Maine Republicans Adopt Tea Party Platform

[Cleon]

A belief that the Democrat party is 'just left of center' says more about the usual far-left social-progressive atheist who posts here rather than reality.

Be sure to wipe the spittle off your keyboard.

We'll discover who's 'right' in 2010.

No, it doesn't work like that. Facts are not decided by election.

 

[Brainster]

The fringe-type people can get things done at events like party caucuses because so few people actually show up for those things. Remember how the Ronulans disrupted the Nevada Republican Party convention in 2008? But when it comes time for people to actually vote, the Tea Party gang has been largely impotent.

 

[AlBell]

Be sure to wipe the spittle off your keyboard.

None there.

No, it doesn't work like that. Facts are not decided by election.

One of the few 'political facts' is that winning elections is how politicians take office. After that, what facts have I missed?

 

[Cleon]

None there.

Must've gotten in on the monitor, then.

One of the few 'political facts' is that winning elections is how politicians take office. After that, what facts have I missed?

Yeah, ok.

As a reminder:

A belief that the Democrat party is 'just left of center' says more about the usual far-left social-progressive atheist who posts here rather than reality.

We'll discover who's 'right' in 2010.

No, 2010 will not decide whether the Democrats are "just left of center." Nor will it validate your ridiculous notion that "moderate Dem is a first class oxymoron."

 

[mhaze]

A belief that the Democrat party is 'just left of center' says more about the usual far-left social-progressive atheist who posts here rather than reality.

We'll discover who's 'right' in 2010.

I've seen little evidence that most Democrats "get it".

It's about big vs small government, at this point.

 

[Cleon]

I've seen little evidence that most Democrats "get it".

Depends on what "it" is.

It's about big vs small government, at this point.

"At this point?" I've heard people ranting about "big vs. small government" since at least the 1980s.

It's irrelevant, though; "big vs. small government" is vague, undefinable language, which works great for an "us vs. them" mentality but does little to suggest actual policy.

 

[AlBell]

None there.

Must've gotten in on the monitor, then.

Nope. Must be your problem.

One of the few 'political facts' is that winning elections is how politicians take office. After that, what facts have I missed?

Yeah, ok.

As a reminder:

A belief that the Democrat party is 'just left of center' says more about the usual far-left social-progressive atheist who posts here rather than reality.

We'll discover who's 'right' in 2010.

No, 2010 will not decide whether the Democrats are "just left of center." Nor will it validate your ridiculous notion that "moderate Dem is a first class oxymoron."

Ridiculous? Only to you far-lefties who have the mistaken notion they are 'just left of center'. Most Republicans currently in congress are 'just left of center', as typified by McCain and Crist in FL.

And I'm still waiting for one of those 'facts' you think I'm missing.

 

[tyr_13]

Nope. Must be your problem.


Ridiculous? Only to you far-lefties who have the mistaken notion they are 'just left of center'. Most Republicans currently in congress are 'just left of center', as typified by McCain and Crist in FL.
And I'm still waiting for one of those 'facts' you think I'm missing.

Well that explains it. You're one of those people who accuse your opponent of your almost exact tactic before they can point it out of you. You're so far to the left that centrists like McCain are 'just left of center'. You redefine the American political landscape so that 'most real Americans' are on your side, regardless of their actual political views.

Remember the last election? Yeah, most Americans would disagree with your assessment, and more importantly, most people who actually understand politics would disagree.

And that's as far as I'll go into this minor derail.

 

[Cleon]

Ridiculous? Only to you far-lefties who have the mistaken notion they are 'just left of center'. Most Republicans currently in congress are 'just left of center', as typified by McCain and Crist in FL.

I can only conclude from the above that either:

1. You are completely off the register

Edited by Tricky: 

Edited for rule 12

or
2. You are completely ignorant of what the words "left" and "right" mean in this context.

And I'm still waiting for one of those 'facts' you think I'm missing.

Once again:

No, 2010 will not decide whether the Democrats are "just left of center." Nor will it validate your ridiculous notion that "moderate Dem is a first class oxymoron."

Why you think 2010 will decide such a thing is a mystery to me, but the fact that you haven't even bothered trying to reassert it (much less justify it) tells me that you don't really believe it, either.

Which means you're just spewing crap, really.

 

[AlBell]

You're so far to the left that centrists like McCain are 'just left of center'.

What a truly odd thought.

You redefine the American political landscape so that 'most real Americans' are on your side, regardless of their actual political views.

I find the phrase 'real Americans' humorous.

Remember the last election?

Yes, I do. I suspect the next will have quite a different outcome.

Yeah, most Americans would disagree with your assessment, and more importantly, most people who actually understand politics would disagree.

We will find out Nov 2010 and 2012.

 

[MikeMangum]

1: legislation must adhere to the constitution
2: States should join together to fight unconstitutional encroachments of the Federal government on the powers of the states
3: support the 2nd amendment
4: Pass a "read the bill" act
5: oppose the fairness doctrine, or any other name under which speech restrictions might be imposed
6: Reject the Orwellian "Employee Free Choice Act" to remove the secret ballot requirement to start a union
7: Prohibit government funding of advocacy groups; ensure proper voter registration and ID requirements; resist efforts to allow foreigners to vote
8: Oppose any foreign treaties that limit US sovereignty
9: Assimilate legal immigrants into society; change Maine to no longer be a sanctuary state; no benefits or citenzship for illegal immigrants; deport illegal immigrants
10: term limits; no pension for members of congress; congress cannot vote themselves pay raises; congress must use the same healthcare plan as the general public under the same rules; congress must abide by all the laws they impose on the general public
11: Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion
12: promote marriage (they include a definition of marriage as between a man and woman); parents make the decisions for their children, not government; "we recognize the sancity of life, which includes the unborn"
13: take the war on radical Islam seriously; seal the border
14: encourage saving and investing
15: cut spending, balance the budget, pay off the debt - "generational debt shifting is immoral"
16: audit the Fed
17: stop political manipulation of economic statistics
18: require the government to follow the same accounting rules as businesses
19: restore the part of welfare reform that was removed with the stimulus bill
20: no cap and trade
21: freeze stimulus spending and apply it to the debt
22: remove roadblocks to energy resource use and extraction, including nuclear
23: implement zero based budgeting
24: "Espouse and follow the principle: It is immoral to steal the property rightfully earned by one person, and give it to another who has no claim or right to its benefits"
25: healthcare is not a right, it is a service, and the healthcare bill is unconstitutional - allow purchase of insurance across state lines, implement tort reform, some Main specific healthcare stuff
26: Eliminate the Dept of Ed and restore full control to local authorities
27: "b. Repeal and prohibit any participation in efforts to create a one world government"

The only things in there that seem to me be a bit "out there" is the part about auditing the Fed (which is a shame*), abolishing the Dept of Education, and the pablum about "one world government". The rest of it seems to me to be policy issues that, at the very least, a significant minority of people would not find objectionable, individually.

By the way, this platform was not proposed by a tea partier.

Mr. Dyer says he and his co-authors aren’t members of the tea party, although some have attended such events. They were motivated by disappointment with the party’s “progressive” wing, which had “forgotten what it means to be a Republican,” he says.

He agrees that the document is vague in parts, but that was because they had expected it to be merely a draft to begin negotiations with less-conservative party members. To their amazement, it passed with the support of not only tea-party groups, evangelical Christians, and Ron Paul libertarians, but also a large number of presumably rank-and-file conventioneers.

Keep in mind that this is Maine, where there actually IS a progressive wing of the Republican party.

If it was a tea party platform, it wouldn't have anything in there about marriage, abortion, or other social issues.


* The Fed is being given greater and greater power to regulate the economy but is not accountable to the electorate. The financial regulation legislation before Congress has the Fed becoming a regulator, for instance. Keep in mind that the Fed is not part of any of the 3 branches of government. Giving pushback against making the Fed a regulator doesn't seem whacky to me, but those gold bugs who simply want to attack the Fed any way they can because they hate fiat money are not the sort of people to bring real concerns about the role of the Fed before the public simply because they have little credibility on the issue. It's like a mid 70s Jane Fonda saying she wants to streamline the military's procurement system - you just assume hostility. The "crying wolf" aspect will innoculate the Fed against real criticisms. The Fed should stay what it was designed to be, a central bank whose purpose to maintain a stable currency.

 

[MikeMangum]

BTW, all the **** hand waving about who is left, right, far left, far right, centrist etc. is a waste of time. Those are all relative terms.

 

[MattusMaximus]

The fringe-type people can get things done at events like party caucuses because so few people actually show up for those things. Remember how the Ronulans disrupted the Nevada Republican Party convention in 2008? But when it comes time for people to actually vote, the Tea Party gang has been largely impotent.

True, but this is going to be a big embarrassment for the Maine GOP. My guess is that once word of this gets out, a great number of moderates & independents in Maine are going to start scratching their heads and considering other options.

The implosion continues...

 

[MattusMaximus]

I've seen little evidence that most Democrats "get it".

Yup, that whole 2006 and 2008 election cycle was meaningless

It's about big vs small government, at this point.

Uhhhh, where have you been, mhaze? As has been pointed out already, this particular horse has been beaten to death. Good grief.

 

[Puppycow]

This is nice to know, but platforms have always been mostly meaningless and politicians are free to ignore any controversial parts of them.

Senator Bennet losing at a convention is "an exception that proves the rule." This couldn't happen in most states where nominations are decided by primary.

 

[Ladewig]

11: Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion

You may not realize that the claim that "Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion" is frequently used by the Religious Right to justify school prayer.

24: "Espouse and follow the principle: It is immoral to steal the property rightfully earned by one person, and give it to another who has no claim or right to its benefits"

If anyone thinks that the Tea Party protesters are angry now, just wait until they get their wish and Medicare is eliminated.

 

[elbe]

parents make the decisions for their children, not government; "we recognize the sancity of life, which includes the unborn"

They government shouldn't be allowed to tell it's citizens what they can or cannot do, so make it illegal to get abortions!

 

[Darth Rotor]

11: Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion

While true, that rather misses the point. The First Amendment addresses the freedom of religion, and freedom from (mandatory State) religion.

Put another way, point 11 is empty.

DR

 

[PixyMisa]

This is surprising because Maine Republicans are usually known for being moderates.

The entire platform can be read here (pdf doc).

I read through it: Okay, that's just affirming the Constitution. That's just affirming the Constitution. That and that and that, just affirming the Constitution. This and this are defensible postions. Then it went insane.

 

[ponderingturtle]

I read through it: Okay, that's just affirming the Constitution. That's just affirming the Constitution. That and that and that, just affirming the Constitution. This and this are defensible postions. Then it went insane.

See it all depends on what they think the constitution means.