Seeds of a revolution

Fed-up Americans are making themselves heard with stronger voices

  • Follow Editorials

Those scratch marks you see on the threshold of the U.S. Capitol entrance are evidence of senators and congressmen being dragged out kicking and screaming.

It doesn't happen very often. They hold onto power like they cling to life itself.

Yet, already this year, it appears three sitting U.S. senators have been shown the door -- in primary elections, by their own parties, no less: First came Arlen Specter, D-Pa., and Robert Bennett, R-Utah -- who actually came in third in his state GOP convention.

Now it appears Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has been upended by conservative upstart Joe Miller.

Headlines have credited -- or "blamed" -- Sarah Palin and voter "rage" -- as if voters are merely throwing tantrums and are being led around by the nose. Some in the media also want to characterize it all as a civil war in the Republican Party.

We think voters are smarter than that. We think voters know precisely what they're doing.

We think it's the beginning of an uprising.

Our current rulers in Washington don't get it, and neither do the national media. Americans are fed up with a federal government that's out of control -- in its spending, its regulations and in its unprecedented, unconstitutional quest for power over our lives.

Consider: nearly half the Union is suing the federal government over its power grab in the health-care bill alone.

Americans are tired of chronic politicians who use our tax money to further their careers through special-interest and porkbarrel spending -- all the while stealing money from our children and grandchildren, not to mention our own Social Security payments. (They force you to contribute to your retirement through Social Security, then they "borrow" and use the money for day-to-day spending to make their deficits look smaller; anyone caught doing such a thing in the private sector would be hauled off to jail.)

"There is massive voter unrest against professional politicians," writes Bill Wilson, president of Americans for Limited Government. "The American people are rejecting wholesale those who make their livings as deal-makers, who spend too much, and who reek of the establishment, which voters correctly perceive (has) delivered the U.S. economy into a pit of despair, debt and persistently high unemployment.

"The world that the political establishment has built is crumbling ..."

Let's hope so anyway!

Once we wrest control of Congress from the looters, we should get to work on passing constitutional amendments setting congressional term limits and strict spending limits. They've shown they can't be trusted with the Treasury.

The national media still don't get it. How can you have access to a national audience and have no idea how that audience feels? Many in the media tried to write off opposition to the Ground Zero mosque as bigotry. Some claimed it was partisan opportunism. Some even said no one outside New York cared about the mosque issue. Yet, polls find 85 percent do care, and that most of them oppose it. Are all of them bigots?

Likewise, the national media don't realize how restive the American countryside is. So they'll continue to be slack-jawed every time voters rise up to remake Washington.

That's how uprisings begin.

Comments

Rozzie2003

"Consider: nearly half the Union is suing the federal government over its power grab in the health-care bill alone".
Yesterday was the 90 anniversary of the 19th amendment---Women Suffrage. Most southern states didn't ratified it and sued the federal government. The Supreme Court threw out the suit in 1922.
Mississippi gave in and ratified it in 1984.

johnston.cliff

pigs oink and dogs bark and neither of these facts are relevant either, Rozzie.

While the obama has failed at every claim he's made, he has had one success. He's brought this country together like no president has for over a century. Over 80% of the voters are against him, his supporters and ALL politicians that feel the enslavement of this country is their job.
This editorial makes several good points and the November election will show that it's on the mark.

sjgraci

The chronicle is delusional and insane. Out of the 300+ incumbents facing primary chalenges so far, less than 10 of them have lost and most of them were republicans at the hands of tea partiers.

Americans may dislike Congress but there is one thing they hate way more, republicans.

dani

blank.

johnston.cliff

Come November, all those CNN/PBS posts will disappear.

Asitisinaug

The only people as ignorant as many of our nationally elected leaders are the reporters and journalists at most major media outlets.

Riverman1

Let's hope we sweep in November and two years later end this historical moment of embarrassment forever. I notice even David Letterman is starting to joke about Obama being a one term president. He says Obama will have plenty time for vacations after the next election.

NotReally21

Speaking of audience, what's funny is the chronicle only has a this local audience.

Why didn't you editors include the Pew poll? it shows 54% of Republican don't like muslims.

Yea I hope Republicans sweep in November because if they don't editorials like these are going to continue. *SHRUGS*

Techfan

Let's see, Specter switched parties and was kicked out, no surprise. Murkowski, appointed by Dad, then won with ads by Ted Stevens claiming that if the Democrat won, Alaska would get less federal dollars. Fine example of less government spending there. Don't forget the shady land deals and ethics investigations. Again, no surprise. As for Utah, well what can you say? A state where over 60% of the people believe that when they die, they will become gods themselves, each over their own universe. Scary bunch out there.

johnston.cliff

And, Techfan, don't forget dogs bark, what can you expect? Well, I guess that settles it, the Dems will win every election by a landslide. LOL. Ignore the facts.
Just stand real close to a tree and the forest will disappear. Magic.

chascush

NotReally, er Only er Notreally, ‘Why didn't you editors include the Pew poll? it shows 54% of Republican don't like muslims.’
We conservatives have nothing against Muslims except the ones that support terror. But we do not want the mosque build at ground zero.
I hope you have a safe trip to DC. I hope I get to meet Dr. King she is a great lady.

slippery 25

Spend, spend, spend,tax,tax tax. Vote on bills they do not read. I am one of the people who are fed up.

confederatelady319

' THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN'THE SOUTH IS GOING TO RISE UP AGAIN.

bdittle

'Uprising' is a bit of a Augusta Chronicle/Glenn Beck hyperbole. Democracy is a better description. If you vote someone out or someone in, then congrats and welcome to our republic. However, you should stop comparing this election to the American Revolution and the real Tea Party. It just makes you look delusional.

NotReally21

LOL @ the south is going to RISE up again... surely it will be met with opposition. LOL @ the revolution has begun.

Techfan

cliff speaks of facts. HAHAHAHAHA

Chillen

I agree that we NEED an uprising but I'm not sure I agree that the uprising is actually happening everywhere.

John McCain, Nathan Deal, Roy Barnes, Johnny Isakson (I know he was unopposed, but why?!) are just some of the names that come to mind.

Some voters seem to be still clinging to the familiar. Falling for the "new" rhetoric that the snake oil salesmen are feeding them. A leopard does not change it's spots. Voters would do well to remember that.

So crates

I don't like the misinformation that it takes to produce results such as voting everyone out of Congress, but unfortunately I do favor the results. Everything in this piece is hogwash except for the fact that we need to send our representatives a wake up call. For that reason only I support the spin in this instance. Our leadership is working from the premise of yesterday's America and we need fresh blood to bring in change. But don't misthink and believe such a change will bring back the rosy days; those are gone for at least the next ten years and more likely the next twenty.

TheFederalist

On Martha’s Vineyard, 'Miss Me Yet?' Bush T-Shirts Outselling 'I Vacationed with Obama' Ones

draksig

I think someone has missed the point of the article. Voter anger is expressed against incumbant of BOTH parties. Yes, very few have lost, but they lost in the PRIMARIES. Incumbants almost never loose primaries, they fact that they have shows the anger the voters have against the incumbants, republican and democrat both. Both spend like drunken sailors when their party is in power.

TheFederalist

The wheels of politics, like the wheels of justice, grind slowly, But They Grind Exceeding Fine!

The grinding begins in November.

And so it goes.....

Rhetor

Hmm. If you're truly against pork-barrel spending, why is there never, ever a conservative protest against farm subsidies--largely supported by Republicans--and perhaps the biggest socialist program in the Western World?

Chillen

New poll information for the obama and big government lovers. I thought I'd share it here because you'll never see it from your news sources & the main stream media.

Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 of the important issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen. The issues are education, Iraq, the economy, healthcare, social security, government ethics, national security, Afghanistan, taxes and immigration.

Even the House democrats are starting to admit that they will lose the House in November. This must all be Bush's fault.

dashiel

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

dichotomy

Yes, some of the old boy Republicans have survived their primary because there was no credible candidate opposing them. But some have not and, just like hitting a mule up side the head, we may have gotten their attention with the ones that did not survive. Regardless, I am willing to hold my nose and vote AGAINST the Democrats in order to stop the socialist left wingers. I understand those of you who say that none of the old crew are worthy and that you will vote for a Libertarian or some other third party candidate but I sincerely hope you do not do that. If your motivation is to stop the Obama/Pelosi/Reid socialist regime I implore you to not allow a third party candidate to split the anti-Democrat vote and thus allow the Democrats to win. I truely understand your feeling about some of the leftover Republicans but the mission of stopping the agenda of the current socialist regime is much too important to throw your vote away in November and kill the chances of defeating the Democrat candidates by splitting the anti-Democrat agenda vote. Hold that nose and vote Republican this November. If you don't we will have another couple of years of redistribution communism, tax increasing, job killing policies shoved down our throat.

follower

Dichotomy, you are correct. I don't like many of the Repubs, but I like the Dems even less.

Several people that post on a regular basis have said they will vote on principal and that principal meant libertarian. While I sympathize and understand, it will divide the anti-liberal vote, thus leaving them in power.

If we stand together, not as Republicans, but against the ones in power, we can then determine whether to replace the Repubs next go 'round.

But for now, we need to oust the liberal agenda. So yes, hold your nose.

omnomnom

I choose not to run.

confederatelady319

When this country belly's up which it will,you people that are not prepared will become our enemy.I would mention a few names that would fall into this group,but they would do nothing more than whine to sean m.Its a shame that we have such a weak bunch of people in this country today.if they can't buy it at a store they are just ---- out of luck because they don't know how to survive any other way.SAD VERY SAD

55 F-100

Start the purge in November 2010, and finish the purge in 2012 by evicting the marxist muslim from the oval office.

Online Database by Caspio
Click here to load this Caspio Online Database.
Loading...