Tea Party Express Issues Election Day Statement on Delaware U.S. Senate Race

The Tea Party Express issued the following statement today regarding the U.S. Senate race in Delaware:

"As voters head to the polls in Delaware today, the news media and many in the political establishment have sought to cast tonight's election returns as a lose-lose proposition for the tea party movement.

"If Conservative Republican Christine O'Donnell wins, the news media and political elite insist that this will be a loss for the Tea Party movement, as it will surely mean a win for the Democrats in November, and increase their chances for retaining a majority in the U.S. Senate.

"But wait, if Liberal RINO Mike Castle wins, the news media and political elite similarly insist that this will be a loss for the Tea Party movement, as it will mean the establishment has defeated the Tea Party-backed candidate.

"So under the logic of those in the media and the political establishment, the Tea Party movement loses either way. Nice try, but we at the Tea Party Express aren't buying this narrative.

"The Tea Party Express, Gov. Sarah Palin, the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, and Diamond State Tea Party all endorsed Christine O'Donnell because she best represented the principles important to the Tea Party movement: limited government and a return to the constitutional principles this country was founded on, but which our political leaders have increasingly strayed from.

"It used to be the accepted notion that primaries were about allowing voters in a political party to support the best candidate who represented the members of that party. Now, however, we're told voters are stupid if they don't instead play the role of political strategist and support candidates based on a political chess game, regardless of their principles.

"We here at the Tea Party Express trust the voters to follow their hearts and to stick to their principles and beliefs. When Ronald Reagan waged his campaign for president in the 1980 election cycle, the same political elitists and journalists who are deriding Christine O'Donnell as 'unelectable' similarly sneered that an 'extremist' like Reagan could never be elected. As a result, John Anderson from Illinois was egged on to offer a more 'reasonable' choice in the general election campaign. Reagan won, Anderson and Jimmy Carter lost, and the political elite and journalists had egg on their faces.

"Supporting the most liberal Republican Member of Congress, Mike Castle, is not a viable option for constitutional conservatives. Those who have urged support for Castle do so from the most crass and soulless political calculation where principles are irrelevant, as it is a zero sum gain.

"We've tried this route of electing Republicans to government who didn't believe in their own party's platform, when we had a Republican Congress and a Republican in the White House. What we got was massive spending, higher deficits, bailouts, and a significant increase in the size, scope, and power of the government.

"We here in Tea Party movement are trying to change the nature of our leaders in Washington, and that means dumping failed and corrupt politicians like Mike Castle who trade their votes based on the campaign contributions of well-heeled lobbyists or the arm twisting of political party leaders. This is the very reason Mike Castle has attempted to hold at least four positions on ObamaCare - because at each time his primary concern was not what was good for this nation, but what was good for Mike Castle's political ambitions.

"When term-limited Governor Castle wanted to prolong his career feeding off the public trough, and remaining a member of the ruling class, he orchestrated 'The Switch' with Democrat Congressman Tom Carper that would allow both of them to retain their political power. It was all about their egos and their power, and the same motivation for Mike Castle continues to this day.

"Mike Castle and his political henchmen continue this crass and shameless behavior to this day. This year, the Delaware GOP establishment - led by Mike Castle's closest allies and advocates - deliberately chose to not field a Republican candidate for Attorney General in the state of Delaware. Why? Because the Democrat Attorney General is a man named Beau Biden, who happens to be the son of Democrat Vice President, Joe Biden.

"But don't worry say Castle's Republican supporters. If he wins the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Delaware we're supposed to expect him to suddenly become some kind of Republican loyalist, helping to advance a conservative revolution in Congress.

"We here at the Tea Party Express don't buy that for one minute. Whether it means switching political parties, or voting with the Democrats on more bailouts, Cap & Trade, or for liberal judicial activists for the U.S. Supreme Court, Mike Castle will play to the same political puppet masters he always has, and that's not to Republicans, conservatives, or his constituents.

"The Tea Party Express has won nearly every election it has played an active role in. Today, the voters of Delaware will decide whether to support the Tea Party Express-backed candidate, Christine O'Donnell. If they do, that will be a victory for the Tea Party movement, no matter how many pundits or journalists try and argue otherwise.

"The next step is to fight on behalf of these Tea Party candidates in November, and ensure that they once again defy the wishes and predictions of the political establishment, by propelling these constitutional conservatives to victory over their liberal Democrat, big-government opponents.
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Recovery Summer: A Casino, Aquarium, Zoo, Golf Course and Swimming Pool?

With unemployment rising to 9.6%, questions are mounting regarding the effectiveness of the stimulus bill and how stimulus dollars are being spent. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has sent a letter to the Chairman of the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, Earl Devaney, regarding stimulus funding being steered for projects that “appear to violate the explicit prohibitions of the Recovery Act.”

Section 1604 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (AARA) specifically prohibits funds from flowing to certain entertainment and recreation projects:

“Limit on Funds – None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act may be used by any State or local government, or any private entity, for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, or swimming pool.”

Furthermore, a Memorandum from the President to the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies issued on March 20, 2009 stated:

(a) Funds under the Recovery Act shall not be committed, obligated, or expended by any executive department or agency, and shall not be used by any State or local government or private grantee or awardee, to support projects of the type described in section 1604 of Division A of the Recovery Act…”

“Despite the clear language of the Recovery Act and the subsequent effort by the White House to stress the importance of avoiding the use of stimulus funds for prohibited projects, taxpayer dollars were directed to entities legally barred from receiving them,” Issa wrote to Devaney. “In fact, stimulus money appears to have flowed to each and every type of project prohibited by Section 1604 of the AARA.”

· Casino: In February 2009, AARA funds were provided to students “at Fortune Bay Resort & Casino to get hands on experience in various departments within the resort and casino at our Career Expo Day.”

· Aquarium: In July 2009, AARA funds were awarded to Northwestern University for scientific research on fish. Part of the funding was used for “novel outreach projects (that) will expose the broader public to the results of research, including an art installation concerning the electric fields emitted by these fish and proposed enhancements to the electric fish displays of the Shedd Aquarium.”

· Zoo: In September of 2009, $25 million in ARRA funds were awarded to the Smithsonian for projects including the “completion of various projects at the National Zoo.”

· Golf Course: AARA funds were awarded to the Forest Hills Golf Course through a U.S. Department of Education grant to the Oregon Department of Education. The award funds a program that allows students in Oregon’s Forest Grove school district to use Forest Hills to learn to golf as part of the physical education curriculum.

· Swimming Pool: In July 2009, AARA funds were awarded to Northwestern University to provide “salary an wage compensation for individuals directly involved in AARA-funded projects” including “Pool Lifeguard.”

“In addition to the projects that appear to violate the explicit prohibitions of the Recovery Act, there appear to be additional projects where stimulus funds have been spent on projects that violate the President’s prohibition of the funding of ‘impudent’ projects,” Issa wrote to Devaney. “These include stimulus funds spent on a waterpark, a bowling alley, a keg, beer and cigarette mart, a pet hotel, and a fraternity and sorority event.”