Hostile takeover
Another tea-party extremist fights the Republican establishment
Hostile takeover
Dick Polman, Inquirer National Political Columnist
Traveling this week in North Carolina, I came across the curious saga of Tim D'Annunzio. If you haven't heard about this fellow - a tea-party favorite and front-running Republican candidate for a North Carolina congressional seat - prepare to be entertained.
We're all aware by now that the tea-party folks are hell bent on thumbing their noses at the Republican establishment and electing their own kinds of candidates. They scored big a few weeks back in Kentucky, when Rand Paul won the GOP Senate nomination; it's rare to find any candidate who thinks that BP should not be held accountable for the oil spill ("accidents happen," he says), but, hey, the Republicans wanted to usher the tea-partiers into the ranks, and now they're stuck with the problem of fighting a hostile takeover.
The problem is, Tim D'Annunzio makes Rand Paul look like Cicero. This guy is so bad that the North Carolina Republican chairman is publicly assailing him as "unfit for public office at any level."
The tea party folks don't care about such assessments. They love D'Annunzio so much, they helped propel him to first place in the May 4 Republican primary. But he's not yet the GOP nominee for the autumn race in a swing district. Under state party rules, the nominee must get more than 50 percent of the vote, and D'Annunzio, while finishing first, failed to reach that threshold. So he's matched with GOP establishment favorite Harold Johnson in a runoff 19 days from now. The winner will face freshman Blue Dog Democrat Larry Kissell, and Republican leaders are now desperately trying to knock down the front-running whacko in their own party.
Here's Tom Feltzer, the state party chairman: "What (D'Annunzio) could do to the party as our nominee is secondary in my view to what he could do to the country if he got elected." And here's the spokesman for the GOP House strategy team in Washington: "The issue is, do we give the Democrats a candidate they can absolutely tear apart in the general election? I don't think most Republicans want to see that happen."
Why are Republican leaders saying such terrible things about their own front-runner? Well, he declared earlier this year that he wants to "abolish the Department of Education, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Energy, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Transportation, Treasury, and Homeland Security," plus, of course, the IRS - and (my favorite) "any appellate court that has shown an anti-constitutional activism."
But what makes his extreme libertarianism so special is the way he flavors it with moral certitude. He has written on his blog, "I know that I have been anointed by God to be part of His plan to save the world." He has referred to the federal government as the Antichrist and, according to court papers filed during a divorce and child-custody case, he once told his ex-wife that he had personally found the Ark of the Covenant, that he himself was the Messiah, and that God would drop a pyramid on Greenland. The judge in that case described him as "a self-described religious zealot."
And we know all about these court documents, because Republican leaders have been showing them to anyone with a pulse.
D'Annunzio thinks it's unfair that his critics are spreading "innuendo and accusations," and, for that reason, he has pulled out of a TV debate slated for next week. He says they're simply "afraid of independent rugged individualists, like me." He also thinks it's unfair that the GOP establishment is calling attention to the fact that he was previously jailed for burglary and assaulting a cop. He says his bad behavior is all in the past, and the tea partiers agree. And he assails Republican leaders thusly: "The power brokers in Raleigh and Washington are willing to go to any length and use any unscrupulous tactic to try to destroy somebody. They think that they're losing their control over the Republican party."
With respect to that last sentence, he may well be right.
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The sole proprietor of this blog is on the road for the month of June. Virtually all June posts will be briefer than the norm, except on those rare occasions when posts won't show up at all. Apologies in advance for this disturbance in the force. The standard verbosity will return on Monday, June 28.
Still... I hear them referred to all the time. Next time I will write down the statute numbers.— Phil Checchia- Tom, Jon Stewart leans left, but he skewers everyone. He is funny in part because he is fair. And for bill.atk - listen, as everyone knows, the US Government does God's work. We repeatedly learned this from Bush. So perhaps Obama the messiah is waiting for the pyramid to drop on Greenland before he pursues his work. Let's go Flyers.— puttinonthefoil
- Nigel, congrats on the nuptials. Cambridge MD is only about 100 miles south of Wilmington. Perhaps we could meeet up for that dinner I owe you.— tom - wilmington, de
- still_independent, according to the Stafford Act, the federal government was prevented from doing anything regarding Katrina until requested to do so by the local officials. Funny how Mississippi and Alabama also get devasted but suffered none of the same problems as in New Orleans. Could it be that the local officials in those states did much better jobs with regards to preparation etc? With the oil leak, local officials pleaded with the feds to get involved, only to be met with deaf ears. Example, Jindal requesting for ability to build berms, for which an enviromental impact study needed to be completed. WHY? What about the enviromental impact of the oil if they were not built? Obama and his policies are falling way short on their promise of transparency (job offers to Sestak and Roumanoff), the economy (did you see the latest jobs report, with only 41K private sector jobs created in May), and now disaster management. Even Obama's own supporters (Jon Stewart skewered him the other night) are critical of his leadership and management skills. Amazing also how there is still no mention of the flood victims in Tennessee, anyone wonder how FEMA is handling that situation? He is clearly way in over his head, like trying to stand in 20 feet of water.— tom - wilmington, de
- still_independent, you were correct. However, can you reconcile the fact that the White House and Sestak both said the offers were for the presidential advisory boards so Sestak could remain in Congress, but the PIAB (Presidential Intelligence Advisory Board) requires that the members NOT be employed by the Federal government? All the non-compensated advisory board positions are to be filled by people from outside government who have no partisan ties. Clearly Sestak serving as a Democrat member of Congress fails to meet that criteria. So what was the real offer?— tom - wilmington, de
- swedesboromike: let's not rewrite history. Bush got more critcism over defending his FEMA director than anything else "Heckuva job, Brownie", who was doing everything wrong at the time. Last time I checked, the head of MMS was fired (well, he "resigned", but that's a common courtesy). And trying to compare the two situations - a persistent oil leak turning into a slow growing environmental disaster - with three states leveled and underwater and ~1800 dead - are hardly comparable. Finally, what would you have the federal government do? They were set up to deal with the aftermath of Katrina, yet except for the USCG, were largely innefective. The Obama administration probably will (and should) receive criticism for how they handle the CLEANUP from the spiil, as this is a job they should be equipped to do. But the government is NOT equipped to deal with the leak itself.— still_independent
- Phil Checchia: which two federal statutes did they violate? I posted this for you (and tom) on the last blog. I'll assume you missed it (or ignored it): came across this article on factcheck regarding the Sestak matter. I, regrettably, hadn't actually read the statute (18 USC 600). Apparently, IF what was offered was an unpaid presidential advisory position, there is no way it was a crime (at least under this statute). The important part that seems to get left out of the discussion is the following (salient part in caps)"Whoever, directly or indirectly, promises any employment, position, compensation, contract, appointment, or other benefit, PROVIDED FOR OR MADE POSSIBLE IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY ACT OF CONGRESS, or any special consideration in obtaining any such benefit, to any person as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity ..." The presidential advisory roles are not created by any act of congress. ... http://www.factcheck.org/2010/06/sunday-replay-6/— still_independent
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Nigel... Have a safe and happy trip— Phil Checchia
- Way to go Polman... Write about that republican in N.C., but nothing yet about Sestak. Emanuel, and if you believe it, Clinton violated two federal laws by offering Sestak SOMETHING to withdraw from an election. Is that not something you think your bloggers would like to discuss. Well, anyway, a new gallup poll, certainly not right wing oriented, has R's at 49%, D's at 43%. That's 6%, it was 4% when Newt and his folks last took over the house. 63% of Americans want Health Care Bill undone. Any paid republican ad that doesn't address that subject is a waste. Back to Sestak ,this is the White House's second foray into election fixing. Bet all you idiot liberals think Obama had nothing to do with the OFFERS. He's dumb, but not that dumb, and after all he came from the Chicago brand of politics. What say Libs?— Phil Checchia
- The federal government is not monolithic but there are some departments that fit the antichrist catagory.— JimR
- Nigel, good luck and peace to you and yours on a great occasion.— JimR
- Well, Yoda, this argument cuts both ways. Should Bush have been out in a rescue boat during Katrina? Singing along to " Michelle my Belle " while oil continues to plunder the Gulf is about as aloof as it gets. I think it looks very bad for Obama to be yucking it up as people are having their livliehoods destroyed. Perhaps that time could have been better used to mobilize cleanup plans and consult with the Governors of the Gulf states. Just a thought.
- So, Mikey, I guess Obama should be camped out in a tent on the bayou in between dives to plug the hole with his fingers? Maybe if we all just shriek loud enough God will make it stop...Oh, wait, private industry will clean up its mess, won't it? Any day now...— yoda
- Not for nothing but with oil gushing into the Gulf was it appropriate for Barry Obama to be having an in house concert with Paul McCartney? It looks about as politically tone deaf as it gets.
- Nigel - congrats on the nuptuals. you deserve a break from us !— still_independent
- swedesboromike : yes, but like the DHS, is was more of a consolidation. Much of the research into physical science, oversight of nuclear power, etc is lumped under it.— still_independent
- Hello friends, (notice lower case rather than upper case, which would signify Quakers) I'm more or less signing off for the next few weeks. I may arrive here and there during the next week, but I leave for my daughter's wedding in Cambridge, MD on the 15th, so I will be maybe (or maybe not) ostensibly absent. I know I always implore you, but let me do it once again. Please be kind to each other while I'm gone. Wish I knew who you really were so I could post photos. Cheers, all.— NigeltheMastiff
- Still- Wasn't the department of Energy created to lesson our dependence on foreign oil? The problem is that many of these departments fail in their mission for which they were created.
- swedesboromike : I was with him on several of the departments (except Energy and DOT) - but the appellate court part was way over the top.— still_independent
- Polman writes " Why are Republican leaders saying such terrible things about their own front-runner? Well, he declared earlier this year that he wants to "abolish the Department of Education, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Energy, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Transportation, Treasury, and Homeland Security," plus, of course, the IRS - and (my favorite) "any appellate court that has show an anti-constitutional activism.".................................. Well maybe the Tea Party candidate is getting a little carried away but we sure could use less federal departments.
- I can't support a candidate that says that he is God's candidate. There is no way to prove it (or disprove it). It's just a ploy to win votes. Still, you have to hand it to the tea partiers. They are tearing apart the Republican party on the eve of an election that they should do well in but perhaps won't now. Glad I'm not a politician!— James TL
- I'm not criticizing people for exercising their right -- even privilege to vote -- but doesn't the extremism of some of these people kind of scare you?— NigeltheMastiff
- Comment removed.
"But what makes his extreme libertarianism so special is the way he flavors it with moral certitude." Much the same as extreme liberals speak with moral certitude on things like health care, global warming, abortion, war, gun control, gay marriage, and income redistribution.— jmc- Comment removed.
- God, if Dick or anyone else at the Inquirer/DN writes one more piece analyzing the party out of Power, I might lose my mind.— tr88
- If the Tea Partiers were that disgusted with the Republican Party, they would have started their own party, with its own primaries. The conventional Republicans seem to think that the Tea Baggers can energize the base, like Sarah Palin did, but the base isn't big enough anymore to ride into power.— SteveMG
- Amazing how a few primary elections of libertarians has syndicated liberal pundits and their fellow wacko blogging brothers acting like scurrying deer sensing a disaster. The deer seldom scurry when not necessary, so there must be something afar that scares the living daylights out of the likes of Polmanites. They must be sensing the additional humidity that usually preceeds the storm. Be sure to avoid trees.— lefty
BO's presidency is not a sinking ship. It's a log circling the toilet bowl of history.- Comment removed.
- LOLOL! A great majority of the Tea Partiers are disgusted with both the establishment parties? Where'd you pull that pile of BS form? All of the credible analysis I've seen has the Tea Partiers (I am being nice here) solidly aligned and identified with the Republican Party. You can try to run from these fringe freaks, but it isn’t going to work. For all the publicity they get (see Palin the bandwagon jumper), all the defense they get from the likes of you guys, they are yours. The GOP made 'em and the GOP is going to be hurt by them. So much so that Boehner is running fast from his recent comment of 100 House seats going R this fall ... it is NOT Obama's Presidency that is a sinking ship (please!) - it's the GOP as any kind of appealing political ideology anymore that's going down, fast and hard. Play with that one simps.— The Bishop
- "Pretty much describes any of today's Republicans." If that's an apt description, it pretty much describes BO, as well. He's doing a bang-up job on all fronts, foreign affairs, halting domestic terrorist attacks, the economy. Indeed, a splendid job.— pj katauskas
- "unfit for public office at any level." Pretty much describes any of today's Republicans.— The Bishop
- Cute liberal escapist piece in an attempt to ignore the sinking ship that is the Obama presidency.— CD75
- Ok, let's take your premise that the t party is not a Republican astroturf front. So, uh, who are these guys going to caucus with? I'm sorry, but these guys aren't Bernie Sanders.— pagoda
- The R's Dennis Kucinich.— pj katauskas
- While Mr. Polman compares this candidate to Rand Paul, I would put him more in the Palin tea party mold. At least give libertarians this; they don't think the feds are the antichrist. Leave that to the religious right. The tea party tries to reconcile these two factions, but ultimately will fail. As the tea party 'movement' evolves, it will inevitably form into more visible factions. And Humongous, there's no doubt parts of the tea party are pure astroturf. The Tea Party Express? The creation of a Republican lobbying firm in Sacramento, which generates 90% of it's business from said Express. And who was just riding along with this Tea Party Express? It was Sarah Palin, you betcha. I feel almost bad for the Paulites. They at least had a philosophical viewpoint, even if it completely falls apart under logical scrutiny. The Palinites, they have their guns and religion. Keep clinging people.— Logathis
For months the media pundits' line has been to bash the Tea Party as a republican astroturfing operation. If Polman is finally waking up to the reality that the great majority of Tea Partiers are disgusted with both of the establishment political parties then perhaps there has been a "disturbance in the force."- You're right, this was entertaining. There just can't be enough of these types in the Republican party, and I hope he wins the primary. Maybe if he plays his cards right he can run in 2012 for VP on the Palin Party ticket.— yoda
Cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, and lauded by the ABC News political website as "one of the finest political journalists of his generation," Dick Polman is a national political columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is on the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, as "writer in residence." Dick has been a frequent guest on C-Span, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC. He covered the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential campaigns.
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