UPDATED: 13 SC TEA PARTY LEADERS BLAST BACHMANN TACTICS – PATCH

sfluxe.com ^ | 12/17/2011 | sfluxe

[TBBT]

Check out this interesting story: Updated: 13 SC Tea Party Leaders Blast Bachmann Tactics – Patch Nearly a month after a SC spokesman for Rep. Michele Bachmann accused Newt Gingrich of trying to buy off the state’s Tea Party leaders by bringing them on as staffers, more than a dozen of the movement’s leaders are fighting back.

In a strongly worded letter issued Friday afternoon, 13 leaders of the SC Tea Party movement accused her of “attacking the tea party movement by accusing tea party supporters of Newt Gingrich of being bought off” and said she has escalated the battle by making it national news by discussing it with John King on CNN Wednesday night.

“Now that Michele Bachmann herself has decided to throw fuel on the fire, and this issue has become national news, we as leaders within the South Carolina tea party movement feel we must speak out to defend our integrity,” reads the letter, which was circulated on Twitter and on at least one Tea Party website.

They accuse Bachmann of trying to divide the Tea Party movement, and defended Gingrich, who has said time and again that the only real opponent is President Barack Obama

[TBP]

http://thehill.com/video/campaign/197439-bachmann-romney-gingrich-poster-children-for-washington-insiders

[TBP]

http://thehill.com/video/campaign/197439-bachmann-romney-gingrich-poster-children-for-washington-insiders

[EricT.]

And I should care about that why?

That doesn’t change Newt’s big government progressive record.

Look, this crap is exactly why I’m not a Republican any longer. Too many Republicans only care about the (R) behind the candidate’s name, and expect conservatives to shut up and vote “or else” some other liberal/big government progressive with a (D) will get elected.

[arrogantsob]

Newt can’t hijack something he is in many ways the ideological Father of.

[CASchack]

She didn’t do it at the debates, which is where more people are paying attention. As was said last Thursday evening, Bachmann should be thanked by Romney for being his wing (wo)man.

[TBP]

Michele attacks Obamacare.

http://republicanredefined.com/2011/12/06/bachmann-romney-and-gingrich-are-father-and-grandfather-of-obamacare/

[TBP]

Michele is the only one who’s gone negative, right?

http://nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/gingrich-goes-negative-against-romney-bachmann-20111212

[berdie]

That is interesting and totally on point.

[PaleoBob]

If the Tea Party wants to pick candidates then cut out the tease, incorporate as a for-real political party and nominate slates of candidates, local and national. Right now, the tea party is operating as an elitist top-down entity but without any culpability. Kinda like the Republicans only without the “ethics.”

[rintense]

His history, voting and otherwise, suggest quite the opposite.

[berdie]

Well, I think the Tea Party has had a huge hand in getting preferred candidates elected..don’t you?

As far as being elitist..not sure what you mean.

[TBP]

http://thepage.time.com/2011/11/29/bachmann-bashes-flip-floppers-romney-and-gingrich/

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Bachmann-Perry-tie-Gingrich-Romney-together-2394924.php

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/michele-bachmann-mitt-romney-obama-republican-debate/story?id=13834141#.Tu1pYrK4HGQ]

[JimWayne]

By the same token, why is the "establishment" promoting the candidate who, as a super-rich guy fits right into the Obama campaign playbook of rich versus poor?

Romney is their first choice but they do not mind Newt or Perry or the Democrats. The Democrats too do not mind Romney, Newt or Perry. They were terrified of Cain which is why they ganged up to attack him.

[EricT.]

Newt can’t hijack something he is in many ways the ideological Father of.

I wasn't aware that the TEA Party was for individual mandates for healthcare insurance or government intervention to stop global warming or the Fairness Doctrine or TARP bailouts or think that FDR was the greatest president of the 20th century or admired SEIU President Andy Stern or powerful congressmen pushing through unnecessary contracts for new military aircraft because they are made in the district or...

[savage woman]

Has Paul Ryan grown up enough yet???
I say we write his name in...
That way we have saved him from all this crap that’s going on. To heck with the establishment, to heck with all these political games. I’ve had enough...

[PaleoBob]

As far as being elitist..not sure what you mean.

---

Like, um, duh, six or seven people in SC pick Newt Gingrich to be “the tea party candidate” uh, duh... Like, uh, no participation by anyone who might, um, duh, vote otherwise, for,um ,duh, say...Michele Bachmann!

Kinda the way, um, uh, Nicolae Ceaucescu might have done it.

[PALIN SMITH]

"So how do you get the job of being a tea party leader? Are you elected, turn in a job application or maybe setup a web site? "

If you have to ask that question, you know absolutely nothing about the Tea Party.

I know!!

[arrogantsob]

Now you are part of the Establishment subject to attacks from every angle.

[PieterCasparzen]

Bachmann is a stalking horse for Willard. She could have gone after Mitt repeatedly at these debates, but she gave him a pass. She was all over Perry over Gardasil and Newt over ‘lobbying’ as a private citizen. Yet she says nothing about Willard “Abortion is settled law” Romney.

I've said it before (check my history) - Mitt is SO FAR big-money-establishment, that ANY other candidate, if ALONE with Mitt in the race - will beat him.

Mitt is the establisment's guy.

But the establishment figured out he's probably not going to be able to win the Republican primary.

What to do ? That is Newt's purpose. He is the backup guy. Newt's machine (some here on FR) was able to excite enough conservatives to gain momentum, thus attracting more support. Now he's in the lead.

Using the AGE-OLD scare tactic of "fear of not winning the general election" Newt is working on holding down any outsiders who might get near 20% until they drop out.

He only has to hold them off for a few months.

Once it comes down to Newt versus Mitt, it doesn't matter to the Repubs which it is, but Newt very well may sandbag it. It would be very easy for him to say just a tiny thing over the top at that point to push support towards Mitt. Newt would not hurt his political influence at all and could go back to what he does. If Mitt still can't beat him, Newt can safely be installed in the WH and the Washington DC machine will have one of it's own safely installed.

This whole 2012 cycle has been about the Republican establishment getting inside the Tea Party and taking control of it.

The rubes will happily vote for the "feisty" Newt - actually thinking they have a Tea Party candidate in the WH. It's no crime to fall for this - I actually get a good feeling about old feisty Newt in the WH. Who doesn't ? My point is, however, remember what the Tea Party set out to do ? Remember the Santelli rant ? Think back. Let's elect an outsider, take back America ? Remember ?

The wizard of oz (big money) just seems to always get his way from behind that curtain. Leona's "little people" - we pay, remember ? Take a look at your paystub. "The government do take a bite, don't she ?"

[Gator113]

;>)