I wouldn't have gone had I known I would be the ONLY person representing the Tea Party there, but I'm glad I did go. It's valuable to hear what is said when everyone thinks you agree with them. I was definitely in enemy territory. Not only was there only a handful of white people, they were all Karen Bass’ friends and supporters. Altogether, there were close to four hundred people in attendance. The ladies were all dressed up. Hats galore, and lots of sparkle. I sat at a table with people who think the sun rises and sets with Karen Bass.
Fortunately, Representative Bass gave us her report on the past year while we were eating. It cut down on the conversation at the table. The people at my table were so nice, so sincere, but oh-so wrong. I was relieved there was only time for polite pleasantries, not for actual conversations.
Representative Bass started by introducing the "precipitants" (she did realize she wasn’t pronouncing “participants” correctly, and made another attempt at it, but it again came out “precipitants”, so she promptly gave up) of a Junior Cooking Contest. She introduced three very cute, talented kids, aged seven to eleven, who had won their divisions and gave them aprons with the House of Representatives’ seal on them.
She moved on to legislation. She said the House had passed a bi-partisan budget. Although she thought it was a good thing (since we haven't had a budget in five years,) she said she voted NO because it didn't include an extension for unemployment benefits. Apparently, she is ignorant of the fact that most people don't look for work until their benefits run out, and that the longer someone is unemployed, the harder it is to find work. I am sure her ignorance comes as no surprise to most of my readers.
Representative Bass also said she voted against the Defense Appropriations bill. She thinks we should just bring all our troops home. A budget may have passed, but the Debt Ceiling increase will come up after the holidays, and, of course, she believes it should be increased. Never mind that we already have a seventeen TRILLION dollar debt. She also brought up student loans. She is sponsoring a bill that would forgive people’s student loans up to forty-five thousand dollars after someone has worked for ten years. REALLY? Where is THAT money going to come from?? I worked for 52 years ~ are they going to pay me back my FULLY RE-PAID loans?
She said she was working to end mandatory sentences and three strikes. Yeah, let’s not hold people accountable for being repeat offenders. Leftists just hate holding people accountable, unless they are six-year-old boys who kiss a girl’s hand, or point their finger and say "bang", or pretend to shoot an arrow.
She listed all the townhalls she had held during the year. She said there were a number of Tea Party members at them. She smiled and said "we had some fun with them……….. enough said." The crowd liked that. Those of us who were at those townhalls know we made a difference, and that people heard what we said, but she would never admit that.
For me, the most revealing and disconcerting things she said were about the Republican leadership. She said that Boehner decided act like the Speaker, and not cave in to the Tea Party. She then opened the meeting up to questions. The first was from a man who said the Tea Party was trying to repeal the ACA, and “what was she going to do to prevent that?” She answered "The ACA will NEVER be repealed!" She said her Republican colleagues were not talking about repeal anymore. REALLY?
She said that even if Republicans took back the Senate AND the White House in 2016, too much of the ACA will have been implemented by then, and repealing it would mean "taking from people". Progressives know only too well that if they can get people dependent on their handouts, the people never want to give them up. She also mentioned Politifact awarding Obama the "Biggest Lie of the Year" for “if you like your plan, you can keep it”. She said Obama should have added "if insurance companies don't cancel it, first". Nice try, blame the insurance companies for Obama’s expensive mandates.
Another person asked what was she going to do about the high unemployment. Did Representative Bass say “remove obstacles to job creation”? No, of course not. She said she was upset that unemployment benefits weren't being extended. That's her answer. More benefits. She said the sequester had caused people to lose their jobs (that would be GOVERNMENT jobs which WE THE PEOPLE pay for!) So, for her, job creation is just more unemployment benefits and no sequester (which latter cuts our deficit in half ~ something our beloved Dear Leader likes to brag about one day, and condemn the next).
The next question came from a Pro-Amnesty Latino: “when they were going to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform with a pathway to citizenship?” She said she didn't think it would come up very soon. She said Republicans want to do it piecemeal, something she objects to because she's afraid it will mean securing the border. She said Republicans have a problem with the "C" word (she meant “citizenship”). I would certainly hope they do! She said Republicans forget there are two borders. The crowd applauded. I could no longer contain my outrage when the woman next to me nodded and applauded. I said “except there aren't one to three million Canadians illegally crossing the Northern border every year! We don't have to push "one" to speak Canadian."
This crowd would not have been receptive to anything I said, no matter how carefully or tactfully I phrased it. At that point, I felt the better part of valor was to retreat, and I bid them all a good night.
Fortunately, Representative Bass gave us her report on the past year while we were eating. It cut down on the conversation at the table. The people at my table were so nice, so sincere, but oh-so wrong. I was relieved there was only time for polite pleasantries, not for actual conversations.
Representative Bass started by introducing the "precipitants" (she did realize she wasn’t pronouncing “participants” correctly, and made another attempt at it, but it again came out “precipitants”, so she promptly gave up) of a Junior Cooking Contest. She introduced three very cute, talented kids, aged seven to eleven, who had won their divisions and gave them aprons with the House of Representatives’ seal on them.
She moved on to legislation. She said the House had passed a bi-partisan budget. Although she thought it was a good thing (since we haven't had a budget in five years,) she said she voted NO because it didn't include an extension for unemployment benefits. Apparently, she is ignorant of the fact that most people don't look for work until their benefits run out, and that the longer someone is unemployed, the harder it is to find work. I am sure her ignorance comes as no surprise to most of my readers.
Representative Bass also said she voted against the Defense Appropriations bill. She thinks we should just bring all our troops home. A budget may have passed, but the Debt Ceiling increase will come up after the holidays, and, of course, she believes it should be increased. Never mind that we already have a seventeen TRILLION dollar debt. She also brought up student loans. She is sponsoring a bill that would forgive people’s student loans up to forty-five thousand dollars after someone has worked for ten years. REALLY? Where is THAT money going to come from?? I worked for 52 years ~ are they going to pay me back my FULLY RE-PAID loans?
She said she was working to end mandatory sentences and three strikes. Yeah, let’s not hold people accountable for being repeat offenders. Leftists just hate holding people accountable, unless they are six-year-old boys who kiss a girl’s hand, or point their finger and say "bang", or pretend to shoot an arrow.
She listed all the townhalls she had held during the year. She said there were a number of Tea Party members at them. She smiled and said "we had some fun with them……….. enough said." The crowd liked that. Those of us who were at those townhalls know we made a difference, and that people heard what we said, but she would never admit that.
For me, the most revealing and disconcerting things she said were about the Republican leadership. She said that Boehner decided act like the Speaker, and not cave in to the Tea Party. She then opened the meeting up to questions. The first was from a man who said the Tea Party was trying to repeal the ACA, and “what was she going to do to prevent that?” She answered "The ACA will NEVER be repealed!" She said her Republican colleagues were not talking about repeal anymore. REALLY?
She said that even if Republicans took back the Senate AND the White House in 2016, too much of the ACA will have been implemented by then, and repealing it would mean "taking from people". Progressives know only too well that if they can get people dependent on their handouts, the people never want to give them up. She also mentioned Politifact awarding Obama the "Biggest Lie of the Year" for “if you like your plan, you can keep it”. She said Obama should have added "if insurance companies don't cancel it, first". Nice try, blame the insurance companies for Obama’s expensive mandates.
Another person asked what was she going to do about the high unemployment. Did Representative Bass say “remove obstacles to job creation”? No, of course not. She said she was upset that unemployment benefits weren't being extended. That's her answer. More benefits. She said the sequester had caused people to lose their jobs (that would be GOVERNMENT jobs which WE THE PEOPLE pay for!) So, for her, job creation is just more unemployment benefits and no sequester (which latter cuts our deficit in half ~ something our beloved Dear Leader likes to brag about one day, and condemn the next).
The next question came from a Pro-Amnesty Latino: “when they were going to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform with a pathway to citizenship?” She said she didn't think it would come up very soon. She said Republicans want to do it piecemeal, something she objects to because she's afraid it will mean securing the border. She said Republicans have a problem with the "C" word (she meant “citizenship”). I would certainly hope they do! She said Republicans forget there are two borders. The crowd applauded. I could no longer contain my outrage when the woman next to me nodded and applauded. I said “except there aren't one to three million Canadians illegally crossing the Northern border every year! We don't have to push "one" to speak Canadian."
This crowd would not have been receptive to anything I said, no matter how carefully or tactfully I phrased it. At that point, I felt the better part of valor was to retreat, and I bid them all a good night.
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