Tea Party Underwhelmed By Current GOP Field

TAMPA — Conservatives will be paying particularly close attention to tonight’s Republican debate, the second of three scheduled for this month and the first ever to be co-hosted by the Tea Party.

At a pre-debate luncheon sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, voters listened to analysts explain what candidates must do to win the support of the Tea Party crowd. Most of the 150 or so in attendance raised their hands when CNN’s John King, who moderated the panel discussion, asked them whether they were satisfied with the current field. Moreover, only a handful said they wanted former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin to enter the race.

That would appear to be good news for the current crop of contenders. Except that there are still some out there who question whether the candidates will truly represent the Tea Party’s interests.

For example, ever heard of Agenda 21? Probably not. But ask members of the Sutter Buttes Tea Party based in Yuba City, California. These folks argue that the plan, adopted by 178 nations at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) back in 1992, is allowing governments worldwide to force “green” lifestyles upon citizens. The issue most recently came up during a townhall event hosted by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who downplayed concerns over Agenda 21 after being confronted about it. Larry Virga, Coordinator of the Sutter Buttes Tea Party Patriots, told me that even the most conservative of candidates this cycle have not paid enough attention to the issue. He doubted that any of them have even heard about the program.

It’s extremely unlikely that the topic of Agenda 21 will surface either at tonight’s debate or any others that will follow. Candidates will instead be asked about their plans to grow the economy, strengthen America’s safety net programs and manage the nation’s wars abroad. In the end, the vast majority of those who align with the Tea Party will vote for a Republican — whether it’s Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin or anyone else — against President Obama next year.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll feel comfortable with their choice.

Larry Calabretta, who made the roughly one-hour trip down I-4 from Orlando, told me today that he doubts whether Republican leaders in Washington “get” the Tea Party. “I don’t know,” he said. “That remains to be seen.”

“Absolutely not,” added Billie Tucker, a leader in the First Coast Tea Party based in Jacksonville, Florida.

When I asked Calabretta about Perry, the presumptive frontrunner who leads the rest of the field according to recent polls, he sounded skeptical.

“I think a lot of [Perry’s success] is media driven,” he said. “Rush [Limbaugh] is right…you listen to what the media is saying and that’s who you want to steer away from.”

Thaddeus McCotter Unveils Social Security Plan

Second-tier Presidential candidate Thaddeus McCotter introduced legislation Monday that he says will rescue social security from insolvency by saving nearly $9 trillion over the 23 years.

“We would like to allow workers, 50 and under, to start receiving portions of their future benefits to be put into personal investments accounts,” McCotter, a Congressman from Michigan, said during an appearance at the Heritage Foundation.

In a brief overview, Former Reagan administration appointee Peter J. Ferrara, who help create the bill, said the bill would empower each worker with the freedom to choose a contribution to a personal savings and investment account equal to roughly half of the worker’s share of payroll taxes. The investment account contributions are financed by payments each year from general revenues, which in turn are financed by a reduction in government spending. 

The plan would not affect those who have already retired or are nearing retirement and each worker is free to choose to stay with the current Social Security program and forego the personal plans entirely. 

Rep. McCotter said the current system is unsustainable and expected to reach insolvency as early as 2029. Opposed to raising the benefit age and payroll taxes, McCotter hopes to unite the generations of those already receiving benefits and those who hope to receive them in the future saying younger people would start to see that the system works for them too. 

In terms of the program, Rep. McCotter said this plan can not hurt the pocket book of Americans but rather it is meant to grow over time. “If the market completely crashed, you’re still no worse then you were in the first place,” Rep. McCotter said. 

Perry Defends His Position On Social Security

Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry continues to be a vocal advocate of reforming Social Security, despite having drawn an increasing amount of criticism after calling the program a “Ponzi scheme.” 

In a USA Today Op-Ed, Perry defended his stance on the entitlement program Monday, saying Americans must know the truth about the potential for insolvency in the program. 

“The first step to fixing a problem is honestly admitting there is a problem,” Perry wrote. “But Americans deserve a frank and honest discussion of the dire financial challenges facing [Social Security].”

Perry argued that by 2037, retirees will only be receiving 76 cents for every dollar they put into the program. 

“Imagine how long a traditional retirement or investment plan could survive if it projected investors would lose 24 percent of their money?” he argued.

“For too long, politicians have been afraid to speak honestly about Social Security,” he wrote. “We must have the guts to talk about its financial condition if we are to fix Social Security and make it financially viable for generations to come.”

Perry has weathered much of the storm follwoing his “Ponzi scheme” remarks and continues to lead a narrowing GOP presidential field just ahead of Monday’s debate in Florida.

Ron Paul Running Anti-Perry Ad During GOP Debate

Long-shot Presidential candidate Ron Paul’s campaign will be running an advertisement targeting Texas Governor Rick Perry during Wednesday evening’s GOP debate.

The 60-second spot highlights Perry’s support of Al Gore during the 1988 Presidential election, and contrasts it with Paul’s early endorsement of Ronald Reagan.

“America must decide who to trust: Al Gore’s Texas cheerleader or the one who stood with Reagan,” the ad’s voiceover states.

“We want to point out that Congressman Paul has an unparalleled record of championing true conservative principles, and his message of limited Constitutional government, sound money and balanced budgets have won the day,” Jesse Benton, the chair of Paul’s 2012 Campaign, said in a statement. “Other candidates are parroting Dr. Paul’s principles in their rhetoric, but their records prove they cannot be trusted to live up to their words.”

Paul’s campaign says the ad is set to run twice during the debate

Rick Perry Set To Make Debate Debut

Governor Rick Perry will make his first appearance alongside other Presidential hopefuls in Wednesday evening’s Republican debate at the Reagan Library in California.

Although Perry made a late entry into the race, he has surged in the polls and captured the party’s frontrunner status from former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. According to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll, Perry leads Romney 27 percent to 22 percent.

Many have speculated however that Perry’s standing in the race could be shaken after he makes more public appearances.

Perry was previously scheduled to attend a candidates’ forum in South Carolina on Monday. However, the Governor backed out over growing concerns over wildfires in his state.

The debate, sponsored by Politico and NBC News, is being held at 8pm.