The Tea Baggers are back! And this time, you best not call them Tea Baggers or else Ted Gaines (R-Placer Co.) will get seriously pissed!
Expecting a high turnout, the Joint Legislative Rules Committee sent out an e-mail yesterday alerting Capitol types to the action.
But the e-mail description didn't exactly capture the plan for the "party" -- it swapped "Tea Party" with "Tea Bag," a term perhaps better suited for a high school locker room than Capitol halls.
The message drew ire from supporters, including Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, who Twitter messaged Capitol Alert: "It's a Tea PARTY & it's important!"
Moments later, Gaines, the committee's vice chair, tweeted that he had asked the Rules staff to send out a corrected e-mail. The committee quickly complied, recalling the first message and sending out an error-free announcement. (CapAlert 8/28/09)
You know, perhaps if they didn't use tea bags as the visual (see the photo of them stacking up boxes of tea bags in DC) then this wouldn't be an issue. But I guess loose leaf tea would be too elitist for these people. And yes, it is very important for people who receive government assistance in federal water projects, in farm subsidies, in other federal and state aid, to let the government how much they truly suck. Or in other words:
Don't let government run my Medicare!
The tea baggers have another target this time: the California Air Resources Board. The irony is that many of these people are the very same people of the Central Valley that CARB is working to protect through preserving air quality. But nonetheless, they've launched an website of paranoia decrying CARB.
However, CARB is essential for the future of not just the Central Valley, but also in creating green jobs and boosting the economy. The folks at this website and at this tea party are telling their supporters to call the governor and tell them how much they hate CARB. So, if you have a moment contact governor Schwarzenegger or retweet my myidea4ca [tweet:
Babaloo noted for us that Assemblyman Ted Gaines has put together an exploratory committee to run in the June Congressional primary against John Doolittle. Gaines becomes the third Republican to announce for the primary, joining talk-radio host Eric Egland and Auburn City councilman Mike Holmes. This is great news for Charlie Brown; even if anti-Doolittle sentiment among Republicans is 70%, in a four-person race the anti-Doolittle vote will be fractured enough that the incumbent would be likely to prevail. And Doolittle would be clobbered in a rematch with Charlie, IMO.
But for Doolittle, this one's gotta hurt. After all, it wasn't so long ago that he and Gaines attended the Enchantment-Under-The-Sea dance, swooning to "Always & Forever" and "Endless Love" until the sun came up the next morning. Here's a pic:
Ain't they the cutest? And now, blind ambition has ripped them asunder. It's sad, really.
The Sac Bee is reporting that the Doolittle primary race just got a little more crowded. Right-wing veteran and counterterrorism consultant Eric Egland and Auburn City Council member Mike Holmes had already announced their candidacies in the CA-04 Republican primary. Now they've been joined by Roseville Assemblyman Ted Gaines (AD-04). Gaines has just announced that he's forming an exploratory committee to test the waters.
The announcement by the Republican state lawmaker and former Placer County supervisor signals that Doolittle could face a well-funded GOP primary challenger if the incumbent seeks a 10th term as he has promised.
The decision by Gaines, long a loyal part of Doolittle's base in the conservative 4th District, signal's the congressman's falling standing since an FBI raid of his Virginia home as part of the political corruption probe of disgraced Washington D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
"I think voters have lost faith in his leadership ability," Gaines said, in his strongest comments to date on Doolittle. He added: "When you lose the moral ability to lead you kind of have to re-evaluate. There are enough questions around Congressman Doolittle that are causing a lot of cloudiness and unclearness...in the 4th district."
It looks like the Republicans are getting serious about taking Doolittle out of the race. And even though Gaines is only ostensibly testing the waters, once he's raised $5,000, he'll have to register with the FEC and submit financial reports. Come October 15, it should get a little easier to read the tea leaves surrounding Doolittle and his competitors.
In a telephone interview Thursday morning, [KFBK radio host Tom] Sullivan said a number of Republicans are eying Doolittle's seat, he among them.
"Vultures are circling," Sullivan said. "They are all over the place. There are a number of people who would love to run."
Among those frequently mentioned are Assemblyman Ted Gaines and former state Sen. Rico Oller, whom [Dan] Lungren beat in the Republican primary for Ose's seat.
Grass-roots conservatives are railing against House Republican leaders for tapping Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) for the appropriations seat vacated by fellow California Republican Rep. John Doolittle after the FBI raided his home in Northern Virginia.
But I will tell you this -- Jerry Lewis SHOULD NOT be in Congress anymore. This is something that I have said to FR readers before -- and I will say it again. The Republican Party need only look in the mirror if we are unable to 'police ourselves' when it comes to understanding how we could have a majority in both Houses of Congress, and hold the Presidency, and still preside over unprecedented growth in federal government spending.
Is it any wonder the GOP is suffering from an excitement gap?
(Well worth thinking about. The Republicans already are... P.S. Vote for Charlie! - promoted by juls)
(cross-posted from Daily Kos)
With the impending implosion of John Doolittle, it has occurred to me that it might be good to start paying attention to likely Doolittle replacements. At the very least, Doolittle will face a tough primary fight in 2008 (connections to the Placer County Republican Central Committee have confirmed that they are searching for another candidate). Of course, Doolittle may also be booted from office or forced to resign before then, in which case we will have a special election.
Below is a list of possible Republican candidates, with a quick paragraph for each one. We should be working to find out more about these people and also make sure we are aware of any other possible candidates not listed here. It is crucial that we make sure that Charlie Brown wins this seat in 2008 (or sooner).
Also, there are possible Democratic spoilers in the event of a special election. People to definitely keep an eye on.
If I left anyone out, please let me know. I am not as familiar with El Dorado County politics, so I am sure I am missing at least a couple of credible contenders. I'll update this as needed based on the comments.
Ted Gaines (handpicked by the corrupt and ineffective John Doolittle) is too "busy" to go out and meet the voters in his district. This has gone so far that the Auburn Journal felt compelled to write a story about it:
As the Nov. 7 general election draws near, District 4 California State Assembly candidates Rob Haswell and Ted Gaines are battling hard in last-push efforts to reach out to voters.
But while one candidate has attended many public forums, the other has chosen not to show up.
Democratic candidate Haswell, 43 has been walking precincts, phone banking and attending any public forum he can.
