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Politico and the Times just broke news a short time ago that Jim DeMint, former Senator and now President of the Heritage Foundation, may be about to get the boot.

On the one hand, this is a pretty insider story: who runs one of the two or three big conservative think tanks in DC. But its a notable development on a few fronts.

The first is it appears that DeMint is being fired for doing what he was hired to do, rather than failing at that mission or taking the outfit in a direction that was different than what wasplanned. Think tanks have endless discontents. But for years Heritage was the ur-Republican think tank. It had lost some of its centrality since the Reagan Era. The American Enterprise Institute had become more prominent, well-funded and ideological. But it was still Heritage, hosting numerous scholars (if the term was sometimes used loosely) churning out the policy papersthat would be taken up by the Republican party.

DeMint, at the height of the Tea Party Era, was brought in to change the operation significantly, to make Heritage a much more hard-edged and overtly political and activist organization. Perhaps also a nastier organization, a job to which DeMint was well-suited.

In some ways, this development seems highly surprising to me because that DeMint-Era Heritage seems well suited to the Trump Era: light on substance, heavy on fight. But apparently the board wants him out. Reading between the lines it seems like there were always people on the board who didnt want DeMint there. Presumably until now they were outvoted by the people who supported the direction he was taking the organization. Seemingly, the folks in the former category convinced enough folks in the latter category to give DeMint the boot.

Read more:
End of the Tea Party Era? - TPM (blog)

VOICE will hold its 2017 Fundraiser at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13 at The Cook Education Center. Proceeds from the event, The Mad Hatter Tea Party, will assist the nonprofit organization in fulfilling its mission of empowering children, youth, and their families to lead healthy and productive lives.

The Mad Hatter Tea Party

2017 VOICEFundraiser

at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13

at The Cook Education Center.

Since its beginning in Corsicana 25 years ago, VOICE has grown to reach almost 60,000 individuals in 19 counties annually. It accomplishes this through a variety of programs that include tobacco, alcohol, and drug education, teen leadership training, and CAP, a college achievement program that assists local students as they prepare for college.

This years Mad Hatter Tea Party will host featured speaker, Samantha Stroube Daviss. She is the owner of Mind your Ps and Qs, a one-of-a-kind service that teaches proper etiquette and good manners. The program will include a style show with fashions from Cotton Kisses and The Childrens Shop. The clothes will be modeled by local children and adults.

The event is an opportunity for moms and children of all ages to have a fun afternoon, said Lynda Sloan, VOICE CEO. In addition to having tea, the guests will have the opportunity to participate in fun activities. We are asking them to come in their fanciest hats, and I look forward to seeing what they wear.

Corsicana resident and VOICE trustee Meredith Bell is chairing the fundraiser. Tickets to the event are $30 per person, or $240 for a table of eight.

We are very grateful for the donation of Merediths time, both as a trustee and event chairman, Sloan said. We are also appreciative to Samantha for her willingness to speak, and Rockie Glicksman, owner of Cotton Kisses and Judy Riley and Courtney Long, owners of The Childrens Shop, for presenting the style show. We are honored that they support our work with children and families.

Different levels of underwriting are available. To make a reservation or be a sponsor, please contact VOICE Director of Program Advancement Cheryl Allen at callen@voiceinc.org or 254- 855- 2259.

mkormos@corsicanadailysun.com

soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com

See the rest here:
'Mad Hatter Tea Party' to benefit VOICE - Corsicana Daily Sun

Kathy Ponce is a 46-year-old restaurant manager from Fontana who is active in the local tea party movement.

I would give him an A-minus. Im very happy with many of the things hes done, his stance on immigration, of course, and thats what he ran with during the primaries.

His stance on climate change yes, theres climate change but the regulations that were imposed on our country were killing businesses. And you have to have a balance of regulations and be business-friendly and be able to bring jobs to the country.

The only thing I wish he would do is just defund these sanctuary cities. And defund California. Its a sanctuary state now Hes taken a stand. He wants the border wall. Hes met some roadblocks with the travel ban. And I just wish he would step it up and defund these sanctuary cities.

It bothers me because I think Californias just been so, for eight years theyve been able to do whatever they wanted to do without any accountability. And now we have a president thats saying these are federal laws and we need to uphold them. And as a conservative, I agree. I feel more confident because we have someone to back (conservatives) up. And not only that, but some of the things the state of California is doing right now are stupid. And its only feeding into our ability to say, Whats going on? California is the only rogue state thats gone wild? How do you feel about that? So its easy to kind of bring up what Californias doing to get more of the people on your side.

I think (coverage of links between President Donald Trump and Russia are) fake news. Do I think that Russia meddled a little bit? Yeah. But they have all along. This isnt the first election they have. And honestly, if Hillary didnt have such crap on her, there would have been nothing to bring out. I think its going to continue to be exciting. Every morning, you wake up and youre like, OK, do I look in my emails? I think its going to continue to be a lot of pushback from the left. But you know, were going to get the Supreme Court back. And if nothing else in the four years that he accomplishes, we have a conservative on the Supreme Court.

As told to Jeff Horseman

Link:
Trump 100 Days: Fontana tea party member gives him an A-minus ... - Press-Enterprise

While most of America remains preoccupied with the feuding between Democrats and Republicans, a new party is on the rise, and I would argue that it has the potential to qualify as a new third party. The Tea Party recently made a prominent breakthrough in Congress through its Freedom House Caucus, their loudest and most powerful mouthpiece within the government. In their singlehanded deliverance of a loss to the Republicans in Congress over the new healthcare plan, they demonstrated their underrated voting muscle. In addition to voting power, their money-backing through the Koch brothers provides them with the tools that theyll need to be able to truly make a difference, but thats only if their message gets through. Composed of determined, highly goal-oriented members that appeal to fighting the establishment Republicans on their often absent-minded or miscalculated legislature and spending, the Tea Party plays no favorites.

Although the Tea Partys members are largely anonymous, several big-name politicians adhere to or support their goals, such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. Since the formation of the Freedom House Caucus in 2015, theyve successfully fought both Republicans and Democrats on issues such as excessive spending and the national debt. As mentioned before, they recently flexed their muscles by successfully shutting down the new healthcare overhaul in the House after refusing to get on board unless the bill called for a full repeal and replacement. By withholding only their own 32 votes, they were able to halt the Republicans major talking point of the past three years and further postpone the vote until there was compromise. Their lack of leniency for their own national affiliate, the Republican Party, is a large part of what makes them so powerful. Their largest platform point, the national debt and federal spending, has both garnered them support and lost them some support. In contrast to the Republicans, who claim that being anti-spending fits their platform despite their desire to hike up defense spending, and the Democrats, who justify massive spending as an act of social justice, the Tea Party argues that such excessive spending is a crime. It argues that the governments main robbery occurs through taxes and that it produces intergenerational justice issues, creating unnecessary financial burdens on generations to come. The Republicans, however, have easily hijacked the anti-spending argument because the Tea Party, due to its Libertarian roots, often turns off many Americans, who during this time of terror will generally choose national security over concerns of government overreach.

Since their awakening, the Constitution has also received newfound attention due to their efforts to reinforce its necessity. Recent concerns over excessive government overreach has made the Tea Party an appealing facet of the right for many conservatives frustrated with the current path of the government thats been promoted by both the left and the right. However, they often lose average citizens by underplaying the importance of government and its role in protecting society, again largely due to their Libertarian roots and isolationist tendencies. In general, Americans would rather give up their cell phone records or internet browser history in order to better restrain terrorism, whereas the Tea Party and its followers would never consider giving up such privacy rights. After generations of Americans have grown up in a militaristic superpower like the United States, its difficult for them to turn their back on this superiority for the protection of rights they mostly take for granted anyways, and thats where the Tea Party loses some people.

Despite fighting the Republicans on most issues, they have also invigorated the conservative movement by adding rough edges rather than becoming wholly Libertarian. Their shameless fight against the Republicans appeals to many who voted to drain the swamp under President Trump, and a new generation focused on accountability could easily join the Tea Party without ever leaving the right side of the spectrum. Although some see them as an uncooperative or extremist group, their hard-to-please demeanor has brought them a lot of the support they garner today. Although the Republicans likely thought they would now be able to pass anything they wanted due to their takeover in the House, the Tea Partys few seats have proven themselves to be just numerous enough to block the establishment when they fail to compromise, earning themselves recognition, at least in my book, as an emerging third party. Not only are they here to stay, but theyre here to fight, regardless of party affiliation.

The Freedom Caucus has also altered the way in which legislation is passed in Congress, forcing the Republicans to consider the merit and constitutionality of what theyre passing more often. Although many Americans complain that Congress is too slow or unproductive, this is partly because there is debate, much of which the Freedom House Caucus incites, coercing Republicans to compromise before simply rubber-stamping the bills that fit their agenda. This is precisely what killed the new healthcare bill that Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump tried to rush when the Tea Party refused to comply, completely halting the process and postponing the vote. Although Trump tried to brush it off as something he would accept for now, his tweets about fighting the Freedom Caucus say otherwise.

Despite the overwhelming amount of negative media attention that the Tea Party often receives, its influence should not be ignored, and its developing Congressional record serves as proof that it has the potential to form an effective third party. While much of the media claims that the Tea Party is dead, I find this very hard to believe, given not only its influence in current American politics, but its clear accomplishments that have established it as a driving force in the government. Pay attention to the Tea Party, research the Tea Party and dont discount the Tea Party because you very well may be hearing a lot more from them.

Go here to see the original:
Keep an eye on activity of Tea Party - The Baylor Lariat

Paul Manaforts presence at the Washington meetings conflicts with Mercurys previous claims that it didnt coordinate with Manafort. | AP Photo

By Isaac Arnsdorf

04/28/17 03:46 PM EDT

Updated 04/28/17 04:14 PM EDT

President Donald Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort met at least one U.S. government official connected to the Russia-aligned political party he was representing in 2012 and 2013, according to recent disclosures filed with the Justice Department.

With Vin Weber, a partner at the lobbying firm Mercury, Manafort met with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.); former Arizona Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe of the International Republican Institute; Paula Dobriansky of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government; and Nadia Diuk of the National Endowment for Democracy, according to disclosures filed by Mercury.

Story Continued Below

The lobbying effort was on behalf of a Brussels-based think tank that supported Ukraines Party of Regions, headed at the time by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a Manafort client.

Manaforts presence at the Washington meetings, which had not been previously disclosed, conflicts with Mercurys previous claims that it didnt coordinate with Manafort.

The Brussels think tank, the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, paid Mercury more than $1.2 million for work between May 2012 and May 2014, according to the disclosures.

Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni said, One meeting with one lawmaker connected to this topic in a two year period looks like incidental contact to fair-minded Americans.

Earlier this month, Maloni said Manafort might report his foreign lobbying activities in response to advice from authorities.

Manafort, a longtime associate of Trump confidant Roger Stone, was ousted from Trumps campaign in August following revelations by The New York Times about his work in Ukraine.

Mercury partner Michael McKeon said Manafort connected his Brussels think tank client to the firm. Manafort referred the client to us, McKeon said in a statement. At that time, he was widely recognized for his significant experience in Ukrainian politics and we felt his perspective would be meaningful in those few meetings. That was the extent of his involvement with us.

Weber also accompanied former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko to a meeting with then-Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) in May 2012, according to the disclosures.

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Mercury originally reported its lobbying for the think tank to Congress under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, which doesnt require firms to itemize each interaction and expense. But lobbying for foreign governments and political party has to be reported to the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Mercury said it relied on assurances from the think tank that it wasnt funded or controlled by a foreign political party. We got it in writing so we could be sure we were doing it right, and relied on our counsel to make the proper determination, McKeon said.

While violating the disclosure law is criminal, the office that enforces it usually settles for bringing lobbyists into compliance instead of bringing charges.

The other lobbying firm working for the think tank, the Podesta Group, also retroactively filed with the Justice Department earlier this month.

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Excerpt from:
Disclosures show Manafort participated in Ukraine lobbying - Politico