LibertyTeeth

+++++++UPDATE++++++

Lou has linked some additional information on the story, to be fair it certainly covers more of the Hinton history.

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Did you happen to catch this piece by Lou Brancaccio at The Columbian?

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jul/31/guilt-by-association/

Interesting, but some key information is missing or glossed over. Including a forced public apology for lying about the marriage and spousal abuse of a sitting State Representative.

The question is did Lou just not do his homework or is he protecting the candidate his paper has endorsed?

Even just a cursory glance at Hinton’s record is both disturbing and revealing. Dig a little deeper and the connections to democrats and possible violation of PDC, Election and Ethics laws is enough to give any honest newspaperman pause.

I have to assume that sometime after the endorsement of Ann, Lou caught wind of the Hinton story and feeling it his duty wrote this piece. But did he really dig for the story or just talk with Ann.

Just the story of Hinton stealing access codes to get at other legislative aides emails to use those emails against political opponents is “glossed” over. Not even a mention that Hinton was fired and escorted off the Capitol Grounds by Capital Police. Important conclusion to the story that Lou either did not know or ignored.

I suggest you do a little research yourself. Hinton is bad for conservatives, bad for the 18th and bad for any voter who hates the politics of old. He is the poster child of mean, dirty, underhanded, win at all cost, slash and burn politics.

You will be appalled by this man, the only question is will you blame Ann Rivers for her association with him over the years?

For Ann Rivers I give the same warning I did privately months ago, get as far away from Hinton as you can. Publicly denounce Hinton and move on.

Did you happen to see this article in The Columbian today?

Poll says Republicans, Herrera trending in 3rd Congressional race

Fairly boilerplate and to be expected, Republicans trending big and Jaime Herrera the front runner in the 3rd CD race.

No big news, the grassroots have known that CONSERVATIVES would win big in November since last April, 2 months after the first Tea Party events that sparked a revolution. Then we had the Town Halls, the Governor races, a Senate race and the recent primaries.

So what struck me as odd was the quote by David Castillo:

David Castillo, Herrera’s leading Republican opponent, called the survey “a name ID poll” and told The Columbian, “I take it with a grain of salt.”

“The sample size is too small,” he said. “Where in the district did they poll? The vast majority of voters have no idea there is an election going on.”

Okay…. lets go through that quote.

The sample size was small, only 300. It was a name ID/support poll (Jaimie wins hands down) AND  a no name Republican vs. Democrat poll (Republican wins).

I agree…. take any poll with a grain of salt..

We hear you David, the poll makes you look bad (polling 8%) and you have every right to ask questions…

But then he showed why the grassroots is having trouble with his candidacy… Arrogance and a disconnect with the grassroots.

“The vast majority of voters have no idea there is an election going on.”

Really? Vast Majority? Really?

Have you been to a Tea Party event? Have you had any contact with the grassroots bursting with eagerness for November?

Do you watch the news? Have you seen the recent primaries? Was he at the conventions or caucuses?

People are tuned in, angry and making noise on an epic scale. They are READY to vote!

I noticed this lack of understanding of the grassroots and this attitude of entitlement last summer when the Cowlitz County grassroots asked David to attend a candidate forum, using any format he was comfortable with. He declined, citing no need to give credence to any other Republican candidates. They wanted an opportunity to have a voice in choosing the next Republican candidate, he did not want the grassroots to have that choice.

I personally asked him his opinion on the Tea Party movement and if he had been to any events. He mumbled something about the town halls and changed the subject.

When talking about Jaimie’s original appointment to the 18th Leg. Seat, he calls into question the validity of the grassroot effort in Cowlitz County that rallied duly elected PCOs behind her. He discounts the long deliberate process by the PCOs that included multiple meetings and candidate interviews. Who can deny the PCOs, the only ones who could vote, duly elected by their fellow Republicans as the grassroots?

Now he is claiming some National Republican Senate Caucus (or “establishment”) involvement in the grassroots votes at three county conventions that gave Jaimie Herrera the endorsement of Cowlitz, Pacific and Wahkiakum county Republican Parties. Three of the most conservative counties in the district with delegates made up of the grassroots, elected by the grassroots.

All while he gladly takes the endorsement of a D.C. lobby group claiming to be the “muscle” behind the Tea Party movement (last I checked the muscle was We The People!). No interviews, no questionnaires, no inquiry with the real muscle, just a blind endorsement (turns out not to be completely blind, they did know David, he used to work for them.)

Last summer David kicked off his campaign with a big time campaign consultant, a lot of arrogance and very little need for the grassroots.

I warned him and his campaign manager that the paradigm had shifted and that the Tea Party movement and the grassroots as a whole was where the real political power was. (It seemed obvious to all of US!)

This poll and his quotes is just one more example that they have not been listening to We The People!

With the  attention that primaries this spring have brought to the Tea Party movement (so much for AstroTurf eh?) and the potential influence that “they” are having I am not struck by the results, but more by the way the movement is still not understood by Republicans, Democrats, pundits and special interest. When you understand what the Tea Party is, you understand the power of the movement…. the power of the citizen!

The Tea Party movement is just that, a movement, an idea. It is an idea which millions of citizens have awoken too, a way to finally be HEARD as citizens. It is about the individual, not an organization with meetings and “leadership”, but a ad-hoc group of concerned citizens willing to educate themselves and work together to MAKE their voices heard on some very basic principles.

It is action, not words. It is outcomes, not rhetoric.

While some would characterize it as a “third party”, others would attempt to co-opt it and still others would attempt to describe it as some monolithic entity, few outside the movement “get it”. They sense the power, they may fear it or covet it, but they fail to respect its true nature.

A good example of this was in Nevada this week when two candidates for Senate claimed “Tea Party” support or endorsement. I am certain that some people or organizations who are participating in the “Tea Party” movement gave support or endorsements, but the media and candidates fail to understand that the Tea Party movement is people, people trying to get their voices heard and binding together with like-minded individuals. That has represented itself as different people working with different groups with little or no connection. So claiming some monolithic “organizational” support is both wrong and a disservice to the cause.

The power of the movement is that it is the individual working at the grassroots and building coalitions with other individuals. There is no Tea “Party” in the strict sense; there is no organization that we are all “members” of. It is the empowerment of the citizen and any attempt to “consolidate” it destroys it.

Some special interests groups and candidates would love to use the lack of a single voice or “command and control” to “claim” the Tea Party. Its very nature lends it to the easy claim of Tea Party affiliation, there is no roster, no dues. Politicians know it is so much easier to grab a few “leaders” endorsements instead of going to the people and working for their votes individually.

Thankfully the very people who make up the movement know this and are aware when their endorsement or “position” is being used without permission.

Here in Cowlitz County we jealously guard our Tea Party independence. We will not be consolidated or laid claim to. We will not acquiesce when some D.C. special interest group or candidate claims some authority or bestows endorsement in our name. We protested loudly when FreedomWorks tried to claim some “leadership” role for what we had accomplished of our own free will and work. We knew they had no hand in our movement, had never approached us individually and had no claim to some collective endorsement. They may be a fine organization, but the muscle of the Tea Party is the citizen, it is We the People!

Within the Cowlitz Tea Party movement the founding “members” are supporting Jaime Herrera for Congress as are many of the ardent and active “member”, but no claim can be made of “endorsement” of the Tea Party. That would be a betrayal of all the other individuals and their voices. Each individual is responsible for their vote and speaking for themselves!

I encourage the citizen to seek out candidates, ask questions and hold them to high standards. More importantly, become active in the governance and policy making process. Attend Town Halls, protest on the street, ask tough questions of the candidates, go to your city council meetings, join a board or commission – RUN FOR OFFICE. Make your voice heard.

That is the Tea Party.

We can only bring our nation, state, counties and cities back to our Constitutional foundation when each citizen takes responsibility for the process and outcome of our government.

I am so very excited to see the renewed energy of my fellow citizens taking action in the upcoming election process and governance.

The Tea Party movement has been such an invigorating and rewarding adventure of true grassroots politics and I am excited to see how it is evolving into a true platform for information, expression and action.

A great example of this is the Washington Patriot Hub and the We The People of Vancouver group, these are citizens coming together to share information and take an active role in both the governance and election processes.

As a citizen who attends my city council and county commissioner meetings often, I used to be one of only a few conservative citizens in the room. Often I was the only conservative to ask questions or make statements. Not anymore.

Local groups like this are providing training and encouragement to citizen on how to involve themselves in the process, how to influence the legislation and policy our elected officials often decide in the absence of the common man.

They are also taking the considerable time to run local candidates though a vigorous vetting process. No longer will we be left with inside politics and endorsements based upon “who you know”. They taking back the right of the People to ask the questions, influence the process and watch the interviews. No back room deals here.

The “Hub” specifically is a great clearing house of candidate and issue information as it is gathered by regular folks and accountable to regular folks.

From the Washington Patriot Hub site:

About The Washington Patriot Hub

“Today’s Committee of Correspondence”

In early October of 2009 many leaders gathered together over coffee and outlined some of the challenges we all faced. They saw the need for a better way for all members to communicate and the idea for the Washington Patriot Hub was born.

The Washington Patriot Hub is not a group or organization. It is a central communication vehicle for groups around the state that share common goals where they see a for change, some of which are:

* Education
* Energy/Cap & Tax
* Healthcare
* Illegal Immigration
* Precincts
* States Rights
* Sovereignty
* US Constitution
* Taxation
* Voter & Census Fraud

Local groups working together can build committees and share the research, planning and manpower so we can beat back the progressive agenda. As we have all learned over the last year, it is a monumental task just trying to keep up with it all. Every group has members that give varying amounts of time that is scheduled around their lives, family and work. With so many issues coming towards us all so quickly, we need to pool our resources and work together. Although we do not agree on all things, but where we do we can be a force for change.

1776 – “Unite or Die”

2010 – “Unite or Fail”

If you are interested in getting involved in your area, check out the sites above. Even if you are just looking for information on candidates, take a look.

I would also encourage you to attend the vetting meetings. What a great opportunity to find out for yourself who deserves you all important vote.

We The People – Vancouver: Candidate Vetting Meetings
Meetings on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Harney Elementary School
3212 E Evergreen Blvd, Vancouver, WA 98661 (map)

Agenda for April 6th Candidate Vetting:
Sean Salazar – US Senate
David Hedrick – US House Congressional District 3
Shannon Barnett – WA 18th Legislative District

Agenda for April 20th Candidate Vetting:
Arthur Coday – US Senate
Jaime Herrera – US House Congressional District 3
Jon Russell – WA 18th Legislative District

WeThePeople-Vancouver have active teams of people focused on education and civic responsibility.

Join one of the following committees:
Elections Committee
Legislation Committee
Education Committee
Local Government Committee
Events and Fundraising Committee

We look foward to seeing you at our next meeting or an upcoming event.

www.WeThePeople-Vancouver.org

April 15th, 2009 Portland, OR Tea Party Report

By Joe Day

So the first thing I see when I get home from the Portland Tax Day Tea Party is an AP story that says that “tens of thousands” showed up for various tea parties nationwide. Yeah, maybe as of early this afternoon in the eastern time zone. There were damn near that many at this one, and there were over five hundred more just like it across the nation today, in all fifty states (maybe even in the seven extra ones that exist in Obama’s mind). According to the early estimates, at least ten thousand showed up in Oregon alone – a sparsely populated, not-terribly-conservative state. Two thousand showed up in Medford. If they had two thousand in Medford, I can only imagine how many showed up in, say, Tuscaloosa.

And let me tell you, when I rounded the corner to enter Pioneer Courthouse Square, I was absolutely gobsmacked by the mass of humanity that I saw – not just the number, which was staggering, but the variety. I saw families with young children. I saw professionals in suits and good ol’ boys in Carhartts. I saw grizzled old veterans and twentysomething hipsters in skinny jeans. I saw every race and ethnicity of people, and I saw every rung of the economic ladder represented. I saw horrified and regretful Obama voters, carrying signs begging our forgiveness. I saw individuals who were all there for their own reasons, but with a common purpose. I saw a cross-section of America that could not have been cast any better by Hollywood. (I also saw a grossly outnumbered cadre of counter-protestors who looked stunned, if not horrified, by the turnout.)

You may have heard that this was some nationally organized, well-funded operation. I can only speak for the one I attended, and it was sincerely a grassroots effort. I saw very few manufactured signs, and few of the speakers were affiliated with any large organization. I know I was not recruited to participate by any organization, and I damn sure wasn’t one of the “paid protestors” the left literally employs for their pet causes. I am one single, solitary, pissed-off taxpayer looking for some way to channel my disgust at what I see happening in the halls of power in this nation. I went looking for this tea party, and if I hadn’t found one, I’d have thrown my own. As it turned out, I was far from alone, and someone was way ahead of me.

And from what I could tell by the general spirit of the thing, as well as the conversations I had with other people, I was seeing thousands upon thousands of people who, like myself, had probably never been to a protest before. In my case, it took thirty-seven years for something to make me angry enough to make a handmade sign and petition for a redress of grievances. That is the lesson to take away from this, America: people who don’t normally have time to join a socio-political rally are pissed off enough to get together and make one happen – big ones – all across the fruited plain.

So laugh all you want, if you’re one of those who likes to poke fun at “teabagging,” and believe the condescending media coverage if you dare. But remember – this was not in some conservative enclave, but in one of the most politically and socially liberal major cities in America. If this many people showed up for such an event in The People’s Republic Of Portland, don’t be surprised by anything that happens in your town.

Check out a video of the Portland Tea Party

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