Terry Tea Partying

by Street Sweeper on March 15, 2012

spacer NE-02 Congressman Lee Terry has fund raisers and events planned tomorrow. But what makes these events different from the standard rubber chicken and photo op one usually attends, is Terry’s guest: Representative Allen West (R-FL).

West is a member of the House Armed Services Committee as well as Small Business Committee. In addition to those, Lt. Colonel West served in Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

But what West is even better known for in political circles is his leadership in the Tea Party movement. He has been a resounding voice on economic independence and entrepreneurial spirit and regularly slams the Obama administration for stifling jobs and growth.

None of those positions are new to Terry, and West’s support of Terry is not really much of a shock either. Terry gets high ratings and support from most conservative groups.

But of course Terry has also received a few extra intra-party opponents this year who have tried to claim some sort of Tea Party support on their own. Nary a political story goes by in the local paper without some mention that Terry has opponents in the GOP primary who claim Terry is not conservative enough.

So West’s support of Terry should help to put a wet blanket on that story and focus on Terry’s conservative credentials and the support from his colleagues. (But we doubt that would happen, because otherwise what would they have to write about?)

We rarely think these types of endorsements factor in that much with local voters. But for those who had wondered where some of the national players came down in the second district, they might note that it is not with Terry’s opponents.

***

On that NE02 note, on Monday Don Walton of the LJS mentioned that maybe the Obama campaign wasn’t going to be flooding the second district with the same amount of resources they did in 2008.

Then again, that could all change if someone thinks the Presidential campaign will come down to one Electoral Vote. Or if the DSCC thinks they can bang Kerrey in with increased Dem turnout.

But we have yet to see any real interest in the NE02 Democrats from any national sources.

***

This is pretty much one of those “closing that barn door after the horses have escaped” points, but a commenter noted it, and we can’t believe we did not bring it up as well.

One of the big supporters of the new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender anti-discrimination ordinance in Omaha, is of course Mayor Jim Suttle. You may remember immediately following Suttle’s election, his choice for Chief of Staff — Matt Stamp — quickly got caught up in a scandal where he was accused of having a homosexual relationship with a then-minor, who ended up killing himself five years later. To our knowledge Samp was never actually legally accused or convicted of anything in that whole matter.

But the accusations, at the time, were enough for Suttle. Rescinding an offer to hire Samp, Suttle said,

“It doesn’t make any difference whether it’s perception or reality — treat them the same. It’s time to part company and I did.”

Now the new ordinance, that Sutle supported, says that an employer — in that case it would have been either Suttle or the City of Omaha, or both — may not refuse to hire someone based on someone’s actual or perceived homosexuality

Yet we have no doubt that a crafty lawyer, based on Suttle’s statement above, could make a strong argument that Suttle did refuse to hire Samp based on his perceived homosexuality. We are also sure that someone else could attempt to argue their way around that as well. But it certainly would have been an interesting question to ask and answer to receive after all the give and take over the last week.

Maybe Pandora’s Legal Box won’t open over this ordinance. But we have a feeling people in Suttle situation will be sure to take a different tack next time.

***

Be wary of certain George Clooney movies today. You’ve been warned.

Oh, and you’re Bracket is already done so just tear it up now.

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Tagged as: Allen West, Bob Kerrey, Don Walton, George Clooney, Jim Suttle, Lee Terry, Matt Samp

{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }

spacer 1 Oh Mander March 15, 2012 at 11:42 AM

Is West gonna roll up in his Hummer then complain about how much it cost to drive here?

spacer 2 CYOA March 15, 2012 at 12:54 PM

Do you think the Mayor knows that sex with a minor is different from consensual adult homosexuality, just as rape is different from consensual incest, etc? Me might. But once you move over that line into breaking taboos, the divisions get real fuzzy, right up until they sharpen onto your own family in the harsh light of legal requirement.

Obama’s mom hired a “nanny” in Indonesia who tried on Barry’s mom’s lipstick and went out in full drag. Barry’s babysitter in Hawaii, a friend of his granddad, was a bisexual poet who wrote some disturbing porn-like prose. Regardless whether you think that helped or damaged BHO, those were choices made by Barry’s guardians. It wasn’t legally mandated or government protected sexual taboo breaking such as the Omaha law is, which can now be demanded upon your children and you by Omaha Police. Protecting “rights” of sexual taboo breakers puts the burden of proof on everyone else. It’s a license, even an invitation, to be licentious at the cost of everyone else’s freedom to just say no. Its hire or be arrested.

I don’t care what or who you have sex with, really, But don’t make the rest of us pay for it, or our tax dollars enforce it, or make us into criminals if we don’t hire it.

spacer 3 M. Jackson March 15, 2012 at 12:59 PM

Being gay and having sec with a minor are not related in any way at all what so ever. However I’m encouraged that Nebraska ignorance is still alive and well!! Silly rednecks!!

spacer 4 Street Sweeper March 15, 2012 at 1:07 PM

M.,
Who said anything about having sex? We didn’t. And neither did Suttle. All he talked about was a “perception”, which would or could be a violation under the ordinance.
But hey, looks like they just passed the ordinance in order to see what is really in it.
SS

spacer 5 Anonymous March 15, 2012 at 1:28 PM

Oh Lord, Allen West??? How embarrassing. He’s an idiot — here’s a couple of his whoppers: the military should not blindly follow the commander in chief (um, they’re constitutionally required to follow the CIC), he called himself the “modern day Harriet Tubman,” and his association with the extreme anti-Muslim groups and even criticized G.W. Bush for going into a mosque and (rightly) calling Islam a religion of peace. That’s just the beginning. Why would anyone think it’s a good thing to have Allen West endorse you?

spacer 6 Kortezzi March 15, 2012 at 1:28 PM

Terry is smart to bring in someone like Allen West, who is enormously popular with conservatives.
Even though NE-2 won’t include Offutt AFB in the next election, Terry has always been very strong on defense, which is probably why West is willing to help him.

Regarding Matt Samp – - I hope he applies for the next job opening in the Suttle administration, gets turned down, and then sues for discrimination. That would be quite the role reversal, bringing Suttle to his knees.

spacer 7 Anonymous March 15, 2012 at 1:52 PM

Allen West, Sarah Palin, Christine O’Donnell, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, etc., etc. All idiots and all make the Republicans who love them idiots. Seriously?

spacer 8 Dan Brown March 15, 2012 at 2:10 PM

Matt never quit working for Suttle entirely. He signed for the website address opposing the Recall.

spacer 9 K Sutra March 15, 2012 at 2:28 PM

Kortezzi, Suttle on his knees is a mental image i did not need.

spacer 10 Go West young man March 15, 2012 at 2:45 PM

Terry has a 92 percent rating by the American Conservative Union. Good to see he is getting suport from Rep. West!

spacer 11 Go Lee Go! March 15, 2012 at 2:56 PM

Lee is smart for bringing West in. This is a big deal and endorsement. What do his opponents have to say about this? I guess they have resorted to trashing his visit on L St. Not much of a strategy guys.

spacer 12 Senator Snowplow March 15, 2012 at 3:35 PM

M. Jackson, not according to Masters and Johnson, which is, like, my bible.

spacer 13 MaryJ March 15, 2012 at 9:33 PM

Jim Suttle is a huge gay rights supporter but was too timid to lead so he had Ben Gray do it since it was one of Susie Buffett’s favorite causes – promotion of gay rights and abortion rights.

Jim Suttle’s office was clearly behind the scenes helping to organize efforts for transsexual, gay rights ordinance, his “secretary” Nicole H? has been a big and bold and loud gay rights supporter up at UNO with the Student Democrats marching to Memorial Park promoting gay marriage. Well, Nicole was helping to organize rallies outside city hall with the building security for all the gay rights activists. Thanks for doing your civic work non-partisanly Suttle stuff – all of you are using the Mayor’s office to build up your re-election campaign. Everything you do is geared towards the Democratic base – gays, women, blacks, east of 72nd. Does Jim Suttle even go west of 100th Street – NO, there are no votes for him there.

David Sund, Oltman, Dover, Noeelle Obermeyer, Matt Samp & Gary Desilvetro, Mrs Heath Mello, Scott winkler, Michael Gordon, etc….Forward Omaha on the 3rd floor – pay Prairie Consultants

Give the Firefighters Union and Mike McDonald everything…

Vote Suttle out of office in 2013!

Go Jean!

spacer 14 @MaryJ March 15, 2012 at 10:34 PM

LGBT Omahans, African Americans, women, people who live east of 72nd street – you’ve just spoken for 75% or more of the city.

spacer 15 Progressive Oasis March 16, 2012 at 4:34 AM

The ignorance on this blog is staggering. Then I read the comments. Get a clue MaryJ. Maybe you should smoke another namesake.

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