-By Warner Todd Huston
Well, the Puffington Post has once again shown that it is wholly un-credible as a source for serious political analysis. This time it’s the “work” of HuffPuffer Will Guzzardi who doesn’t seem to know what a primary is or what it does, at least if his headline can be used as an example.
In his titled “Joe Walsh, First Tea Party Candidate To Win Election, Starts Attracting Attention,” Willie Guzzardi attempts to regale us on his deep knowledge of what occurred in the late Illinois primary. Unfortunately, we can doubt that pretension of depth without getting any further than his header. After all, Joe Walsh was not elected to anything as the headline claims. He did win the nomination of his party in order to run for election, but he didn’t get elected.
Additionally, we can easily take issue with Guzzie’s claim that Walsh is “the tea party candidate.” Yes, Mr. Walsh ran as “the tea party candidate” but previous to December 2009 Mr. Joe Walsh had never once BEEN to a tea party event in his life. And to this he admits openly. His running as “the tea party candidate” was a campaign strategy, not a grass roots reality.
Now, just before the primary on Feb. 2, Walsh did get the endorsement of a local tea party group. So, though belatedly, he did become a “tea party candidate.”
But for Guzzardi to pretend that Joe Walsh represents “the tea party candidate” is not a reading of reality, but merely a bi-fold mistake. Number one it accepts Mr. Walsh’s strategic claims that he is “the tea party candidate” (based less on reality than mere bombast), and two it ignores that the tea party movement has no real, long-term connection to Joe Walsh.
So, Guzzardi’s claim that Walsh is “the first tea party candidate” is ill-informed. There are other candidates across the country that were involved in the movement and then decided to run for office, but Mr. Walsh is not one of them.
Now, this all isn’t to say that Joe Walsh is a bad candidate or that he should be worked against. I am not saying such a thing. I support Joe Walsh over Melissa Bean. Joe Walsh has an authentic small government, fiscally conservative record. Walsh is certainly the better candidate compared to Congressman Melissa Bean. So, yes, I want folks in the 8th District to vote for Joe Walsh.
But it is a mistake to think he is “the tea party candidate” in the sense that Guzzardi is assuming. Walsh is not a grass roots member of the tea party movement, he’s never had any contact with the movement before December of 2009, he’s never attended a tea party protest prior to December… he just has no long standing tea party roots. Even in a movement that is only just over a year old, Walsh has only a month’s worth of connection to it.
Walsh is a fine candidate, yes. But he simply cannot be considered “the tea party candidate.” Sadly, PufffyPost shows that it is not a credible source for serious political analysis once again.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.
He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
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Warner, please allow me to correct your assumptions. And I can tell they are assumptions because it is obvious you have not spoken to Joe Walsh regarding his Tea Party candidacy. I met Joe at a grassroots conservative meeting in early October. Our 912 group invited Joe to a meeting the following week. Despite what Joes former campaign manager says, Joe did not lay claim to the Tea Party groups, we laid claim to him. Our group started in March of 2009, Joe joined our group in October. Joe has never claimed to be a “founding father” of the Tea Party movement nor a leader of the movement as others have. Joe has simply given our cause a voice. We won the primary for Joe and we will defeat Melissa Bean in November. We surround them.
I notice how you very, very conveniently ignored Joe’s OWN admission that he’d never been to a Tea Party event before. Nice try, sir, but no cigar. Additionally, you are not telling the strict truth when you make the claim that Joe isn’t claiming to be the Tea Party candidate. He is claiming that and has been in his emails since at least December. Further his attendance at the tea party convention sort of makes your claim a little silly. Still, all that being said, Joe is worthy of support even if you seem to be a bit deluded over it all.
I notice how very convenienly you ignore my factual statement that you have not spoken to the candidate. Perhaps you should reread my comment. I did not state tht Joe does not calim to be the tea party candidate. I stated that Joe did not lay claim to us we laid claim to him. Shortly after that he started every speaking opportunity with the statement he is a tea party conservative first and a republican second. Please explain to me how stating facts is delusional.
“…you have not spoken to the candidate”
Incorrect. I had an extensive round of emails with Mr. Walsh on his positions and the tea party business.
Listen, it isn’t my fault that you were naive enough to fall for a candidate’s election strategy angle in picking Mr. Walsh as you did. You’re obviously a political naif and that is one of the problems I have with the TP movement. It is filled with people that will be led down the path too easily for their unfamiliarity with hardball politics.
But, this is all hilarious, really. Because, sir, I tried to contact YOU about your selection of Walsh and you not only refused to engage me via the emails, but you refused phone calls and immediately shunted me off to Mr. Walsh. You are a coward as well as a hypocrite.
Further I resent your constant implications that all my opinions are gained solely from Walsh’s former campaign manager. My opinions of Walsh are made on my own and were made before I had any contact with the campaign manager in question.
Even if they weren’t your own accusation is hypocritical as I could easily just return the jab and say that YOUR opinions aren’t your own but are just that of the candidate. But, unlike you, I would not be so insulting. I fully expect that your opinions are heartfelt, even if you are a bit misled.
And, even as it all ends, you are making too much of it all. You continue to act as if I am against Jo Walsh yet I am not. I’ve said repeatedly that I will support him and that he’s better than the horrid Melissa Bean.
I am just not as sold out to him as you are. I see him in context to his entire career and past positions and you do not. Your opinion is not an informed opinion but one made by someone in thrall and not in command.