[FrankR]

Too many legislators are just in it for the money and the retirement benefits. They get elected on smooth talk and high promises and then fade into the shadows and bide their time.

We have elections, like in 2010, and have resounding victories...then the people go back to sleep and new "heroes" do nothing different than before the election.

We had all the talk after the 2010 elections that we should "hold their feet to the fire", but it seems that the fire when out Congress is back to business as usual.

We actually should be on their asses everyday; not just writing them letters and calling them, but CC-ing the media on every letter we write to elected officials. Give the media - no matter how slanted they are - some idea of what the people are saying they want from our public "servants".

Politicians can tell the media anything; they can deny any pressure from the people and the media just takes them at their word. But if they are copied on all the correspondence to the Senators and Reps, then the light of truth will be more widespread.

And now we have all the wonderful blogs and forums on the internet, not to mention viral email, so the pressure on Congress should be relentless.

Those clowns also need to see some physical proof, like the hundreds of thousand of Tea Party Movement gatherings in DC that seem to have been cowed back to their homes. They dems (and the GOPe) were standing up and taking notice when all that was happening, and I think it was the primary reason we won back the house with such a resounding victory.

Then, after a couple of TEA party victory laps, it was all silent again. The brats in Congress retured to their mischief and the MSM laughed.

You can tell the left still worries about the TPM they way they try of emulate it and head it off (OWS), but right now I think they see a clear road ahead for themselves as the TPM seems to be MIA...in a physical sense anyway.

The left doesn't fear the GOP, but they do fear the people. The TPM showed America that they were not alone and that when obama says "all the people" support him, he's just referring to a small segment of America...especially now that he's shown us what a failure he has been.

Restoring America is not going to be easy...too many have been bought-off for too long and they do not want to loose their sugar daddy or their goodies. We are overrun with thugs, druggies and the entitlement donks, and there will be riots, a fact we need to start getting used to...it's gonna happen if obama loses.

I ran across this yesterday, and it fits today's scenario to a tee:

"Democracy... is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty ... is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." -- Benjamin Franklin

[kingu]

Too many legislators are just in it for the money and the retirement benefits.

And who gave them these benefits? I don't have any employees who determine their own benefits, their own retirement, and sure as heck, they don't set their own salaries. Yet somehow a government employee can do this? I'm sorry, that's called embezzlement. Worse, the situation we have now, the rules to keep everything on the up and up, the congress going out of office votes for the salary and compensation for the congress coming into office.

What is that? A wink and a handshake for more embezzling? There is not a single congressman I'd pay more than a major's salary, nor a single senator that I'd pay more than a colonel's salary.

Even worse, these clowns whine that they can't afford two homes - one in Washington DC and the other back in their home district. Perfect solution - set up dorms for them, guarantee every congressman free travel to and from sessions. Because they don't represent Washington DC, they represent people back home, and that's where they should live. That's where their kids should be, their spouse, and their favorite easy chair.

And all these 'TEA' party congressmen didn't even start on this issue. Too many other distractions. The perfect symbolic moment - economy in a shambles, feds spending money -- well, can't say like water, as water vends for a quarter a gallon - like air, and still we're giving 50k a year benefits to the spouses of retired senators. It is just insane.

[EDINVA]

From Obama’s political perspective, he was blessed in January 2011 with the shooting of Rep. Giffords. It focused eyes on the ‘evil’ of Republicans and their ‘targets,’ and away from what he was doing to the country overall. His and the Dems shameful response to that tragedy was shut down the GOP and the Tea Party whose candidates had just been seated the week before.

[Albion Wilde]

We have elections, like in 2010, and have resounding victories...then the people go back to sleep and new "heroes" do nothing different than before the election.

But there was still a Democrat majority in Congress. We need to throw everybody out and start over.

We actually should be on their asses everyday; not just writing them letters and calling them, but CC-ing the media on every letter we write to elected officials. Give the media - no matter how slanted they are - some idea of what the people are saying they want from our public "servants"... now we have all the wonderful blogs and forums on the internet, not to mention viral email, so the pressure on Congress should be relentless.

Bears repeating, even though it can be very frustrating to receive their patronizing emails back from Congress lecturing you on how you ought to agree with them. You are right; just keep plastering them. Especially attending the face-to-face confrontations at Town Hall meetings. That really seems to get through to them, when their ridiculous lies are booed and the videos are posted on YouTube.

Then, after a couple of TEA party victory laps, it was all silent again. The brats in Congress retured to their mischief and the MSM laughed.

You are correct; the media has done everything it can to lie and distort and minimize and imitate. But as you noted, they still fear the Tea Party. Consider this: if we don't make our numbers public and do not demonstrate openly, the media may be lulled into thinking we have gone away, since they never venture out of Manhattan or DC. The key for Tea Partiers is to work strenuously, locally, and as much as possible, one-to-one, door-to-door, or online.

"Democracy... is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty ... is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
-- Benjamin Franklin

Quite so. Franklin also said, just after the Constitution was signed in Independence Hall, "A Republic, if you can keep it."

And here is my comment on the Obama administration:

[b9]

"Democracy... is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty ... is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." -- Benjamin Franklin

Every good teacher who loves their subject turns it into edu-tainment.

Franklin could do that, and Reagan.

And Newt, of course.

[redgolum]

The issue is that the Tea party was not a threat to the Dems, but the GOP. They worked quickly to destroy it.

[gimme1ibertee]

Agreed,1000%.

We need a few more of those gigantic 9/12 Tea Party Rallies at the Capitol Grounds.....my brother and I were at that rally and it was EPIC! It just took my breath away to see so many good people doing what they could to be heard.I'd LOVE to see that kind of full-force physical presence again. It's waaaay overdue.