Special Report: The Tea Party goes to school

[Kadie]

Special Report: The Tea Party goes to school

By Nick Carey – Wed Sep 8, 8:45 am ET

HANNIBAL, Missouri (Reuters) – Some Tea Partiers admit mistakes were made. Others are quick to describe the movement's recent efforts in the political arena as not quite ready for prime time.

But the conservative upstart is determined to shed its amateur status. To that end, members are literally going to school. They are taking part in training sessions, some of which are underwritten by established conservative groups like American Majority, the Leadership Institute and Americans for Prosperity.

Indeed, an up-close look at the Tea Party in 15 states over a three-month period during this summer's political primaries showed a group striving to make the transition from unruly protesters to effective activists. Their near term goal is to gain a foothold at the most basic levels of government -- from city councils to state assemblies.

snip...
During one recent class held in Hannibal, Missouri by American Majority, Beka Romm, the group's director for Kansas, tells her audience to hold U.S. politicians' feet to the fire. Above all, the ones they like.

"If you look at that chart," she said, pointing at a screen showing deficits under U.S. presidents stretching back half a century to John F. Kennedy, "You can see that some of the people we like have run large deficits."

The numbers show an estimated budget deficit of 7.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2010 under President Barack Obama, which is in line with most nonpartisan forecasts.
But the chart also makes plain that the last three Republican occupants of the White House -- George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, a GOP deity -- ran up some hefty fiscal shortfalls themselves. As a percentage of gross domestic product, Obama holds the record with Reagan and Bush Sr tied for second place.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100908/ts_nm/us_usa_elections_teaparty_3

[AlinPA]

1. The first year will be 2nd grade spelling.

[old mark]

2. Obama didn't "run up" the defecit - he inherited 2 unfunded wars from the

Bush II regime as well as the bailout - also started by the Bush II regime. Obama seems to get the blame for a lot of the republican bullshit that didn't work out so well, which is most of what they have done since the 1950's.

Most of the "good" things republican presidents are credited with are just plain lies.
They may have been good for the corporations but not for anyone else.

mark

[opihimoimoi]

3. YUP...Plus 999999 :o)

The GOP is a VERY BAD IDEA....should be rejected asap

[louis-t]

4. Not a peep out of repugs when debt was $11 tril.

Suddenly at $13 tril, it's unacceptable.

[old mark]

5. Right - that extra 2 trillion put them over the top....because the Democrats are in power,

and so can be blamed for it...GOP politics = lies, all the time.

mark