Tea Partier shows true nature in Columbus Dispatch article.

[mwb970]

This morning's Dispatch features a long article about Milan, Ohio, whose votes in gubernatorial elections come eerily close to the final statewide result. The article begins this way:

Gathered with her five kids around a backyard tire swing, Roz Baughman was not surprised to learn that the Milan Township Hall and Fire Station, a stone’s throw across Rt. 13, might be ground zero for the Nov. 2 election. In the past two races for governor, no other polling place in Ohio recorded vote totals closer to the actual statewide results than Milan Township Precinct No. 1.

When Democrat Ted Strickland beat Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell by 23.9  percentage points statewide in 2006, voters in the precinct deviated by just a half-percentage point. They were even closer in 2002, coming within one-quarter of a point of Republican Bob Taft’s 19.4 percent victory margin against Democrat Tim Hagan.

What is it about Baughman and her precinct neighbors that collectively makes them such accurate predictors of Ohio gubernatorial election results?

The article goes on to quote various Milan residents, who offer mostly cogent opinions about the Democratic and republican candidates for governor. Toward the end of the article, though, we read this:

Self-described Tea Party member Tom Dawson, 60, a retired insurance executive who owns Milan’s Hidden Creek Pottery store with his wife, Marcia, said he ardently supports gun rights but won’t back Strickland despite his endorsement by the National Rifle Association.

“Kasich seems to be pretty conservative,” Dawson said. “From what I’ve read, he seems to be for a balanced budget. Strickland doesn’t know what a balanced budget is. He just keeps taxing and spending.”

Informed that state government employment and spending, along with taxes, have shrunk during Strickland’s tenure, Dawson was unmoved: “You don’t even want me to talk about entitlements and how they’ve grown out of control,” he said.

Well, there you have it. This, in a nutshell, is what bothers me so about Tea Partiers and other extreme conservatives. Tom is upset over things that aren't true. When told that they aren't true, instead of changing his mind he suddenly changes the subject. Maddening!

Shall we ask Tom what exactly he has "read" that has given him these crazily false ideas? Personally, I don't think Tom "reads" anything. I think he sits on his couch and watches Fox "News". I think he sits in his car and listens to Rush Limbaugh. Then he parrots what he thought he heard to a reporter.

Strickland, of course, has balanced the budget each year as required by law, while reducing both taxes and spending. But how would a Tea Partier ever learn about that?

[ck4829]

1. "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" - Adam Savage

There should be a Mythbusters episode to go after the myths that the Tea Party is spewing.

[ejpoeta]

3. i love that quote. so true.

[txlibdem]

2. Typical mainstream media

article quotes 3 republicans, 1 democrat and 1 independent. Nice balance.

[OHdem10]

4. Tea Partiers only know lies and half-lies because they get their

political information from Fox and Hate Radio. When Fox runs
Beck totally rewriting history (lies and half lies) and every
program even the hard news programs have members whose job,
it seems, is to frame every topic in such a way as to demean
the President and attack the Democratic Party.

Yes, Mr. Ailes, a lot of your programming is by opinion journalists.
Let me assure you, Joe and Jane Sixpack do not sit and dlineate
between hard news and entertainment. They believe the Becks,
Hannitys, Kellys, etc. They see them as newspeople just as
the Dittoheads say " I am educated in Politics. Rush taught
me everything I need to know."

Yes the American People are learning their information based
on disinformation.

Here is an example: Every one in America knows we have a
Deficit Problem. Many of us on the Left know there is a
commission working on the deficit.

Fox is presenting the issue as Obama has once again failed
becuase they do not think he will get the G8 to go slow
on cutting spencing.

Whether people want to believe it or not--Bernanke, a specialist
on Great Depression, along with Geithner, Sommers brought us
back from the cliff"s edge and stabalized the financial system.

NOW, Bernanke is asking us not to go slash and burn on the
Budget. The Deficit Hawks appear to be deaf or are just
playing politics. You would think the young people at Fox
and most of them are young know everything there is to knwo
about Economics. We must cut spending yesterday.

Yes, Bernanke said the Deficit is unsustainable. The Young
Ones stop here.

Bernanke also said the RECOVERY is TOO FRAGILE for Congress
and the Deficit Hawks to start Cutting Spending now.
He wants us to be sure there is real growth in the economy
before taking out the knives. In the meantime, he said
they could be working on a real deficit plan which could
be implemented further down the road after we are certain
the economy is in strong recovery.

The President has a Commission working on a plan. Democrats
are waiting for the right time.

Those smart young things at Fox like the Pied Piper are
taking the Hsrbert Hoover Road. The Republican Party
follow them at their peril and the county's peril.

The Deficit is unsustainable, but it is way too soon
to start slashing and burning. The economy is not
strong enough.

[jaysunb]

5. I tried to point this out, here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8635869

[Enthusiast]

6. Tea Parties actually can't

learn anything, anything true, that is.

[mod mom]

7. Right wing Dispatch (aka Disgrace) always looks to elevate republican candidates

[Enthusiast]

8. Yeah, it's horrible.

The Lancaster Gazette even has an Ann Coulter column. :puke: