appearing first in the video), of the centrist Partido Liberacion National. PLN is currently the incumbent party.

Guevara (50 seconds in):

"I'm convinced we will prevail. Every day there are more Costa Ricans who want change. For 40, 50, 60 years we've been governed by the same party, and this is the day for change."

Just Breaking...

Prominent Libertarian Party of Michigan member Greg Merle, now plans to run in the GOP primary for Congress. The south central Michigan seat is currently held by incumbent Democrat Rep. Mark Schauer.

From Newschannel 3:

The list of Republican challengers looking to unseat Congressman Mark Schauer continues to grow.

Battle Creek's Greg Merle has thrown his name into the ring. Merle describes himself as a conservative libertarian.

Also on the Republican side are former Congressman Tim Walberg, attorney Brian Rooney of Dexter, and businessman Marvin Carlson.

Merle dropped out of the Republican Party in 2008, dissapointed with McCain having won the nomination. He immediately joined the Libertarian Party and ran for State Senate. He started to make moves of a return to the GOP late last year.

More info GregMerleforCongress Facebook

Mark Kirk easily won his primary for US Senate against four lesser-known challengers with 56% of the vote. The moderate-to-conservative Kirk was supported by at least one prominent Libertarian Republican, Chicago-area activist and former Libertarian Party of Illinois board member Jeff Wartman.

David Ratowitz won the GOP nomination for the 5th Congressional seat. He is a US Army Vet from the famed 82nd Airborne. He's a practicing Attorney in suburban Chicago. According to Dave Nalle, RLC National Chair:

Ratowitz is one of the most libertarian-leaning Republicans running this year, with backing from groups like the Republica Liberty Caucus and LibertySlate. He beat two conservative Republicans for a chance to run against incumbent Democrat Mike Quigley in the fall in a district which is mostly middle class Chicago suburbs and leans Democrat, but was held by a Republican during the mid 1990s.

Dr. Arie Freidman running for the Mark Kirk seat in Congress, Northlake shore, finished 4th with 13% in a field of 5. The winner of the GOP primary was Robert Dold.

For Governor, political newcommer Adam Andrzejewski, a favorite of the Tea Party movement placed a dissapointing 5th in a field of 7, with 14.4% of the vote.

The Democrats have a new nominee for the Barack Obama seat for US Senate. And he's got many friends with interesting occupations.

News from the Rick Perry for Governor Campaign:

AUSTIN – Ted Nugent will perform the national anthem at the Super Sunday with Sarah Rally with Gov. Rick Perry and Gov. Sarah Palin.

“Not only is Ted one of our nation’s greatest performers, but his dedication to upholding our nation’s Second Amendment rights has been crucial to maintaining the freedom we are able to enjoy as Americans every day,” said Gov. Perry. “I look forward to Ted’s performance, and to the opportunity to join both him and Sarah Palin in sharing the success story Texas has achieved through our state’s unwavering commitment to conservative values based on the belief in limited government and individual freedom.”

Nugent is an internationally-recognized musician and one of the strongest advocates of preserving our nation’s Second Amendment rights. He has served as a National Rifle Association board member since 1995, as a national spokesman for D.A.R.E and as ambassador for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Pass It On Outdoor Mentors Program. He is also an award-winning writer for more than 40 publications, and author of the New York Times best-sellers Ted White & Blue: The Nugent Manifesto and God, Guns and Rock 'n' Roll.

Tickets for the event are still available and may be reserved by registering at http://www.RickPerry.org/Sarah.

Debra Medina, a former County Republican Chair from tiny Wharton County, would beat former two-term Houston Mayor and likely Democrat nominee for Governor Bill White, according to a new Rasmussen poll. Houston has a population of over 4 million. The mostly rural, rice-farming Wharton County (El Campo, Boling), near Victoria, has a population of approx. 8 thousand.

From Rasmussen:

The surprise, as in the new Rasmussen Reports survey of the GOP gubernatorial primary, is the growing strength of Debra Medina, a businesswoman active in the state’s Tea Party movement. Medina now edges White 41% to 38%. Last month, White had a 44% to 38% lead on her. In this contest, six percent (6%) favor some other candidate, but a more sizable 16% are undecided.

Medina has received praise for injecting a hardline Ron Paul-like line into the Texas GOP primary calling for outright secession, and massive downsizing and elimination of state government programs.

Of course, frontrunner Gov. Rick Perry would fare well against White, 48% to 39%, and 2nd place holder Kay B. Hutchison racks up an even better score, 49% to 36% score.

Congressman Marty Seifert is the current frontrunner to replace Governor Tim Pawlenty in Minnesota. But a second candidate is in the race, is garnering an increasing amount of attention and support.

In a recent GOP convention straw poll Seifert finished ahead of Tom Emmer by about 12% of delegate support. But Emmer has an important constituency behind him.

Reports MinnPost.com:

[State] Rep. Tom Emmer, who is seen as more appealing to the Tea Party/Libertarian brand of Republicans who have become a growing factor in party politics..

Emmer is a former college hockey player - Boston College and Univ. of Alaska. He has served two terms in the legislature representing Delano, Rockford and Otsego.

So far, 14 elected officials have endorsed Emmer including: including Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau and Rep. Laura Brod.

From Reuters - World:

OTTO GUEVARA

A Harvard-educated lawyer and founder of the country's pro-business Libertarian Movement party, Guevara has surged in opinion polls in recent months, winning support from Costa Ricans seeking an outsider candidate.

The former lawmaker wants to take a hard line against rising crime, extending prison sentences and easing gun laws for law-abiding citizens.

Despite Costa Rica's stable macroeconomic fundamentals, Guevara, 49, has called for scrapping the floating colon currency, which he says is grossly undervalued, and replacing it with the U.S. dollar.

He gained prominence as an ambitious young lawmaker for fighting wasteful spending in Costa Rica's elaborate public health care and insurance system and has promised to slash bureaucracy if elected.

Now Reuters and other news services are reporting a "late surge" for Guevara. Continuing:

Polls place Laura Chinchilla within striking distance of the 40 percent of the vote she needs to avoid a runoff, but a late surge by conservative former lawmaker Otto Guevara and gains by centrist Otton Solis have narrowed her lead.

One poll just released by Demoscopía published in Al Día shows Guevara increasing from 19.5% in December to 30.1% in January. Though Chincilla still leads at 45%.

Still, another poll finds Guevara in a slightly better position. La Nacion newspaper reported (via Reuters), "Outsider closes gap in Costa Rica Presidential race":

Newcomer Otto Guevara from the fringe Libertarian Movement, has pulled into second place behind Chinchilla ahead of the Feb. 7 election...

Chinchilla, a moderate from the National Liberation Party who is backed by sitting President Oscar Arias, had 40 percent of decided voters in her camp, down from 63 percent in a September poll, while Guevarra's support jumped to 30 percent from 13 percent in the earlier survey.

From Eric Dondero:

The Presidential election in Costa Rica is just days away. The citizens of the Central American country will go to the polls on Sunday. Holding steady in 2nd place is Libertarian Presidential candidate Otto Guevara at 22%. But one issue that has been brought up by the opposition in the final days is Guevara's ties to privatizing free marketeer President Ricardo Martinelli.

From Americas news site:

the National Liberation Party’s Laura Chinchilla is the one to beat and poised to become Costa Rica’s first female president.

Chinchilla's main rival, a libertarian who wants to replace Costa Rica’s currency with the dollar and cut income taxes, surprised opponents in late 2009 when he bumped Ottón Solís out of the second place spot in the polls—a considerable feat given that in the last election he pulled in less than 10 percent of the vote. Guevara also stunned observers when he took a polygraph test on live television in an attempt to dispel controversy over campaign-financing sources. The libertarian candidate denies accusations that Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, also a libertarian, donated funds to his campaign.

Guevara was quoted in Panama-Guide.com as following the letter of the law:

"They were saying (the money) was coming from Ricardo Martinelli, and that the friendship I have with Ricardo Martinelli was influencing me in some way. There is not a single penny, not one dollar that has come from abroad because it is prohibited and we are abiding by Costa Rican law."

Martinellis is best known for supporting a flat tax. From the WSJ:

Panamanian businessman and free-marketeer Ricardo Martinelli... proposes to impose a flat tax system... at between 12% and 17% for persons, with a full exemption for revenues below a certain level, and between 18% and 22% for companies

Martinelli, left and Guevara appear together in the photo above.

(By Patrick Culley, a Hoosier Libertarian)

The government that governs least, governs best. Take Libertarian City-County Councillor Ed Coleman's proposal to end the ban on firearms in city parks for example. Coleman's timely proposal addresses a glaring problem with our city's current laws. As it stands now, you have the right to defend your life from an armed assailant on the street, in a supermarket, in a department store, a state park, a federal park, just about everywhere except a city park. Are Indy's public parks such utopian safe zones that you don't need to worry about protecting yourself there? What makes a city park safer than a state or federal park where you are allowed the right to defend your life?

Let's be clear: this proposal is not about "gun rights". It's about the most fundamental of human rights; the right to self defense.

read more

Rand Paul's first television ad for his Kentucky Senate campaign.

(Hat tip Adam Brickley at Race42012.com)

SPECIAL GUEST EDITORIAL

The Conservative Revolution of 2010
by Jesse Kelly

“This morning the British army in Boston…disgracefully quitted all their strongholds in Boston and Charlestown, fled from before the army of the United Colonies, and took refuge on board their ships…The joy of our friends in Boston, on seeing the victorious and gallant troops of their country enter the town almost at the heels of their barbarous oppressors, was inexpressibly great.” - - As reported by an American newspaperman after the first Washington-led, American victory in Boston, 1776.

Just think about what conservatives have accomplished in 2010. Not in my wildest dreams could I have thought that a fiscally conservative candidate could be Massachusetts’ newest senator. Like General Washington’s victory at Dorchester Heights, the war for the future of liberty in America won its first great battle in the Bay State.

Like many of you, I saw the storm clouds gathering for over a year. The previous administration began an attack on our constitution and our free market system through big government conservatism. President Obama continued the assault on our liberties by putting big government into overdrive. Obama, Pelosi, Reid and Giffords all supported nationalizing our industries, taking over our healthcare and strangling us with environmental regulation. The free citizens of Southern Arizona and these United States are saying, “NO MORE!”

Pundits on every cable news channel are likening this year to 1994; however, they are missing the fundamental difference between that year and this: 1994 was a Republican revolution, 2010 is a CONSERVATIVE REVOLUTION.

No sitting congressman or senator is safe this year. Not Harry Reid, not my opponent, Gabrielle Giffords, not John Murtha, not John McCain. Both Republican and Democratic voters are shouting, “This is not about political teams, team elephant or team donkey! This is about limited government, fiscal sanity and free market solutions to our nation’s problems!” It is fundamentally important for incumbents and challengers alike to realize the following fact: if Republicans are conservatives, they will win. If Republicans are merely tax cutters, but have a record of out-of-control spending, they will lose. If Democrats are conservative, they will win. If Democrats vote with Pelosi, they will lose.

The greatness of the conservative revolution of 2010 lies in its ability to act as a driving force for America far longer than its Republican counterpart 15 years prior. The Republican revolution of 1994 was successful in its onset, but failed to be a lasting movement because it was not wholly and completely rooted in conservatism. Identity without ideology is empty, and the longer the Republican Party occupied the seats of power in Congress, the easier it was for them to stagnate and whither from the vine.

In the conservative revolution of 2010, candidates like me see the Republican Party as an organized medium for my actual ideology, conservatism. Where some want to label Republicans as “the party of no,” conservatives will always be full of pragmatic, new ideas, rooted in the first principles of the Founders. While Republican values are malleable and ill-defined, conservative values are fixed, well reasoned, and applicable to everything from political theory to everyday living.

As a conservative and as republican, I announced my candidacy in early 2009 because I saw the revolution ahead of us could not only be victorious, but also glorious. In my race, in Arizona’s 8th congressional district, I am battling against a big government Republican in the primary and a big government Democrat in the general. It’s time to open up the western front in the conservative revolution of 2010.

Jesse Kelly is a candidate for Congress in Arizona’s Eighth District. His website is http://www.votejessekelly.com

Aafia Siddiqui convicted - Shouts blame it on Israel

From Eric Dondero:

A courtroom trial of a "Female Al Qaeda" Islamic Terrorist has highlighted a frightening new trend on at least some of the more liberal college campuses here in the United States.

From NewsMax:

NEW YORK – A U.S.-trained Pakistani scientist was convicted Wednesday of charges that she tried to kill Americans while detained in Afghanistan in 2008, shouting with raised arm as jurors left the courtroom: "This is a verdict coming from Israel, not America."

A jury deliberated three days in federal court in Manhattan before finding Aafia Siddiqui guilty in the third week of her attempted murder trial, which she often interrupted with rambling courtroom outbursts.

After declaring the verdict came from Israel, she turned toward spectators in the packed courtroom and said: "Your anger should be directed where it belongs. I can testify to this and I have proof."

Siddiqui was convicted of attempted murder, on two counts. At a police station in Afghanistan, she managed to get hold of a rifle and fire at 7 US soldiers, while shouting "Death to America!"

The prosecutors in the case described in detail her connections to Al Qaeda. When she was captured she had in her posession plans to blow up the Statue of Liberty and "other New York landmarks."

Most striking about her case, is that she is a graduate of both MIT and Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

MIT is the same university where American-born Islamic Terrorist Major Nidal Malik Hassan, the infamous Ft. Hood shooter, received his training.

Bill Warner, Private Investigator out of Sarasota, Florida, provides more details at his Blog:

Aafia Siddiqui Indicted for Attempting to Kill United States Nationals in Afghanistan and Six Additional Charges. ..On July 17, 2008, when Aafia Siddiqui was detained by Afghan authorities, a number of items were in her possession, including handwritten notes that referred to a “mass casualty attack” and that listed various locations in the United States, including Plum Island, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Other notes in Siddiqui’s possession referred to the construction of “dirty bombs,” and discussed various ways to attack “enemies,” including by destroying reconnaissance drones, using underwater bombs, and using gliders.

Aafia Siddiqui also possessed a computer thumb drive that contained correspondence referring to specific “cells,” “attacks” by certain “cells,” and “enemies.”

Aafia Siddiqui, a 36-year-old Pakistani woman, resided in the United States from in or about 1991 until June 2002, and obtained degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University. Siddiqui returned to the United States on December 25, 2002, and departed on January 2, 2003...

Terrorist Majid Khan appears to have met with Aafia Saddiqui who is a MIT grad in microbiology, she had access to Anthrax while working at Brandeis Univ in Boston. Assistant United States Attorney Eric Bruce claimed that MIT graduate Aafia Siddiqui was willing to help with an anthrax attack. Eric Bruce repeatedly referred to a planned chemical attack by Majid Khan but never described the plot or when and where it would occur. He said a woman affiliated with al-Qaida opened a Maryland post office box in the names of herself and Majid Khan so immigration documents could be sent there.

Siddiqui, 37, will now spend 60 years in federal prison.

Alaska Gal says Perry's got the right liberty principles

Days after her endorsement of native Texan-turned-Kentuckian Rand Paul for US Senate, Sarah Palin is planning on giving her enthusiastic support to another libertarian-leaning Texan: Governor Rick Perry.

Palin and Perry will appear together for a campaign rally in Houston on Sunday, February 7.

On her Facebook page Gov. Palin wrote:

I look forward to helping Governors like Rick Perry in Texas... We will support these candidates and others so that they can continue to fight for our American values.

The commonsense conservative principles of liberty and fiscal responsibility are on the rise, and that's why I'm going out and campaigning as hard as I can to make a difference.

From his campaign website:

"I look forward to standing with Sarah to promote our shared conservative values of limited government, low taxes and individual freedom,": said Gov. Perry. "Gov. Palin is a true conservative leader whose priorities and message resonate with Texans, and I am honored to have her in Texas supporting my campaign."

State's rights enthusiast and Tea Party patriot Rick Perry has expanded his lead in the Texas Republican Primary over his nearest rival moderate-to-conservative Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. As little as two months ago, he had been behind Hutchison in some statewide polls by 4 to 5%.

According to Rasmussen:

Rick Perry 44%

Kay Bailey Hutchison 29%

Debra Medina 16%

Perry actually went up a point, while Hutchison dropped 4.

Rasmussen's analysis:

Incumbent Rick Perry's lead over Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has grown a little bigger in the race for this year's Republican gubernatorial nomination in Texas.

And even more good news for Perry:

Eighty percent (80%) of likely primary voters have a favorable opinion of Perry.

Seventy-four percent (74%) of Texas GOP voters approve of the job Perry is doing as governor. That's up six points from a month ago.

NANNY-STATE WATCH!

It really is about Social Engineering

From Eric Dondero:

It's being called the Twinkie Tax. Colorado's Democrat Governor Bill Ritter is calling for a 3% across the board tax on groceries that have been deemed unhealthy such as sugary snacks, cakes, cookies, candie bars, some fast foods and soda.

It has unanimous support among Democrats in the state legislature. They've been joined enthusiastically by liberal special interests groups wanting to control the personal habits of Coloradoans. Meanwhile conservatives and libertarians are teaming up to try to put a stop to its passage.

Ritter knows what's best for Coloradoans... and their waistlines

From the Denver Daily News, Dems "Sweet on Twinkie Tax":

Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute, a Golden-based libertarian think tank, argues that Ritter was elected to be the governor, not to be a nanny who decides which potentially unhealthy products should be taxed. He joked that after upsetting some Colorado drivers by raising car registration fees with FASTER, Ritter has now found a way to upset the kids of Colorado.

“This legislature will go down as the Grinches who taxed gumdrops,” he said.

Meanwhile, supporters of the bill are revealing themselves to represent every finger-waving ninny stereotype that freedom-minded rightwingers paint them as. Continuing:

But at least one Colorado health group has come out in favor of the candy and soda tax. Maren Stewart, president and CEO of LiveWell Colorado, said in a statement that her group supports policies that limit the consumption of unhealthy food like soda and candy.

“The governor’s proposal to eliminate the sales-tax exemption for candy and soda will not exclusively solve the problem because it’s a very complex and complicated problem,” she said. “We are hopeful, however, that eliminating the exemption could lead to healthier choices.”

Note - the portly Gov. Ritter recently decided against running for re-election.

Photo - Gov. Ritter, right, dining with lobbyists.