This post will briefly outline yet another example of the tea parties unknowingly supporting far-left concepts and massive immigration, not handling charges of racism correctly, and, to start with, yet another example of why taking the advice of Glenn Reynolds is a very bad idea.
At pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/103874, Reynolds links to this using its sub-headline: "Spencer Wilking Finds That New York’s Tea Partiers Aren’t The Bigoted White Guys You Fear." In other words, the article is saying that the New York group consists of the "good ones"; the sub-headline implies that other tea party groups might be different. What about, say, Tennessee's Tea Partiers? Would those be the "Bigoted White Guys You Fear"? If Reynolds is going to link to the article, shouldn't he have at least figured out and commented on what the sub-headline was implying?
The linked article itself includes a section about David Webb, a black tea partier who heads New York's Tea Party 365 group and who comes off as a bit of an updated Reverend Ike. He's all about the money and not about challenging the far-left on social issues. Not only that, but he (perhaps unwittingly) supports far-left concepts. At an event he says, "We have diversity in Tea Party 365. I want you to see the picture" as he invites a diverse group of tea partiers to take the stage and with Wilking pointing out that there's "only [one] white guy among them". And here you thought that bean-counting and "diversity" for its own sake were just far-left concepts. Yet, those far-left concepts are right at home in that tea party group (and others).
Not only that:
In order to energize the ranks with new members, the Tea Partiers I spoke with say they need to beat a perception of being conservative wingnuts. Tea Party 365 is eager to gain more members, turning to a demographic often ignored or even persecuted by conservative activist groups: immigrants. With New York City’s large swaths of immigrant populations it’s a logical step to drive recruitment, and Tea Party leaders say that recent hard-working immigrants will respond to their message of “fewer taxes and less handouts.”
What if they don't? What if they fall into the clutches of the far-left New York Immigration Coalition instead? The only thing the tea parties have to offer those "immigrants" is a platform of fiscal austerity, something that only appeals to a small percentage of Americans and that would probably appeal to a much smaller percentage of immigrants. No matter how effective the TP365's outreach, the NYIC would always be able to undercut them, especially since TP365 in effect supports the same far-left concepts that the NYIC uses to obtain power. (And, of course, the tea partiers can't even use the correct terms. By "immigrants" presumably they mean naturalized citizens who thus are no longer immigrants.)
The article also includes:
The sign-making party is a cheerful event, helped along by the adults’ nostalgia for classroom memories prompted by the ample supply of poster board, markers and paint.
Whether intentional or not, that highlights a indisputable fact: the tea partiers are children. They act like children at public meetings, throwing tantrums, ranting and raving, and playing dress-up games. They aren't capable of making an argument but think that simply saying something and repeating it over and over will make it come true. And, what few policy ideas they have are childlike: they have their own "utopian" vision that would negatively impact millions of their fellow citizens and that most Americans would reject if forced to endure it.
Sat, 07/31/2010 - 12:32 ·
Yesterday, protesters turned out in Phoenix, Tucson, and other cities in Arizona and other states to protest Arizona's new immigration law ("SB 1070") In Phoenix, they tried unsuccessfully to prevent Joe Arpaio from conducting a planned crime sweep.
The attached video is from the Phoenix protest and includes a large Mexican flag and a large Cuban flag - with Che Guevara's image - at the front of the protest.
From this: Hundreds of people representing more than 30 labor unions traveled to Phoenix from Los Angeles to be part of a protest against Arizona's new immigration law.
From this later article:
At least 60 officers, including SWAT members, stood guard after six people were arrested for chaining themselves to the building. About 10 others were taken into custody by deputies dressed in riot gear after they blocked the jail's driveway and refused to move... In total, 23 people, including two juveniles, were arrested. The adults were booked for blocking a public thoroughfare and failure to obey a law enforcement officer, while the juveniles were cited and released, according to the Sheriff's Office. The Phoenix Police Department said it would not have the number of arrests it made until today, but the Arizona Department of Public Safety estimated at least 50 people were arrested in total by Phoenix and Maricopa County officers... In Tucson, authorities arrested 13 in similar street demonstrations.
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 10:34 ·
[See the updates too]
Back in Feb. 2009 we offered Could Obama and Napolitano enact a mini-amnesty... without Congress? about a scheme cooked up by two immigration lawyers under which the president could in effect give amnesty to large numbers of illegal aliens. Now, some inside the USCIS are proposing their own workarounds and loopholes under which Barack Obama could give thousands (or more) of illegal aliens legal status.
Certainly, just because some in the USCIS are proposing these schemes doesn't mean that Obama would support them or be "crazy" enough to think he could get away with them, and some have pointed out that the likelihood of him declaring some sort of limited amnesty this way is slim.
On the other hand, the Obama administration recently sued the state of Arizona and in effect won, and there hasn't been anywhere near the pushback there should have been over that; compare what's happened to what should have happened. The Obama administration knows that most of their loudest opposition is either corrupt, corruptible, or incompetent; they've so far managed to get away with suing Arizona, why not try to get away with declaring some sort of amnesty?
Fri, 07/30/2010 - 10:19 ·
In 2000 in an unspecified [1] Arizona business publication, senator Jon Kyl not only praised Judge Susan Bolton - she of yesterday's decision that gutted the new Arizona immigration law - but Mary Murguia, the sister of Janet Murguia of the National Council of La Raza. Bolton was also apparently recommended by Kyl (judgepedia.org/index.php/Susan_Bolton).
In 2000, Kyl wrote this:
"We ought to vote on judgeships based on merit, not political games. There's too much of that in Washington already. The delay in confirming these judges is hurting the people of Arizona because we need them now… The three nominees are Jim Teilborg, a 34-year litigation lawyer in Phoenix with a lifetime of experience in the courtroom; the Honorable Susan Bolton, a widely respected Maricopa County Superior Court judge; and Mary Murguia, a respected career prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office on leave to the Justice Department in Washington...It's time they were confirmed. Politicians in Washington should stop playing political games – especially with other people's lives.”
[1] politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0710/
Flashback_Kyl_praised_judge_who_blocked_AZ_law.html
Thu, 07/29/2010 - 11:04 ·
Ta Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic has a habit of banning those who disagree with him or show how he's wrong, and that means that what he writes can't be trusted: he's disabled fact-checking. Instead of engaging those who disagree and trying to present a counter-argument he's more interested in creating an echo chamber of those who agree with him. And, those who are mostly on his side have to be on their guard: unless they agree with him completely, he might ban them too.
For an example, let's say he says a statistic is 41% when it's actually 42%. Are his followers going to risk being banned by pointing out how he's wrong? Those who've been banned won't be able to point out he's wrong. Because he bans those who disagree, every single thing he says has to be double-checked.
And, he's banned me not just once but twice; both instances are below. If he were capable he would have tried to show how he thinks I'm wrong; instead, he just acted like a very petty fascist.
Wed, 07/28/2010 - 15:42 ·
From this:
With scant hours to go before a controversial Arizona immigration law goes into effect, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday against the implementation of parts of the law.
U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton ruled that the federal government "is likely to succeed" in its challenge of the legality of one of the most controversial sections of the Arizona law.
That provision required police to "make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained or arrested" if the officer has a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the United States illegally.
From this:
The judge also put on hold parts of the law that required immigrants to carry their papers at all times, and made it illegal for undocumented workers to solicit employment in public places. In addition, the judge blocked officers from making warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants.
"Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials and agencies to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully-present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked," U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ruled.
If you oppose illegal immigration, you might be tempted to simply seethe, or rant and rave, or attend marches, or the like. That would certainly be good for those demagogues who'll be along shortly to complain about this ruling.
Meanwhile, I'm going to ask you to do things that are smart and highly effective and that can be used to actually resolve this problem. Please go right now see the simple things you can do to stop amnesty and reduce illegal immigration. Take a few minutes and read that page and find something you can do; the time requirements for some of those are minimal. Even if you can't do anything on that list, at the very least send the list to your friends and encourage them to get involved.
If you engage in useless activities - waving loopy signs, leaving the 1000th highly similar comment in online echo chambers, or all the rest - you'll be helping the bad guys win.
If you don't want to help the bad guys win, click the link above and either do one of those or at the least encourage your friends to get involved.
UPDATE: Jan Brewer has released this statement:
"This fight is far from over. In fact, it is just the beginning, and at the end of what is certain to be a long legal struggle, Arizona will prevail in its right to protect our citizens. I am deeply grateful for the overwhelmingly support we have received from across our nation in our efforts to defend against the failures of the federal government... I have consulted with my legal counsel about our next steps. We will take a close look at every single element Judge Bolton removed from the law, and we will soon file an expedited appeal at the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit... ...I will battle all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary, for the right to protect the citizens of Arizona. Meanwhile, I also know we still have work to do in confronting the fear-mongers, those dealing in hate and lies and economic boycotts that seek to do Arizona harm..."
UPDATE 2: Arizona wanted an expedited hearing, but the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied their request and the hearing is scheduled for the first week in November. Also, Brewer has indicated that she might be open to changing the law in some ways.
Wed, 07/28/2010 - 11:02 ·
Per this biased Associated Press article, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona helped deport more than 26,000 illegal aliens under the 287g program. That's of course without that state's new immigration law, which is set to take effect tomorrow. Maricopa was responsible for about one-quarter of all those deported under 287g (115,841 total); 64 local agencies are part of the 287g program.
Also:
Joanne Lin, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said it is alarming that one Arizona county is responsible for a disproportionate share of deportations.
The Los Angeles County's Sheriff's Office, a distant second to Maricopa, helped find 13,784 immigrants who were later deported or left the country. The Sheriff's Office's agreement with the federal government allows it to check its jails for deportable immigrants, but not to enforce immigration laws during street patrols. A renewal of the agreement is under negotiation.
An estimated 10.8 million people, about 26 percent of the state's population, are living illegally in California, compared with 460,000, about 12 percent, in Arizona.
"These statistics bear out that you have rogue sheriffs in certain counties that are bent on targeting immigrants," Lin said.
Obviously, the AP's statistics are wrong, rendering Lin's concerns even more questionable than they would be with the correct statistics. And, what she refers to as "rogue" is simply effective immigration enforcement rather than what the ACLU would prefer: little or no enforcement at all.
Wed, 07/28/2010 - 10:37 ·
From this:
Recent data compiled by a market research group show hotel bookings across the state -- as well as in tourism hot spots Phoenix and Scottsdale -- have been on the rise the past two months.
The data from hotel industry research firm STR showed that for the state of Arizona, hotel occupancy was up 5.7 percent in May and up 8.3 percent in June compared with the same time a year ago.
In Phoenix, occupancy was up 10.6 percent in June; in Scottsdale, it was up 10.7 percent for the same period. Revenue also was up, with Arizona hotels raking in $148 million last month -- up more than 11 percent from a year ago.
Not only that, but their industry expects to hire 2,000 to 3,000 new employees due to investments. There are some caveats: 2009 was according to the article a slow year, and some convention business might be impacted. However, the data above provides an effective counterweight to those who would spread tall tales about the boycotts having an impact.
Tue, 07/27/2010 - 20:34 ·
Here are two comments I left on recent blog posts by Nicole Allan of The Atlantic discussing her misleading about immigration matters. Please send a tweet @MarcAmbinder with your thoughts:
Mon, 07/26/2010 - 13:21 ·
The video at peekURL.com/vc2rep7 is a new campaign ad from Sharron Angle in which she says: "Harry Reid says he does more for Nevada... He's done more for unemployment... He's done more for the foreclosure rate... Harry Reid has done more and it's time for us to say 'stop doing it', we can't stand any more." That's stupidity in the tea parties style: unemployment and housing market issues are national issues. If we had replaced Reid with Angle a year ago, could she have single-handedly saved the U.S.? Or, at least, could she have made Nevada a prosperous wonderland even as the rest of the country foundered? She's selling snake oil.
At the same time, she's refusing to aggressively go after Reid on one of his most vulnerable issues, immigration.
On the minus side, she's pared her pre-nomination immigration position down to one sentence [1],
On the plus or slightly-plus side, she has/had radio spots discussing the issue (but not aggressively going after Reid: peekURL.com/vluna17 ) and she points out that she supports Arizona's new immigration law and that Reid won't come out for or against the Department of Justice suit (link).
On peekURL.com/vtmihzz she says "every state should have a sheriff like Joe Arpaio" and "go Arizona go" (referring to their new law). She, of course, supports secure the border but so does everyone else. She also says our legal immigration system needs to be streamlined; finding out exactly what she would do would definitely be of interest. Of illegal aliens, she says "it's time for them to go home". Asked how she'd do that, she makes a good argument in support of attrition. She then says that her daughter-in-law is the daughter of naturalized citizens from Mexico, and that her four grandsons are going to be raised "bilingually", it's an "advantage the more languages you know", but they're going going to be all "proud to be Americans". It certainly is good to know several languages, but they're only going to know two. What if, for instance, they grow up to be politicians and say one thing in English and another in Spanish? Unfortunately, the tape ends there so whether someone from National Review asked her about that isn't known.
On this issue she isn't that bad, assuming she actually means what she says. The problem is her other issues and the fact that she isn't highlighting immigration. Her fringe, tea parties / libertarians-style policies have 68% of moderates calling her "extremist" (link). What she needs to do is to tone down the libertarian lunacy and aggressively go after Reid on the popular immigration issue. For instance, she could try to debate him on his support for the anti-American DREAM Act. If she won't do that now, how aggressively is she going to oppose illegal immigration in the unlikely event she makes it to the Senate?
[1] Per sharronangle.com/issues, this is her entire stance on the issue: "The United States must secure its borders immediately and enforce the laws that are already on the books."
Fri, 07/23/2010 - 11:20 ·
The video at peekURL.com/vdj27dk shows former federal prosecutor Johnny Sutton saying that the Arizona immigration law is constitutional, that concerns about it are "a mountain out of a molehill" and that the law is "very reasonable".
Recall that Sutton was the George W Bush associate who prosecuted former Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean.
Thu, 07/22/2010 - 20:58 ·
Consider the following excerpt from the Journolist mailing list (link). The date is August 29, 2008 - the day that Sarah Palin was selected as John McCain's running mate - and those on the list were discussing how to oppose her:
Suzanne Nossel, chief of operations for Human Rights Watch, added a novel take: “I think it is and can be spun as a profoundly sexist pick. Women should feel umbrage at the idea that their votes can be attracted just by putting a woman, any woman, on the ticket no matter her qualifications or views.”
(Jonathan Stein, then of Mother Jones) loved the idea. "That's excellent! If enough people - people on this list? - write that the pick is sexist, you’ll have the networks debating it for days. And that negates the SINGLE thing Palin brings to the ticket,” he wrote.
As I read it, the point isn't that Stein was proposing how to attack Palin: he worked for a leftwing magazine (note: he's no longer with the magazine: motherjones.com/authors/jonathan-stein) so attacking Palin was a natural thing to do. And, it's not that he was trying to rally others to support a campaign. The salient point is that he knew that Journolist could be used to conduct a campaign. It doesn't matter that the campaign doesn't appear to have gone anywhere. (As I recall; if you can find reporters or bloggers spreading his line please do leave a comment.)
What matters is that he knew one of the functions of Journolist. As an example - and not calling those on the list criminals of course - if you were a criminal, you wouldn't suggest joining into a conspiracy to rob a bank with your local priest or grocer. You'd only suggest such a plan to others known to you to be of a criminal disposition. Stein knew there was a chance that the others on the list - including mainstream media reporters - might pick up on his talking point.
Thu, 07/22/2010 - 10:47 ·
On the day that John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate (August 29, 2008) the liberal journalists and commentators on Journolist swung into action, trying to figure out the best way to oppose her (link). One of those listening in was Joe Klein of Time Magazine:
Joe Klein of Time stopped by with an update on the latest from his magazine: "We're reporting that she actually supported the bridge to nowhere. First flub?" ...Klein, who displayed an independent streak in other circumstances ("anybody who knows me knows I do my own thinking," he said in a Wednesday interview), seemed to exude more partisanship that day than usual... ...Time’s Joe Klein then linked to his own piece, parts of which he acknowledged came from strategy sessions on Journolist. “Here’s my attempt to incorporate the accumulated wisdom of this august list-serve community,” he wrote. And indeed Klein’s article contained arguments developed by his fellow Journolisters. Klein praised Palin personally, calling her "fresh" and "delightful," but questioned her "militant" ideology. He noted Palin had endorsed parts of Obama’s energy proposal.
His attempt is here. If Klein were just learning facts about Palin from Journolist that would be one thing; however, some Journolisters wanted to portray her as an extremist nut, and Klein at least was starting to head in that direction. For later similar attempts from others, see the Sarah Palin smear page.
Note also the September 3, 2008 Klein piece "Angry Amateurs" (link):
There is a tendency in the media to kick ourselves, cringe and withdraw, when we are criticized. But I hope my colleagues stand strong in this case: it is important for the public to know that Palin raised taxes as governor, supported the Bridge to Nowhere before she opposed it, pursued pork-barrel projects as mayor, tried to ban books at the local library and thinks the war in Iraq is "a task from God." The attempts by the McCain campaign to bully us into not reporting such things are not only stupidly aggressive, but unprofessional in the extreme.
The banning books story is questionable (link), and the "a task from God" story is false. See this and this. Whether the lie about her quote was started by the Associated Press, by Joe Klein, or perhaps even by someone on Journolist isn't clear.
UPDATE: Klein responds here.
Thu, 07/22/2010 - 09:52 ·
On November 7, 2008, shortly after Barack Obama won the election, Laura Rozen of Politico began a thread on the private Journolist mailing list asking others to name those who they were "grateful we no longer have to listen to".
Several others joined in, including Eric Alterman of The Nation (formerly of MSNBC and Media Matters for America).
Eric Alterman's choice of those he was glad not to have to listen to? "Fucking Nascar retards…"
As the Daily Caller points out, Alterman is also the author of the book "What Liberal Media?: The Truth About Bias and the News".
Excerpts of the messages as provided here follow:
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 11:51 ·
From this:
In a post to the list-serv Journolist, an online meeting place for liberal journalists, (NPR producer Sarah Spitz) wrote that she would “Laugh loudly like a maniac and watch his eyes bug out” as (Rush Limbaugh) writhed in torment [from a heart attack].
In boasting that she would gleefully watch a man die in front of her eyes, Spitz seemed to shock even herself. “I never knew I had this much hate in me,” she wrote. “But he deserves it.”
UPDATE: Spitz was misidentified as an NPR employee and the title has been corrected (link):
In fact, Spitz has never been an NPR employee. For many years, she has worked for KCRW, a public radio station in Santa Monica, California, as a producer and publicist... KCRW is one of some 900 independently-operated public radio stations across the country that air NPR's news, talk and entertainment programming. Like network TV affiliates, they air national programming but act autonomously.
She's also issued an apology:
I made poorly considered remarks about Rush Limbaugh to what I believed was a private email discussion group from my personal email account. As a publicist, I realize more than anyone that is no excuse for irresponsible behavior. I apologize to anyone I may have offended and I regret these comments greatly; they do not reflect the values by which I conduct my life.
Tue, 07/20/2010 - 21:56 ·
Independent, in-depth coverage of immigration, politics, and media bias since 2002. Also: multiculturalism, Los Angeles, California, privacy, and occasionally celebrities and wacky humor...
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6 hours ago @davidwebbonline's #teaparty supports far-left concepts and much more: 24ahead.com/n/10139 #sgp #tcot #ocra #p2 #p21 #TopProg #tlot |
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7 hours ago @IBDeditorials: "Will Washington's Failures Lead To Second American Revolution?" is literally insane: peekURL.com/z3kvixo #p2 #tlot |
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22 hours ago @MrsDigger 2of2: 24ahead.com/s/luis-gutierrez would be helpful to #teaparty #sgp #tcot #ocra, right? |
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22 hours ago @MrsDigger 1of2: every interaction I have with #teaparty confirms everything I've ever said about them. I don't "rant". For example... #sgp |
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1 day ago @Liberty_Chick: 2of2: For instance, compare #BigPeace: peekurl.com/zg4iri8 to 24ahead.com/s/casa-de-maryland #sgp #p2 #tlot |
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1 day ago @Liberty_Chick: 1of2: my criticisms not directed so much at you as at the "@AndrewBreitbart style": OT meanderings and pics + much more. |
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1 day ago @realfakeGarofal: I challenge you to come to a 24ahead.com/s/tea-parties event & see what we're about, you COMMUNIST! #teaparty #sgp |
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1 day ago @MrsDigger: I've written 123 posts about 24ahead.com/s/tea-parties since Feb. '09. Odd! how they ignored #immigration for >year. #sgp |
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1 day ago @MrsDigger: Judge Susan Bolton = Mariana Pfaelzer. Odd how #teaparty #sgp #tcot #ocra didn't help with: 24ahead.com/n/10092 #Arizona |
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1 day ago @MrsDigger: yes, that explains #HCR, the successful #AZ suit, etc. Feel free to encourage #teaparty #tcot not to learn from their mistakes. |
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1 day ago Robert Gibbs comments on "backdoor amnesty" plan, see update: 24ahead.com/n/10137 #immigration #teaparty #sgp #tcot #ocra #p2 #tlot |
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1 day ago @MrsDigger: Obama has little to fear from a backdoor amnesty because his loudest opponents are corrupt or stupid. #teaparty #sgp #tcot #ocra |
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1 day ago #Teaparty #sgp #tcot #ocra #AZ #Arizona #SB1070 task: call out @sansoma for puff piece on Judge Susan Bolton: peekURL.com/zfihj7g |
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1 day ago Mexican flag, Cuban flag with Che fly at protest against #Arizona #immigration law: 24ahead.com/n/10138 #teaparty #sgp #tcot #SB1070 |
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1 day ago @randallamster: in HuffPostSpeak, "ancestral homelands" = 24ahead.com/s/reconquista #immigration #teaparty #sgp #tcot #ocra #tpp |
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