Archive for the ‘Tea Party’ Category

The Struggle for the Soul of the GOP – The New Republic

By his wedding day, Continetti had established himself as one of the Rights rising stars. He had published two books and had just launched a new outlet, The Washington Free Beacon, backed by hedge-fund billionaire Paul Singer, and designed to serve as a conservative rejoinder to left-leaning websites like ThinkProgress. A presentable white guy with glasses and a full head of hairimagine if Chris Hayes had a Republican cousinContinetti was an ideal face for the respectable Right in the Obama era, a polite young man who happened to believe that fiscal responsibility entailed taking a meat cleaver to the welfare state. While Breitbart News was running a vertical on black crime, The Washington Free Beacon was earning praise from liberals for its commitment to breaking news. Continetti poked the establishment to get its attention, not to draw blood. I dont listen to talk radio, he told an interviewer. I listen to NPR. To liberals, the signals were clear. He was on the Right, sure, but he wasnt one of them.

And yet he could always be trusted to advance the conservative line with absolute sincerity. His second book, The Persecution of Sarah Palin, offered a prickly defense of an unpredictable and courageous politician in the grand American populist tradition. After the Tea Party made its debut, he celebrated the emergence of a grassroots movement devoted to self-reliance, fidelity, piety, industry, and responsibility. Continettis dreams of a populism fueled by entitlement reform had zero space for Occupy Wall Street. Inequalities of condition are a fact of life, he lectured as protesters were streaming to Zuccotti Park in 2011. Some people will always be poorer than others.

If one figure stood for Continettis ideal politician, it was Paul Ryan. A decade older than Continetti, Ryan was another clean-cut veteran of the conservative establishment. Continetti described him as the brains behind the Tea Party and called Ryans budget programincluding major reductions in government spending, tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy, and privatization of Medicarethe GOPs only ambitious and intellectually coherent policy response to a looming fiscal crisis. (Steve Bannon, who had a very different view of what fueled the Tea Party, called Ryan a limp-dick motherfucker who was born in a petri dish at the Heritage Foundation.) The details of Ryanism were politically toxic, but Continetti didnt worry about the polls. Ideas, even controversial ones, are not hindrances in politics but boosters, he wrote. They propel you to the top. When Ryan looked set to take over as speaker of the House in October 2015, Continetti saw it as a coming-of-age moment for the Rights next generation. Liberals are terrified of what these young conservatives might accomplish, he wrote. Liberals should be.

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The Struggle for the Soul of the GOP - The New Republic

The best Easter events in Philadelphia – The Philadelphia Inquirer

From candy-filled egg hunts to parties and Easter bunny meetups, there is no shortage of ways to celebrate Easter in Philadelphia. Weve rounded up a mix of Easter events perfect for heading out solo or bringing the entire family.

Whether you go out or hunt for eggs at home, youll certainly be able to join in our favorite follow-up holiday discounted candy after Easter weekend.

Heres how to celebrate Easter in the Philadelphia region.

(Community / in-person) Grown-ups, the Easter bunny has something for you, too. This adults-only night out includes egg hunts, fun prizes, raffles, and more. Inside your eggs, youll find everything from gift cards to adult beverages. This party supports Angels Retreat, a Chester County dog rescue,($35, April 14, 5-8 p.m., 1805 Unionville Wawaset Rd., West Chester, eventbrite.com)

(Community / in-person / kid-friendly) Join the Easter Bunny and some of his bunny friends (like Peter Rabbit and Little Bunny Foo Foo) as they try to save Easter at this Adrienne Theater sing-along event. You and the family will bunny hop, sing, and dance to Rockin Robin and other songs to find all of this years missing Easter eggs. VIP tickets include pictures with the Easter Bunny. ($17-$35, April 14-15, 2030 Sansom St., eventbrite.com)

(Community / in-person / outdoors) Celebrate Easter with a walk through Longwoods beautiful gardens, now filled with the early blooms of spring. A string quartet plays in the Conservatory from 1 to 4 p.m. both days this weekend. Timed admission tickets are required for nonmembers. (April 16-17, 1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square, longwoodgardens.org)

(Community / in-person / kid-friendly) More than 50 boardwalk shops have joined together for a great egg hunt in Ocean City, N.J. Bring your own basket and pop into participating shops to hunt for eggs all while enjoying the ocean breeze. (April 16, 1-3 p.m., various locations along the Ocean City boardwalk, oceancityvacation.com)

(Community / in-person / kid-friendly / free) This free Easter party and egg hunt is designed for children on the autism spectrum. Kids build their own Easter baskets, hunt for eggs, and hang out with the AuSome Bunny. (Free, April 16, 12:30-3:30 p.m., 1140 S. 26th St., eventbrite.com)

(Community / in-person / kid-friendly) Spend Easter in Peddlers Village and enjoy egg hunts, the third-annual PEEPS show (Saturday only), and dining specials. Timed tickets ($10) are required to join in the egg hunt on Saturday. (April 16-17, 2400 Street Rd., New Hope, peddlersvillage.com)

(Community / in-person / kid-friendly / free) The South Street Headhouse Districts annual Easter celebration is back for its 89th year. Stop by for an egg hunt, food, games, and, of course, the annual parade and best-dressed competition (so wear your finest Easter attire). This year, the promenade goes down rain or shine. (Free, April 17, 12:30 p.m., Fifth and South Sts., southstreet.com)

(Community / in-person) This is not your typical Easter tea party. Grab your favorite Sunday brunch outfit and prepare for a day party with laid-back vibes, food and drink specials along with hip-hop and dancehall tunes. ($15-$22, April 17, 3-7 p.m., 1320 Chancellor St., eventbrite.com)

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The best Easter events in Philadelphia - The Philadelphia Inquirer

‘Alice in Wonderland’ brings local flair to classic tale – The Sylva Herald

Picture this, Alice in Wonderland but instead of falling asleep in a meadow in the English countryside, she falls asleep at her creekside sandbox in Appalachia, near an old junkyard, and when she awakens its transformed into a fairytale place with details like giant letter blocks and multi-colored garland from childhood.

There will be tea, but this party is far from England.

This adaptation by the Guinn Twins Jake and Darby, of Havoc Movement Company, Atlanta, is appropriately and entertainingly adapted for todays audience while retaining the classic characters and literary nonsense of Lewis Carrolls 1865 Alices Adventures in Wonderland.

Alice in Wonderland opened April 1 and will be staged through April 30 at the Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee.

The show, directed by Jason Paul Tate, is an all-ages comedy packed full of stage combat, stunts, acrobatics, aerial arts and of what could be a particular delight for young adults fire dancing. Furthering the local connection, Havoc Movement Company and the Cherokee Historical Association had Jonah Lossiah, with the Cherokee One Feather, and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle as editors for the script.

We follow Alice down the rabbit hole, soon after the sharply dressed hare takes her attention (performed by Samantha Lancaster). We use our imaginations as she shrinks after the drink me bootleggers bottle and grows enormous after the eat this red cooler.

Then, soon after, shes lifted into the air as the sound of the stage filling with tears washes over us. She seems to be enjoying this adventure very much, with actor Bailey Frankenberg bringing her emotions to life. Frankenberg is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation with Choctaw descent. This is her second time on stage at Mountainside Theatre, having performed as Lucy in Dracula: The Failings of Men last October.

We soon meet the cards who do a fantastic job of 2-D movement then wash up on the beach where we meet the birds whose costumes include wings constructed of reused, everyday items like rakes and latex gloves.

Three of the actors in the small cast play multiple roles, with surprising originality for each one, and provide much of the humor. Actors are Barry Westmoreland, Jon Meyer and Lauren Longyear.

Perhaps the most stunning costume is in fact a puppet the wise caterpillar who perches above a brightly colored mushroom made of old tires.

This adaptation includes many of the quotes from the original book we know and love, while weaving in its own details.

Who are you? said the Caterpillar ... in this case inhaling on a corncob pipe. Alice replied, rather shyly, II hardly know, sir, just at present at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.

Alice gets a glimpse of her proud self when she delivers a beautiful version of Pretty Polly, an old English turned Appalachian murder ballad. Throughout the story, the music and sound enrich the story (Joz Vammer is the composer and sound designer).

This tale introduces the wampus cat in place of the Cheshire cat, who weaves his tail in a way that puts Alice and the audience in a trance (performed by Willie Frierson Jr.). Alice wonders, where should she go, to which the cat, you may recall says, That depends a good deal on where you want to get.

The wampus cat refers to a most feared animal of early pioneers in the area, the panther.

In the second act, Alice stumbles upon the Mad Tea Party. This segment provides much of the humor of the story, as the party wades through its niceties and rudeness, along with many riddles and limericks.

She then agrees to deliver a letter on the Hatters behalf to the Queen of Hearts herself. When she enters stage left, this queen has all the sass of Dolly Parton meets drag queen, with skin-tight red bodice and leggings, sparkling boots and a sky-high updo (performed by Kristen Noonan, who also directed last falls Dracula, plays as the mouse in this play and serves as aerial choreographer).

Before long, everyone on stage is at the mercy of this leaders whims, challenged to a game of marbles a real-life size game of the sport that ends with most of the characters knocked to the ground.

The art of movement continues to astound in the second half including aerial arts, fire dancing and stage combat.

It isnt until the final scene when the Queen conducts court over her stolen cookies that Alice seems to find herself, a brave and cunning young woman, who uncovers the madness of the queens court where Sentence first verdict afterwards is the order. It might be in this scene over all others the satire of Carrolls original tale carries through, and the audience probably cant help but apply it to modern times.

The conflict soon rises to the edge-of-your-seat action sequence as the queen takes chase against all at court Alice especially wielding an ax. The gasps from the crowd grow louder when we hear the clink of Alices sword against the ax.

Alice prevails and is soon called back by a faraway voice as she wakes up from her dream world adventure.

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'Alice in Wonderland' brings local flair to classic tale - The Sylva Herald

Who is Josh Mandel? What to know about the ex-Ohio state treasurer in his third senate run – USA TODAY

Former OhioTreasurer Josh Mandel is among the candidates running in the wide-open Republican race for Senate in Ohio.

The former U.S. Marine is making his third run for the seat. Like several of the candidates in the GOP contest, he is banking on winning the vote of former President Donald Trump's supporters by toutinghimself as the former presidents strongest advocate. He has loudly pronounced on the campaign trail the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.

The northeast , Ohio, native, who scored the endorsement of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, takes on a field of candidates that includes businessman Mike Gibbons, ex-Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken, venture capitalist JDVance and others in the Republican primary on May 3.

Mandel has been a fixture in Ohio politics for years, but he hasn't held elected office since 2019. He already has run two unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senate, most recently withdrawing from the 2018 race.

Former Rep. Jim Renacci, now a Republican candidate for Ohio governor, ran in Mandel's place. He lost to incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat.

Mandelfirst entered public officein 2003. He was elected to the Lyndhurst City Council before he was called up for deployment in Iraq, where he served two tours.

In 2006, a 29-year-old Mandel ascended tothe Ohio House, where he served until 2010. That is when he was elected state treasurer, a position he would keep until he launched hisfailed 2018 Senate bid.

But hisfirst and most successful runfor thenational seat came in2012, when he won the Republican nomination and lost in the general election to Brown.

Much has been written in the press over the years about Mandels political ambition. He had been state treasurer just over a year before he launched his first senate bid.

He held in his early daysa reputation as a moderate Republicanwho championed bi-partisanship,The New York Times reported. Buthe drifted further right with the emergence of the Tea Party movement and then the election of Trump.

In his time out of office, he served on several corporate boards and joined startups.

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Mandel was born on September 27,1977. He is 44 years old.

Mandel was raised in Beachwood, a majority Jewish community outside Cleveland. His dad, Bruce Mandel, is an attorney and active member of the local Jewish Federation. Mandel graduated in 1996 from Beachwood High School, where he played quarterback on the football team.

Mandels campaign lays out 10 issues, but front and center on the campaigns website are Pro-God, Pro-Gun, and Pro-Trump.

He joins the chorus of GOP midterm contenders parroting the Trump America First agenda, which takes a hardline approach to immigration and international trade policy.

But Mandel, more than other candidates, has made religiona central tenet of his campaign.

He said he does not believe in the separation of church and state and promised to protect the Judeo-Christian bedrock of America. Mandel has said on the campaign trail that no issue is more important than stopping abortion.

Part of his campaign promise echoes Trumps 2016 calls to drain the swamp. Mandel has decried establishment Republicans who he said he would take on as much as the radical left.

He recently said, for example, that Utah Sen. Mitt Romney should be eradicated from the Republican Party after he supported Bidens Supreme Court justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The senate hopeful has been a loud proponent of cryptocurrencies (as Ohio treasurer, he allowed taxpayers to pay their taxes in Bitcoin) and backed efforts to eliminate critical race theory from school curriculums.

A few GOP congress members have thrown their support behind Mandel, the most prominent endorsement coming from Cruz. North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Wyoming Sen.Cynthia Lummis are backing Mandel.

They join Trumps former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Colorado attorney Jenna Ellis, who led Trumps legal effort to overturn the 2020 election.

Mandel graduated with a bachelors degree in 2000 from Ohio State University, where he headed the student government. He received a law degree from Case Western Reserve University's School of Law in Clevelandin 2003.

Mandel has three children with his ex-wife Ilana Shafran. They divorced in 2020 after nearly 12 years of marriage. Shafran belongs to a prominent Ohio family that made their wealth in real estate. The political friction between Mandel and his former in-laws was well-publicized during his 2012 senate run. They penned a letter published in a local news outlet denouncing Mandel for his stance against same-sex marriage equality.

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Who is Josh Mandel? What to know about the ex-Ohio state treasurer in his third senate run - USA TODAY

‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond’s Mini Quiche Recipe Is Perfect for Your Easter Brunch Menu – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Ree Drummond has the perfect bite-sized Easter brunch menu item mini quiches that are oh so cute. The Pioneer Woman stars easy quiches can be frozen and reheated later, too.

Drummond made the easy recipe on an episode of The Pioneer Woman as part of an afternoon tea party with her daughter Paige, but its perfect for breakfast or brunch, too.

I went to New York last fall to launch my cookbook and my daughter Paige went with me, she explained. The day we arrived, we had some time to kill because our hotel room wasnt ready. So we treated ourselves to afternoon tea and Paige thought that was pretty cool.

Drummond added, I thought itd be fun to recreate some of the things we had. She made a number of items, both sweet and savory, for their special afternoon.

Drummond made the cute quiches for their tea, but theyre perfect for an Easter brunch menu, too. As part of the lineup, Im making a batch of ham and leek mini quiches, she explained. I think mini quiches go with pretty much everything Theyre so cute and these are extremely tasty.

The recipe comes together quickly. Drummond sauteed sliced leeks in butter and placed them in mini muffin cups, then added thinly sliced deli ham to each cup. Ham and leeks are one of the most delicious combinations imaginable, she said.

The Pioneer Woman star whisked together eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and hot sauce, then poured the mixture into each muffin cup and topped them with pepper jack cheese.

Drummond baked the mini quiches in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 to 25 minutes. She allowed them to cool then removed them from the pan and topped each with a combination of sour cream and hot sauce, and garnished the quiches with chives.

The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.

The Pioneer Woman star puts another spin on mini quiches with her individual ham casseroles. Breakfast casseroles have always been a hit in the Drummond household, she said on her cooking show. And theres nothing wrong with baking a big one in a casserole dish but I found more and more that I like making the small ones because you can decide when you serve them.

Drummond added, I keep them in the freezer in a bag and, depending on how many people I need to serve, I just take them out, nuke them, and breakfast is ready.

She whisked together eggs, salt, pepper, chili powder, sliced ham, diced onions, green bell peppers, and cheddar cheese.

Drummond poured the mixture into sprayed muffin pans and baked them in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. Theyll sink a little bit after they come out. But dont worry, thats totally normal, she assured.

Once they cooled, she put the casseroles on a sheet pan and placed them in the freezer for 45 minutes, then put them in a ziplock bag to store in the freezer.

The little individual casseroles are so versatile, Drummond said. You can let them thaw in the fridge overnight if you want and then the next day just microwave them for about 30 seconds.

You can find the full recipe on the Food Network site.

RELATED:The Pioneer Woman: Ree Drummond Uses 1 Easy Trick for Her Chicken and Waffles Recipe

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'The Pioneer Woman': Ree Drummond's Mini Quiche Recipe Is Perfect for Your Easter Brunch Menu - Showbiz Cheat Sheet