You Were Saying?

A victory for the Tea Partiers

In the aftermath of the Tax Day Tea Parties, the Left did their best to try to discredit them as a means of minimizing their impact on the country. And by “their best” I mean they trotted out a few dimwits to lie about what happened. The true test of a movement, however, is not in what some C-list actor-vist like Janeane Garofalo says. It’s in what is done to continue the message after the initial push.

This brings our attention to California. In an attempt to make up for budgetary shortfalls (caused by, oh, I don’t know…spending more money than what they had?), Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and members of the California legislature called for a number of special elections to be held that they claimed would help right the ship of state, bring fiscal success, and even cure male-pattern baldness. Yet, when you looked at the actual proposals, they didn’t seem to do much except spend money they didn’t have for things the people didn’t really need. In a related story, Congress is suing Schwarzenegger for copyright infringement for stealing their “stimulus package” plan.

As you might have guessed, this didn’t sit too well with many Californians. (The overspending to cover up for previous overspending, not the copyright infringement suit.) When these proposals came up for a vote on May 19, 2009, the results were as predictable as the ending of a Schwarzenegger action movie. Here are the partial results as of May 20, 2009.

Proposal 1A, the budget stabilization plan, went down to defeat 66%-34%.

Proposal 1B, the education funding plan, was sent to the principal’s office by a count of 63% to 37%.

Proposal 1C, the plan to modernize the California State Lottery, didn’t hit the jackpot, being defeated 65%-35%.

Proposal 1D, the children’s services funding plan, got spanked 66%-34%.

Proposal 1E, the Mental Health Services Act, was straitjacketed in a 66%-34% defeat.

And my favorite, Proposal 1F, the plan to limit politicians’ pay, won handily by a count of 74%-26%.

Even though the Associated Press has pointed out that only 19% of eligible voters came out for the special election per the partial returns, the point is that the basic messages of the Tax Day Tea Parties resonate with people. People wanted smaller government, less spending, and more accountability, and with each of the proposals noted above, Californians showed they agreed with the Tax Day Tea Partiers.

Of course, this angle won’t be covered by the press because they’re in on the attempts to ridicule the Tax Day Tea Parties. This is to be expected, however. The media’s opinion of the Tea Parties is lower than a snake’s belly button lint, and they have no problem expressing it, as we’ve seen with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann. But the fact the ideas are being ridiculed while at the same time being dismissed as “insignificant” or “fringe” tells a different story. It tells me that the media Leftists are scared that there are more than just a few people ticked off at government, and it’s only a matter of time before an angry mob turns their attention to the enablers of the Pork-A-Palooza going on in Washington, DC, right now, which would be…them.

Still feeling that tingle, Chris Matthews?

Fortunately for the media types and the actor-vists, the Tax Day Tea Partiers aren’t like the Leftist thugs that appear at protests. For one, the Tea Partiers have mastered the ever-so-tricky arts of personal grooming and bathing. And for another, they don’t see violence as the only step. They prefer talking first and working within the system instead of screaming first about tearing down the system. So, don’t worry, Messrs. Cooper, Olbermann, and Matthews. They won’t burn you in effigy just yet. They figure the ratings are burning you enough as it is.

For those of you who attended a Tax Day Tea Party, look on the votes in California as proof that not only you have the right ideas, but that your actions might actually be able to affect the change you desire. Don’t let the slings and arrows of outrageous Leftists distress you. California just vindicated everything you’ve said.

And as they say, as California goes, so goes the rest of the country. Well, that and “Duuuuuuuuude!”

And that’s the Bottom Line.

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