Bailouts, Clinton, Bush, & Obama, Republicanization, the Tea Party, and Gutless Hypocrites: The Gang’s All Here.

The Mexican Bailout

Let’s start today with the Mexican Bailouts and draw a few similarities from the past with the present.

Once upon a time, Mexico experienced an economic meltdown, and the United States and the International Money Fund came to the rescue. During the 70s and 80s, Mexico, along with most of South America, suffered from the OPEC Oil Embargo, inflation, political corruption, currency devaluation, inadequate domestic activity, an imbalance in international trade, and increasingly violent narcotics terrorism. The 70s and 80s seems like yesterday, for others they have no recollection as they were not born and have not studied recent history (or much history at all because of the FCAT). Others should remember, but they were smoking pot and snorting cocaine while in college at Columbia and Harvard while Hail to the Chief played for Bill Clinton.

You see boys and girls, Bill Clinton and those faceless bankers at the International Money Fund, bailed out Mexico in 1995 without Congressional approval or oversight. Now as we continue, keep in mind the Bush-Obama response in 2008-09 to the financial crisis here in the United States. Critics at the time (1994-95) said that the plan would benefit only large and rich investors in Mexico and would do little for Average Jose or Juanita. Many tens of billions of U.S. dollars were loaned to Mexico in the form of bailouts. Clinton and his supporters argued that Mexico would set a course of fiscal responsibility by lowering its deficit, controlling its money supply, privatizing many state-run companies, aggressive suppression of internal rebellion and narco-terrorists, and removing their central bank from political interference. At the time, those who talked about the moral hazard of bailouts were shut down by ANBCNNBS and TimeWeek, as chronic complainers. Rather than focus on market-orientated alternatives, international bailouts were said to offer the greater benefit and solution; however, evidence that fundamental change was necessary, going back to 1982, when Mexico announced that it could not service its foreign debt, was ignored. ANBCNNBS and TimeWeek reported then, failed to in 95, and went AWOL in 2008-09, when it came to the fact that the bailouts and fiscal irresponsibility of the 80s were the leading causes of the lost decade for Latin America. Fast forward to 2009 and we have a replay of dependency and the need to suckle from the IMF fiscal tit again as Mexico tapped a new line of credit ($50 billion) to bolster its finances. The IMF relaxed its loan conditions for emerging nations that need short-term assistance; however, if you call a problem that has existed since the 70s a short-term problem, then by this definition, a 30 mortgage is a short-term investment.

The New York Times stated the following on January 18, 1997:

“Mexico's early repayment of loans made by the United States in 1994 puts the finishing touch on a public-policy success. President Clinton's decision to bail out Mexico, over Congress's opposition, was politically unpopular. But with support from the Republican leaders Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole, Mr. Clinton tapped an obscure Treasury fund to lend Mexico more than $13 billion.” The Times went on to opine: “The United States intervened in Mexico because Mexico's economic collapse would have slashed demand for American exports and driven illegal workers across the border. Such dangers will not be easily replicated elsewhere. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and his deputy, Lawrence Summers, understood that United States intervention could help Mexico, thereby encouraging other developing countries undergoing market reforms. Powerful politicians criticized the bailout. To everyone's benefit, Mr. Clinton did not retreat.”

Kool-Aid Then & Now

Now let’s stop and review a few items for those from Chicago and the Tea Party members who drink the DNC and GOP Kool-Aid, who can’t follow the bread crumbs on the yellow brick road.

First, Clinton was supported by many Republicans in leadership positions in his bailout of Mexico; no different than Bush and Obama in their bailouts of their banking friends on Wall Street.

Second, the fact that Mexico repaid the loans three years early was touted as evidence that the problems were fixed, when the reality is that the problems were merely postponed and are greater today than ever.

Third, the $50 billion bailout in 1995 was front page news then, but in 2009, ANBCNNBS and TimeWeek may have mentioned the IMF bailout in passing, but then, by today’s standard, $50 billion is chump change compared to the trillions the U.S. is in hock for and thus barely worth the effort of a raised eyebrow let alone the precious time of a talking head.

Fourth, foreign government welfare is nothing more than money being pulled from the private sector to support and reward economic mismanagement and political corruption.

Fifth, the same players, such as Lawrence Summers, keep turning up and promoting the same fiscal irresponsibility with Obama as he did with Clinton. Old ANBCNNBS and TimeWeek are oh so willing to lay down and be walked on for fear that Lawrence would get his shoes dirty. And by the way, with a little digging into the dirt, where where did Larry's money come from?

Sixth, because all investments involve risk, the rewards for taking risk are a potential higher return; however, taxpayer subsidization of bad risk by a cocky Wall Street financier will curtail the entrepreneurial appetite of Average John and Jane as well as Jose and Juanita, resulting in the undermining of confidence necessary for a free market system to thrive.

Seventh, investment police will be created to force those who buck the socialist trend in favor of a free-market approach to comply or face legislative hurdles, administrative roadblocks, fines, and if necessary, jail. The overall increase of the criminalization of non-violent “administrative and bureaucratic” crimes will increase and result in an increasing burden on the criminal justice system; resulting in less time for true criminals and overall jail overcrowding.

Eighth, the growth of power of the Imperial Presidency through assumption of increasing expectation falls squarely at the feet of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. To say that nearly every single Member of Congress has not completely abandoned their constitutional duties and violated their oath of office is to rewrite the history books; and yet, isn’t that done on a daily basis in the name of political correctness. Many of the powers and duties executed by the person occupying the Office of President of the United States are simply illegal and unconstitutional.

Ninth, rewarding any nation with financial support for irresponsible policies punishes every single taxpayer in the United States and erodes our sovereignty. The direct or indirect role of the United States as the institutionalized lender of last-resort is literally bleeding the nation to death.

February 6, 2010 - Nashville

And so, all of this leads to Nashville, Tennessee and the site of the first Tea Party Convention and the speech by former Governor Sarah Palin.

The Florida Whig Party has taken a “wait-and-see” approach to the Tea Party Movement from day one. The FWP Platform of less government, state’s rights, support of the Fair Tax, individual responsibility, mutual tolerance, strong national defense, open enrollment to health insurance, energy independence, and staunch opposition to bailouts for national and international businesses, federalization of health care, unfunded federal mandates, and criminalization of activities deemed politically incorrect should ring true to Tea Baggers and result in a flood of new members to the Florida Whig Party. But yet, the elephant in the room remains the Republican Party and the desire to duke it out with the Democrat Party. Tea Party activists Anthony Shreeve was quoted just before the Tea Party Convention as saying: “This movement is not about the Republican Party. It is a grassroots movement about We the People.”

Oh really?

Republicanization

While we have been in agreement in spirit with the Tea Party Movement, the time has come to make it perfectly clear that:

The Florida Whig Party

finds the Republicanization of the Tea Party Movement

disturbing and destructive.

The following appeared in the Miami Herald: “From golf-course fees to charter jets to the nation's capital, Republican Party of Florida Executive Director Delmar Johnson racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel, food and expenses to his party-issued American Express card last year. He flew to Las Vegas and San Francisco, to New York and Boston. He picked up $3,000 tabs at posh restaurants such as Del Frisco's steakhouse in Orlando; he chartered jets; bought flowers for the wife of party Chairman Jim Greer; and charged greens fees at the Torrey Pines championship golf course in San Diego, according to internal RPOF accounting records and credit-card invoices obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.” Click HERE and HERE.

Is this the political party you wish to be a part of in Florida?

Do you seek to change the Republican Party by being an outside force?

Do you seek to become a part of the Republican Party structure as a quasi-independent arm of the duopolistic good-old-boy system?

Will you look internally and see the Republicans in your mist who are just as responsible as any Democrat for the problems of cronyism, payola, fraud, and the inherent evil that comes from both a monopoly and duopoly, or will you give them a pass in the name of cutting a deal to defeat the demonic Democrat?

Lastly, are you willing to risk the independence of your movement for the infiltration and Republicanization as was oh so evident from the Palin speech?

The Tea Party Movement (TPM) quasi-national convention this weekend featured Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker. Her fire and brimstone speech was pure red meat for those in attendance. She also highlighted the absolute fact that the movement’s Republicanization is complete and indisputable. Sadly, the breach of fiduciary duty to the core principles of the origianal movement is complete.

The complaints that Palin was being paid $100,000 for her appearance and that the cost of attending the event ($600) was too high and in contravention of the principles of a grass-roots movement, demonstrates how weak the practical political skills, knowledge, and organizational abilities are of the rank-and-file complaining Tea Bagger. What was never mentioned by those covering Nashville is that Palin will soon arrive in Florida for the upcoming Orange County Florida Republican Executive Committee Lincoln Day Dinner; 1+1=2 not 3.

It’s time to come clean about 1 + 1 = 2, not 3. From coast-to-coast and border-to-border, many Tea Baggers are staunch members of the Republican Party. While many are from the Ron Paul movement, a growing number are from formal Republican leadership positions and they are intentionally or unintentionally causing the Republicanization of the Tea Party Movement. For example, in Marion County Florida, there is an active Tea Party Group that meets in Ocala. At these meetings, many Republican faces, including longtime Marion County Republican Executive Committeewoman Marguerite Cavanaugh can be seen. There is little doubt that REC Committeewoman Cavanaugh is a staunch conservative on social and moral issues and so it would be natural to see her engaged in the Tea Party Movement. The problem the FWP has documented is that she is not alone. Many current and former members of Florida Republican Party Executive Committees are engaged on a semi to active basis in the Tea Party Movement. And that’s the rub that people like Glenn Beck have been dealing with. Last night on Fox News, Beck made a sincere effort (more of a plea) to Gretta Van Susteren that the Tennessee Tea Party Convention this weekend was not for disenfranchised Republicans but for Democrats, Independents, and other Parties. The tone of the interview was as clear as a bell:

The GOP has gained control over

the Tea Party because the Tea Party Members,

like a substantial percentage of voters,

have a mental blind-spot when it comes to

the two-party system.

The Florida Whig Party offers Democrats In Name Only (DINOs), Republicans In Name Only (RINOs), those who have No Party Affiliation (NPA), and the Independent with a fiscally responsible, mutually tolerant, and socially diverse home that staunchly supports the 10th Amendment a political home. What many Tea Baggers who have been Republicanized do not realized is that the Republican Party pays lip service to the 10th Amendment. While they talk a good game, their actions speak loud and clear. In 1978, more than 900 people died in Georgetown, Guyana when Jim Jones spiked the Kool-Aid and led his flock of sheep, known as the Peoples Temple, to a mass suicide. Wacko Jones knew that controlling the mix and distribution of the Kool-Aid was the key, and the professional politicians know the same rules. On Saturday, February 6, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee, we watched an audience become drunk on Republicanization because the keynote speaker and event organizers controlled the Kool-Aid.

The Difference

The Florida Whig Party Platform should warm the cackles of the true Tea Bagger and cause distain from the Republicanization infiltrator. The key difference lies with the Tenth Amendment, prioritization of claim, and mutual tolerance.

How can you claim to be a supporter of States Rights and yet advocate for the passage of an Amendment to the United States Constitution to ban abortion?

How can you claim to be a supporter of States Rights and yet vote each year for passage of a federal Department of Transportation Bill that restricts state laws regarding roadway safety, speed limits, and parameters on driving while under the influence?

How can you claim to be a proponent of free speech and yet seek the passage of an Amendment to the Constitution that bans the burning of the American Flag, while using the symbol of the flag on a coaster for your rum and Coke?

How can you claim to be for term limits and yet Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, James Walsh,, Cliff Stearns, Dana Rohrabacher, John Duncan Jr., Jim McCrery, Christopher Shays, Fred Upton, Lamar Smith, Wally Herger, Elton Gallegly, Howard Coble, Joe Barton, James Saxton, Dan Burton, Frank Wolf, Christopher Smith, Harold Rogers, Duncan Hunter, Ralph Hall, David Dreier, Thomas Petri, James Sensenbrenner Jr., Jerry Lewis, Don Young, Ralph Regula, and C.W. Bill Young (who are all Republicans) have been in office for more than 20 years?

How can you support freedom of religion while confusing acknowledgement of American history for religious prosecution or favoritism?

How can you claim to be a free-trader when you vote for those who started the bailout during the Bush Administration?

How can you claim to be a free-trader when you buy the books of a former history professor and Speaker of the House who supported the 90s Mexican Bailout while touting fiscal responsibility and moral clarity?

The Difference

The platform of the Florida Whig Party is true to the broad non-denominational principles upon which the nation was founded. What often derails political parties is their institutionalization of religious preference and inability to separate their strong Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, or Hebrew views from that of practical political organization and governance. While some detest any form of religion, faith, the idea of Devine intervention or benevolence, others have adopted the Green Movement and Mother Earth as a religious calling. Natually there's always the "traditional" righteous amoung us who are willing to kill us for our own good.

Florida Whigs are inclusivists and firm believers in peaceful mutual tolerance. We seek to harmonize through universal truths that highlight agreement and minimize differences, while acknowledging the contributions and damage that all religions have played intentionally or passively in the suffering of man at the hands of other men, mother nature, and pure fate.

The Florida Whig Party stands alone and apart from some Whig organizations outside our state because they allowed Democrats or Republicans by registration in major leadership positions. It is impossible to build a viable third party with hypocrites and it is impossible for the Tea Party Movement to remain a legitimate independent issue focused movement when it has allowed itself to become Republicanized. Hypocrites in elected office and positions of authority within a political party are eventually exposed. During the question and answer portion of Palin’s speech, the gentleman asking the questions removed all doubt as to where the Tea Party Movement is headed in both form and substance. When credibility suffers, rank-and-file members will melt away, leaving the fanatics stirring the pot and the osmosis of assimilation results in a dependent subsidiary of the duopolistic problem that is at the core of all that is wrong with the nation. All that is left standing is a hollow shell.

Gutless Hypocrites

Sarah Palin is easy to watch, has a common wit and charm, can deliver a couple of zingers in a speech, and talks about taking on the good-old-boys in Alaskan Republican politics, but she made it perfectly clear that she’s a Republican (and they cheered). This is the person who accepted the Vice Presidential nod from a man (John McCain) who should have resigned in disgrace during his involvement with Charles Keating (the Keating Gang of Five), the Lincoln Savings and Loan fiasco, his sweetheart deals for wife Cindy and father-in-law Jim Hensley, and his countless flights on private banker paid jets to luxury spas in the Bahamas back in the 80s. And as for that $45+ million net worth McCain has accumulated as a public servant through various trust funds, well, let’s just say he’s been serving someone pretty darn well and the mirror tells no lies. Sorry Sarah, while it launched you to national prominence, you picked up the stench of political wheeling and dealing; and you appear to be a quick study. Had Cody Willard of Fox Business given the same speech, the applause would have been appropriate but the reception rather cool as he is one of those who remains loyal to his convictions that the political duopoly of the Ds and Rs is at the core of many problems we face. The Tea Baggers in Nashville had a blind eye this weekend to the obvious and would be wise to read Matthew 7:3.

If the Tea Party Movement does not want to become known as gutless hypocrites and a mere notation in the history books, then they must reject the Republicanization of the movement. In Florida we encourage all true Tea Party Movement sympathizers to embrace, register, and run for office with the one political party whose platform most closely represents that which the founding fathers built this nation upon:

The Florida Whig Party.