Yeah, it turns out I was exactly right. Back in June, I wrote:

Yes, capitalism is harsh. But you know what’s even worse? The government interfering with markets that indirectly end up hurting the very people they claim to be helping.

Sadly, I hate gloating on this one. This is a real economic problem that has devastating effects on low income people. For many Americans, having a car isn’t a luxury. I realize that most liberals live in urban enclaves with public transportation systems, so this can be a difficult concept to grasp. Most Americans live in rural or suburban areas. Having a car is the only means of getting to and from work or the store. In my previous post, I shared my difficulties in finding a late model Honda compared to a similar car search I had in 2007. Paying $1,800 more for a car is painful, especially for those of us on budgets. Hot Air notes:

As predicted last year, the people most hurt by the price increases are those who can least afford them. The used-car market usually attracts people who need transportation on a budget, who cannot afford to buy new. By destroying a quarter’s worth of trade-ins in three weeks and permanently taking them off the market, the Obama administration has forced an artificial inflation by supply restriction. Moreover, they did so by subsidizing new-car sales that would have occurred anyway, eating up three billion dollars in taxpayer money.

In other words, the White House spent $3 billion to make used cars more expensive for working-class families. Nice work.

Great job, Obama Administration. Please, stop trying to fix the economy! The American people may actually survive this storm if you just sit on your thumbs in the White House and enjoy the perks. Perhaps Pelosi and Reid can take up Obama’s golf schedule?

The long-awaited drinking game is here. After writing a voter guide drink menu for tonight’s festivities, here’s how to play the game* If you need suggestions for drinks, click here for Gubernatorial drinks and here for TN-03 candidates.

Chug your drink:

1. Every time a Haslam ad appears on TV.

2. The mention of secession

3. A country/Christian music star mentioned on TV about supporting Zach Wamp.

Take a shot when:

1. A Chattanooga-based candidate says the words, “Volkswagen” or “VW.”

2. Someone mentions BasilMarceaux.com

3. You hear the Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling in the background

Take a drink when:

1. A candidate infers innocence from running a dirty campaign and blames the opposition.

2. A candidate references attack ads, dirty mailers or tricks.

3. A candidate cites an endorsement.

4. A candidate awkwardly references their website address.

5. A reporter or anchor says the following words:

-Voter turnout
-”It’s too early to tell”
-”Gonna be a close one”
-Victory party
-Tea party
-Landslide
-Mama Grizzly
-Women vote
-Precinct
-red state
-Islam/Muslim
-Mudslinging

6. A GOP candidate says the following words:

-Obamacare
-Economy
-Job creation
-Stimulus
-Bailout
-Big Government
-Government Spending
-Pelosi
-Obama
-Healthcare
-Victory tonight
-tax cuts
-trial lawyer
-establishment
-Tea Party
-Conservative victory
-Family Values

7. A candidate thanks his/her family

8. B-roll is shown of the following:

-Elderly poll watchers
-Rednecks
-Alex P. Keaton clones
-Ballots
-People walking into the poll

9. You see someone with a “I voted today” sticker

Any more rules? Suggest them in the comments.

*Be a grown up. Please drink responsibly.

The TN-03 race is brutal. There are ELEVEN registered candidates. While there are arguably top four or five, this race is a contender for qualifying in South Carolina politics. It lacks the bizarre factor of having a whackadoodle candidate, and only demonstrates the awfulness of politics. Part 1: Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidates Described by Mixed Drink is here. For more on the background of TN-03, click here and here.

Part 2: TN-03 Candidates Described by Mixed Drink

The Final Five*

Robin Smith

Robin Smith is and continues to be the front-runner here. As a former TN GOP chair she has the anointing. In any other cycle Robin would be the unquestioned champion. However, she’s running in a cycle when having establishment credentials hurts. In Robin’s case, I believe she is a genuine conservative  and has that cred despite being an political insider in the Volunteer State.

Robin has racked up nearly every endorsement known to right-wing politics. I’m on their media list and and get an announcement almost every day. One stood out to me. Robin was the first woman endorsed by Smart Girl Politics. As my favorite organization out there, I’m thrilled that a Mama Grizzly from Tennessee got it! (Yep, I had to go there.)

Robin gets my vote and my support.

There are a number of candidates that I genuinely like and respect in this race, and hope that these folks run for other offices in Tennessee. We need their talents and ability in other offices. Keep running Tommy Crangle and Van Irion.

Robin’s drink is the Red Velvet Martini.

.5 oz Van Gough Dutch Chocolate Vodka
.5 oz Stoli Vanilla Vodka
.5 oz Chateau Monet Framboise Raspberry Liqueur
Splash of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

Pour all ingredients into a martini shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with sugar and drizzled with white chocolate and raspberry sauce.

Red velvet cake is my absolute favorite cake in the world, and I always have it on my birthday. I have dreams about my grandmother’s recipe, which is incredibly difficult to make. Red velvet cake has to be the perfect blend of rich and moist.

Red velvet is also a Southern classic, which I think fits Robin well. It’s red for Republican, and involves Godiva liqueur. What woman doesn’t love liquid chocolate in a martini glass?

Don’t Tread on Me

Van Irion is the quintessential Tea Party candidate. I admire Van’s relentlessness, scoff at his readings of online polls, and think his lawsuit is innovative.

However, Van is just too…Ron Paul. Please don’t blast me! I’ve laid out my case before on Dr. Paul. I also respect and admire him, but just can’t go join the ranks.

Van is the type of person that we need on the county or state level. I hope that he runs for something in 2012. Tennessee does need his outlook and fiscal restraint.

Based on the Boston Tea Party, an actual drink that existed before Rick Santelli took to the airwaves, I’m adding a shot of Jack Daniels® for Tennessee.

The Don’t Tread on Me. This definitely needs to be served in a beer stein or a tankard.

1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz rum
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
1/2 oz Tia Maria® coffee liqueur
1/2 oz Grand Marnier® orange liqueur
1/2 oz Jack Daniels®
2 oz sweet and sour mix
5 oz Coca-Cola®

Combine all ingredients (except Coca-Cola) in a shaker, shake and strain over ice, or combine ingredients in a collins glass with ice and shake. Top with coke, garnish with a lemon wedge, and serve.

Tim Gobble

Sheriff Gobble’s campaign is the one that never really got started. During my marginal involvement with the Hamilton County GOP from 2008-2009, he was getting everything going. Then, nothing. I was surprised.

I like the idea of a law enforcement professional and a former secret service agent elected to Congress since there are way too many lawyers in the House. But please pay your bills! Sadly can’t learn more about you at the last minute, like most of the electorate does since your website is down. I work for an agency that develops websites and online fundraising for candidates, so I certainly understand why his vendor “hijacked” the site. It’s not a desirable tactic, but I feel their pain.

Given Sheriff Gobbles career path, he is the H’allo Police.

1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Lemon Juice

Pour the vodka and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well, strain into an old-fashioned glass, and serve.

The lemon juice adds a bit of a sour twist. It’s similar to the feeling you get when a candidate doesn’t pay his bills. I understand how tough it can be to fundraise, especially as an underdog in an 11-way race. However, be proactive with your vendors. They’ll likely work out a payment plan or some type of arrangement. It looks bad if you’re running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, and you aren’t paying your own bills. Why should voters trust you?

Art Rhodes

Art Rhodes was a candidate who barely got any attention, even on sites like Chattanoogan. There are only a few letters to the editor even mentioning him. He seems like an interesting candidate and is the only one running who has DC experience.

For that reason, and his apparent devotion to the Church of God, Mr. Rhodes gets a non-alcoholic drink called Bloody Shame, as in “it’s a bloody shame no one gave him attention.”

Chuck Fleischmann

Bleh. Chuck Fleischman. Bleh Huckabee. Need I say more?

Chuck is Natty Light. You only drink it if you absolutely have to…and it’s free.

The Overlooked Four

Tommy Crangle

Tommy Crangle has something virtually no Congressional candidate ever has–foreign policy experience. According to his biography on his website, he worked for the Department of Defense in Iraq serving as an adviser to the Ministry of Electricity. If you can work in the chaos of the Iraq, you can handle Congress.

Like Rhodes and Gobble, the field was just too flooded for him to get attention. According to a Chattarati article, he said:

…the (party-crowned) candidate … and the lawyer with money became the ‘frontrunners’ because they have connections and money.” He also alluded to the recent spate of attacks and counter-attacks by Fleischmann and Smith, saying that these candidates increase their media profiles “by accusing the other frontrunner of anything. It is a self-perpetuating cycle of the same old politics as usual that the people tell us they are sick of…”

While I completely understand his frustration and sentiment, it’s just the way that the game is played. Robin Smith worked through the ranks of Tennessee politics for years. There’s nothing wrong with networking and helping out the party. Until recently, it was how it was done. Fleischmann slung some mud to get attention. Negative campaigns work that way. Sadly, it’s part of the field. Rather than whining about it, solve it. Don’t start with Congress. Run for a local or county seat. Build a name for yourself. People can’t vote for you unless they know about you. In a district as big as TN-03, it takes more than one year of hard work to get your name out. Part of running a good campaign is reading the field and seeing if it’s strategic to run. Like everything else in life, good intentions don’t equate success. Larger forces are always at work. When your campaign doesn’t get the attention you feel it deserves, it’s fruitless to complain. Study how the system works and see why yours failed. Don’t blame money and connections. There are ways around them. Van Irion’s campaign testifies to that.

Thus, Crangle’s drink is the Underdog.

1 ½ oz. Vodka
2 oz. Grapefruit juice
Dash of Falernum
Kosher salt
Lime Squeeze

Shake ingredients with cubed ice and strain into a martini glass rimmed with kosher salt. Add a squeeze of lime.

Like Gobble’s drink, the grapefruit juice adds a little sourness to match the complaining.

The other candidates are nearly a mystery. Jean Howard-Hill looks fascinating. She needs to hear the same message as Crangle. Stay involved, but don’t expect to win in a crowded cycle. Harvey Howard never made the news and doesn’t appear to have a website. Why register to run if you aren’t going to try? Rick Kernea and Grover Travillian are also unknowns.

The Hamilton County Election Commission also reminds me that one Basil Marceaux, Sr. is also on the ballot for the 3rd Congressional District of Tennessee. Sigh…

*Heh. I’ve been trying to work in a Battlestar Galactica reference.

Given the sheer insanity of the gubernatorial race, the national awareness of Basil Marceaux, the weirdness of the Hamilton County Republicans endorsing a Democrat to protect the good ol’ boy system and a final end to Mudfest 2010: Robin vs. Chuck, I’ve created the first-ever CosmoCon Election Night Drinking Game.™ Even a teetotaler from the Southern Baptist Convention would have to agree that we deserve this as a state, especially Hamilton County. We’ve known about Basil Marceaux for a lot longer than anyone else in the country.

This game is split into three parts. Part 1: Gubernatorial Candidates Described by Mixed Drink and Part 2: TN-03 Candidates Described by Mixed Drink, Part 3: Primary Returns Drinking Game Rules.

(I sincerely apologize if this offends anyone. These drinks are meant in jest.)

I’m posting part one today because it also doubles as a handy voting guide if you’re still confused about who to select on the ballot. If you want a real voter guide, go to Chattarati.

Part One: Republican Gubernatorial Candidates Described by Mixed Drink

Basil Marceaux.com

How do you find or create a drink recipe worthy of this viral sensation? At this point, I can’t come up with much more to write about him. If you’ve missed your latest Basil news, click here.

Last night, Colbert did a special on the race featuring our favorite spice candidate. The boys at Red State Update also met up with him. Unfortunately, Basil is wearing a tie from my alma mater in the interview.

I present, the BasilMarceaux.com:

2 parts Southern Comfort
1 part Mountain Dew
1 part Cranberry juice
fresh basil leaf

Fill a mason jar 1/4 to 1/2 full with Southern Comfort, depending on how strong you want the drink. Fill the jar the rest of the way with a combination of Mountain Dew and cranberry juice. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf. Stir and enjoy! Add some ice if you plan on drinking this over a period of time. (Developed from here.)

The Wamp!
I’ve been upfront with my support about Congressman Zach Wamp. He’s done a great job representing TN-03. He’s a solid Christian, a great family man and has been a staunch advocate for conservative values in DC. However, I acknowledge that he can be…intense…at times. Hence his official drink, a play on Red Bull and Vodka. I’m calling this The Wamp!

2 oz. vodka
6 oz. cranberry juice
4 oz. Redbull

Chill ingredients, then mix into glass. Serve cold or on the rocks. (Drinknation.com)

The Redbull gives you a Wamp-level of energy. The cranberry juice makes it red for Republican. The vodka – well – you can never go wrong with vodka.

The Red Umbrella
For those not familiar with the wonder of Tennessee politics, the unfortunate frontrunner is Bill Haslam, a moderate Republican who makes most Tennessee Democrats proud. Basing his campaign on mediocre leadership in Knoxville as the current mayor, (I used to live there. It’s a city of malaise.) he is bankrolled by a vast oil fortune controlled by Daddy Haslam (true nickname) and his brother. Haslam is running on a record of gun rights (his brief lifetime membership in the NRA proves it.), his sort-of-popular record in Knoxville (anyone compared to the previous mayor of Knoxville, Victor Ashe, is a winner. Seriously, The Simpson’s Mayor Quimby would be successful compared to Ashe.), and some kind of experience in business. Because working at the company that your family owns shows all kinds of business acumen.

Why is this drink the Red Umbrella? Well, Bill Haslam recruited Tom Ingram, a veteran of Tennessee politics, to run his campaign. Ingram’s candidates always have a gimmick. Senator Lamar! Alexander had a plaid shirt and Fred Thompson had a red truck. Haslam got the red umbrella, preferably without the Rihanna song. (You can thank me for getting that stuck in your head.)

Without further ado, the Red Umbrella:

1 part passion fruit liqueur (for his sudden passion in conservatism)
1 part cranberry juice
Champagne
Fresh cranberries, for garnish

Shake the first two ingredients over ice. Strain into a champagne glass. Top with Champagne. Garnish with cranberries, on a toothpick. (Source.)

The use of bubbly is a smart choice given Haslam’s vast fortune. This drink also needs to be served with an actual paper umbrella. Bonus points if you find a red one.

Ron Ramsey

To be honest, I really don’t know that much about Ramsey. I know he is a conservative. He’s made a few gaffes, particularly his regrettable comments about Islam. According to my trusty friend, Wikipedia, he was also one of the few members of the General Assembly to accept donations from the Jack Daniel’s PAC and the Tennessee Wine & Spirit Distributor’s PAC. Thus, while he would probably endorse my connection of mixed drinks to candidates, Ramsey is one of the roadblocks in selling wine in grocery stores in Tennessee. (Sad face.)

In honor of his connection to the spirit industry, Ramsey gets a Jack Daniels drink. I’m going with the Tennessee Tea™ since Ramsey has gotten the support of many Tea Party supporters in the state.

1 part Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee Whiskey
1 part triple sec
1 part sour mix
2 parts Coke®

Combine ingredients and serve over ice.

Part 2: TN-03 Candidates described by mixed drink will be posted later tonight. Any suggestions?

This chart is a graphic representation of that quote.

Click here to download the full-size. It’s even scarier. (PDF)

This is an official update of the chart from last summer from Rep. Kevin Brady from Texas.

Keep in mind, this program hasn’t been implemented yet. What happens when Congress goes back to “fix” some of the issues? This chart is doomed to get worse. Far worse.

Hamilton County, the part of Southeast Tennessee where I spent most of my life, you restored my faith.

First of all, you made the rest of the country aware of the amazing platform that could only belong to Basil Marceaux. Prior to his viral video, the only people who knew about him were the unfortunate drivers who saw his enormous sign at the intersection of Hamill Road and 153 during the 2008 election, Tea Party attendees, the editors at Chattarati and me. His uniqueness was just too much to keep within the Scenic City.

Yes, America. You can thank us. The anti-stop light lobby has a spokesman…finally.

Now, prominent members of the Hamilton County Republican Party have taken the bold step of endorsing…a Democrat!?! That’s right, a number of influential people behind the county party — with the largest Pachyderm Club in the country — endorsed Bill Knowles, Democratic incumbent, for county clerk.

Their statement, published at Chattanoogan.com, is priceless:

As concerned Republican leaders and citizens, we do not wish to watch a travesty take place in Hamilton County such as the one that occurred recently in the South Carolina primaries.

Dude. If you’re going to endorse a member of the opposing party, there really isn’t a reason to mince words. At least they are honest with their intentions.

However, we as Republicans ‘cannot’ support Mr. Heathington for county clerk due to his numerous criminal convictions which are a matter of public record.

Since this is a county position, no one really pays attention. It’s a shame, and I confess to ignoring county races. Unless I happened to read Joe Lance’s excellent voter guides to Chattanooga-area politics, I honestly voted for the candidate with the best yard sign. (This evolved after someone put the Disney type on their yard sign. Anyone willing to use that typeface should not hold public office regardless of party.)

The office of county clerk doesn’t seem that contentious, and Bill Knowles has been there for 36 years. Renewing your license plate is actually one of the easiest things to do in Hamilton County, and the folks in the County Courthouse are always incredibly friendly. If this was the Assessor of Property, the office that raised nearly everyone’s property assessment in a year when the housing market took a national nosedive, I could understand a race that’s closer than normal.

What has scared Republicans enough to endorse a Democrat in the section of Tennessee that has voted mostly GOP since before the Civil War? (Watch Senator Alexander give an excellent explanation of the political makeup of Tennessee if curious.)

Mr. Heathington, the Republican, appears to have a bit of a criminal background. Apparently he:

-Pled guilty in Federal Court to failure to comply with federal officials and directives, 1982. Sentenced to 30 days in jail, suspended and placed on probation.
-Pled guilty to assault in 1983 and received six months suspended sentence.
-While on federal probation, pled guilty to DUI in 1990 and received 11 months/29 days, suspended after 45 days in jail and $500 fine paid.
-Pled guilty 1990 to driving on a revoked license and was given 30 days in the workhouse as well as fined $200.
-Pled guilty August 2008 to possession of gambling devices or records and was fined $50.

While I’m willing to give people second chances, especially for crimes committed twenty years ago, he really has HamCo insiders frightened. What triggered this? According to an opinion piece from Roy Exum, who publishes almost weekly opinion pieces at Chattanoogan, an online poll has them concerned.

As of 5 a.m. this morning with 1,528 responses, a poll asking, “For county clerk of Hamilton County, do you favor?” the poll showed Bill has a comfortable 66-34 margin over his Republican rival, Chester Heathington. What everyone with any knowledge of Hamilton County knows is, that last number is insane

Facepalm? Online polls are hardly accurate, and Chattanoogan polls can stay open for weeks at at time. You can even vote more than once. I’m frankly surprised that 1,500 people took the time to click a response on an issue regarding the county clerk.

While Mr. Exum has a valid point that straight-ticket voters could elect Heathington, local primaries have notoriously low turnouts, particularly ones during peak vacation periods like the beginning of August. Honestly, if Bill Knowles got all of his friends and family turned out to vote, he’d have a greater impact on the election than any other factor.

The real problem here is that it is incredibly easy to run for public office, and the Republicans still couldn’t find anyone to primary Heathington. That shows a far bigger issue than an online poll having a narrow gap of 17 points! There are strong arguments for eliminating national parties since we no longer need their machines to elect a majority party. The only reason to keep local parties around is to recruit and train future candidates.

The Hamilton County GOP is huge. Why aren’t they working to motivate and train potential candidates? That scenario alone exemplifies why so many grassroots Americans are fed up with the GOP. We may be leading on the generic ballot nationally, but Americans are more upset with the Democrats. We’re not the favored party. We’re the lessor of two evils. That’s not a good place to be.

Obviously, this system is failing us. If local insiders can’t recruit a friend to run for office (and apparently lose) or discourage anyone from running against a popular incumbent, there are far bigger issues than a 17 point gap on an online poll. Tennesseans want training, activism and leadership not social functions and good ol’ boy networks.

Also, if you want even more Basil action, follow his Twitter feed.

When South Carolina hasn’t been in the news, Alabama candidates have filled the void of interesting political stories this cycle.

Tennnessee, here’s your chance to share some of that glory. I’ve briefly mentioned Basil Marceaux, a Chattanoogan who appears to run for something every election cycle. For the first time, I present Mr. Marceaux in his own words.

I’ve previously stated that Dale Peterson needed to have a cable news show with Alvin Greene. I take that back. I think Mr. Marceaux here is a better match for the dark horse candidate from South Carolina.

H/T Nathan at Holding Down the Fort via email.

The Journolist quotes today released by The Daily Caller are nothing short of astounding. First of all, they confirm the worst paranoia of conservatives: the media has an outright agenda and has conspired to use their soap boxes to manipulate public opinion. Secondly, respected writers and opinion leaders are more than willing to throw their causes and values under the proverbial bus to advance the interests of the Democratic Party and specific liberal leaders.

And liberals call conservatives mindless lemmings…

I disagree with Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. He writes:

There is something to keep in mind in this particular story, which is that the people involved in the specific conversations regarding the smear are all opinion journalists, and not people filling roles in objective reporting.  The Prospect, the (Washington) Independent, and the Nation are all publications with an explicit point of view, although the Independent offers a little more of a pretense of traditional reporting.  That doesn’t relieve them of responsibility for proposing and/or considering an odious smear campaign, but it does make it difficult to tie this to other journalists filling a different role.

Sure, the individuals quoted in Daily Caller fall under “opinion writers,” but their opinions are hugely influential. Cable news channels, looking to fill hours and hours of airtime with commentary, often quote these specific writers or invite them to be interviewed. Their quotes and TV appearances are copied over and over in the blogosphere, effectively proving the words of Joseph Goebbels. Their words may originate as opinion, but they quickly enter the stream of “hard news.”

There’s no way of knowing how their Journolist comments influenced younger writers on the list or those working in nonprofits and think tanks. For example, if a young AP writer looks up to a well-known columnist spouting off opinions on Journolist, how do we know that coverage wasn’t tweaked? Those stories get filtered to smaller media markets and are often the only story presented on national or international news. Is it possible to fully grasp the amount of manipulation caused by influential writers with a political agenda?

This may be an extreme view, but Journolist shows collusion and conspiracy to promote one particular political agenda. Shouldn’t news outlets with any trace of integrity search their archives for similar phrasing to what was written in Journolist?

Journalism has never been an honorable field, but this really is a black mark on the industry. A group of people actively worked together to kill a story that possibly would have altered the 2008 election. What else have they conspired against? What other news have they manipulated and changed so that the American people only hear it from their perspective?

This also calls the entire racism debate into question. What is the exact state of race relations in America? If this was a convenient sleight-of-hand that liberals attempted to shift the focus of Jeremiah Wright and Obama, they had to know it would work. What other times have they tried it? What other stories have been manipulated, and individuals smeared to protect a particular leftist interest?

It’s pretty bad when journalism looks dirtier than public relations. At least folks in my industry are open about their biases.

I’ve been to Tea Parties in DC and my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. I’ve shared the freaks, and I’ve been upfront about some of the crazies that attend events (including this guy in Chattanooga), but I’ve honestly never encountered racism.

While racist people probably have attended a Tea Rally somewhere in the country, I’ve encountered thousands and thousands of people at these rallies. The most racist ones are the LaRouche supporters that cling like barnacles to any organized events. They happen to provide convenient cover for video cameras and clever editing. The overwhelming majority are too concerned about fiscal issues to give a damn about something like race.

Why then would the NAACP formalize a charge of racism towards Tea Parties?

Could they possibly want attention? Had the NAACP not made an issue of this, would anyone have noticed that they had their annual conference this week?

What news is going on right now? The BP leak, Old Spice guy, high unemployment, Bristol & Levi, FEC filings for the 2nd quarter, iPhone 4 issues, Lindsay Lohan…

In this environment, social issues struggle. While the abortion debate was renewed because of Obamacare, and the media’s obsession with Sarah Palin has reinvigorated feminism debates for the first time since the Reagan Administration, most social issues struggle during times of financial turbulence.

Unemployment is high, the housing market has crashed, the stock market fluctuating, and taxes are about to hit historically high increases. Frankly, debating social issues feel like a luxury. If we look at issues in the public debate, they match Maslow’s Pyramid. When you’re hungry and jobless, do you care about PETA? Folks who work in philanthropy for social causes only understand this too well.

How do social issue groups make money? Get in the news. How do you get in the news? Somehow peg your group to a current news story. What always makes the news? Charges of racism.

This was a win-win for the NAACP. They got everyone talking about them. Since being a liberal is more important than actually advancing the causes of your race or gender, they don’t care if they tick off Tea Party folks. The media, who are already biased against this grassroots movement since it interrupted Obama love, always enjoys controversy. The NAACP had more to lose by not taking this strategy and playing fair than striking out at Tea Parties.

Adrienne Ross wrote an excellent post about alleged racism and Tea Parties.

The notion that the Tea Party movement is racist is one that has no proof to support it. I have attended tea parties in both Wasilla, AK and Kingston, NY. (See pictures.) And from the Last Frontier to New York’s first capital, I can say that the participants treated one another like family. I was neither mistreated nor ignored. I was not made to feel I did not belong. There was not one racist sign. No one spit on me. No one called me the ‘N’ word. Rather, we had one purpose in mind: to boldly declare that we want to restore sanity to our nation. People protested President Obama’s policies, not because of his race, but because of the dangerous path on which he is steering America. I certainly didn’t attend these tea parties because I have a problem with our president being a black man. However, I was also not going to refrain from attending simply because I share the same skin color as our president. While this is what many on the Left expect of me, I am nobody’s puppet. I think for myself. And I refuse to reside on anyone’s plantation, including any political plantation.

Ross picks up on issues that I wrote about earlier this week. Any deviation from some liberal-approved path is wrong. Empowering individuals, regardless of sex, race, income level or religion, to make their up their own minds and creating a society that allows them to act on those opinions is apparently not the meaning of “equality.”

Anyone who has legitimately given the Tea Party movement a chance will agree with Ross’ assertion:

I wish the Left could just be honest: the Tea Party movement isn’t about race, and they ought to know it. It’s about America. It’s about doing what’s best for the future of a country God blessed us with. And if the President can’t handle the heat of being criticized, then he shouldn’t have signed up to take on an adult job when he only had a child’s experience. It’s that simple; I don’t care what color he is.

Right now, liberals can’t respond to the fiscal debate, so they change the topic. 18 months into Obama’s presidency, everything he touches fails miserably. The American people can only be viewed as an ATM for so long. Liberals know they’ll have to answer for this eventually, so they’re desperate to change the conversation. There’s no better issue than the one that has dogged our society for fifty years now.

As a woman, I get sick of how my uterus is constantly used to win political points with certain factions of our political system. Aren’t black people sick of that happening with their skin color? We won’t be able to enter our post-racial world until the Democrats stop crying wolf.

Racism is terrible, and it does exist. However, until there is solid, irrefutable evidence that racism does occur at Tea Parties, the NAACP and liberals do more harm to their cause. Every fake call of racism cheapens all attempts to repair race relations and call out bigotry. But then winning political points and losing the issue war is pretty much how all liberal causes operate.

Michelle Malkin’s post on hate mail amused me yesterday. Hate mail laws must be universal.

I’ve said before that the right and left have crazy fringes that send hate mail, and I still believe that. As I told someone on Twitter last week, I’m desensitized to being called a Nazi/Brownshirt/fascist, but it should be noted that it isn’t a very accurate slur. The Nazis were the socialist party in Germany. Plus, there’s a 90% chance you won’t spell “fascist” right.

I fail to understand what motivates someone to send a profanity-laced email. Is that person angry? Can they not process their emotions? Don’t they realize that someone is going to be reading that email, and that someone is rarely the intended recipient? I’m starting to believe that folks who send profane emails are one step above Darwin Award winners. If you can’t deal with your emotions with a complete stranger, I can only imagine how horrible you are in real life.

The notes that bother me are the ones that wish violence or rape upon myself or family members. Malkin highlights the email that wishes her family would die in a car wreck. How can you hate someone that much? I immensely dislike the Climate Change Sex Poodle and Nancy Pelosi, but I would never wish them dead or their families dead. Someone on this planet has to love them. Why do some people struggle to grasp that concept?

Based on Malkin’s post and recent hate mail experiences I’ve had, if you must send someone an angry email, follow these rules:

1. Don’t send it from your work address.

It is way too easy to track you down. Plus, in the event of Malkin, your email may be published. If you’re the kind of trashy person who sends hateful email, I believe your name should be spread all over the web. I’m sometimes tempting to look up the company and forward that hate mail to the writer’s supervisor. I haven’t done it, but I’ve wanted to… Technically, anything that goes through the server of your company is their property, and writing hate mail from a professional account is likely a violation of a workplace policy.

2. Don’t include your name, address and phone number in the footer.

I can’t begin to recount how many hateful messages have included where he or she lives (or ironically a quote from the Dalai Lama.) If you send a threatening note, be aware that your address makes it that much easier for me to file a complaint with the police.

3. Use correct spelling.

Sad, but many people don’t understand this fundamental concept.

4. Understand that there are words in the English language that extend beyond profanity.

I’ve actually written someone back a note for sending a thoughtful attack email. This person took the time to articulate exactly why he or she didn’t like the project. You’ll get further with thoughtful debate than four-letter words.

5. Stop calling women derogatory slurs.

It seems like liberals, especially liberal women, would be the last ones to use words like c–t, yet most conservative females have been called that. What does it accomplish? It just shows that you are tacky and hypocritical.