Tancredo opens Tea Party Convention with a bang
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/05/art.tancredo.gi.jpg caption="Tom Tancredo opened what's being billed as the first Tea Party Convention with a bang."]Nashville, Tennessee (CNN) – Tom Tancredo opened what's being billed as the first Tea Party Convention with a bang.
The former congressman from Colorado and 2008 Republican presidential candidate blasted President Obama, saying "people who could not even spell the word 'vote', or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."
Tancredo made his comments as he gave the kickoff speech for the convention, which is being held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville.
Tancredo's speech received polite applause among the 600 attendees at the convention.
"So the race for America is on right now. The president and his left-wing allies in Congress are going to look at every opportunity to destroy the Constitution before we have a chance to save it. So put your running shoes on. Because I'll tell you, I've heard we need a revolution. My friends, we already had it. We lost. I mean, what happened to us in that last election was a revolution," said Tancredo, discussing the 2008 presidential contest.
Tancredo also slammed that election's Republican presidential nominee, saying "thank God John McCain lost the election."
The former congressman known for his strong opposition to illegal immigration also attacked "the cult of multiculturalism, aided by leftists, liberals all over who don't have the same idea about America as we do."
A spokesman for the Tea Party Nation, the group that organized the convention, said Tancredo's speech may provide some red meat but termed it problematic.
"It doesn't further the dialogue," said Mark Skoda, a businessman and founder of the Memphis Tea Party, who is also serving as spokesman for the convention.
Tancredo ended his speech telling the crowd that "this is our country" and urged them "to take it back."
- CNN Correspondent Mary Snow contributed to this report
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Do we have to stoop so low every time we start a political conversation? Socialist? Race baiting? Xenophobia? The US is failing in every recognizable way and THIS is the best we can do for civic discourse?
another man pedaling his garbage to people who like eating garbage
Tancredo and his ilk just can't believe their lucky stars that America has
untold millions of nut cases that are gobbling up their every word. For example, there is a drunk who stumbles down our street every day, wearing his baseball cap emblazoned on the front with "Tea Party Patriot," espousing all of this hatred and nonsense. Multiply him by millions and that's your tea party gang. No doubt they'll be falling all over themselves to get to Sarah Palin. What a bunch of imbeciles.
How quickly they forget!! He says Obama is destroying the constitution but it was George W Bush who blatantly took away many of our rights listed in the constitution and amendments.
Conservatives are quick to blame Obama yet they forget about the 6 years (2000-2006) when they controlled all 3 houses and basically crapped on the constitution, and dramatically increased the debt!!
When are these stupid people (republicans and democrats) going to stop thinking about their party and start thinking about the country because it's obvious what they care about more!!
Members of the tea party want to push their beliefs onto everyone else. They should just shut up and let people believe what they want. If they don't like it let them leave the U.S.
The man is an insult to modern America.
What a flaming jerk !
The "Tea Party" has sounded from day one like a bunch of nuts, and this convention of theirs is reinforcing that. They aren't angry about anything, they're just angry. They didn't leave the GOP or the Democrats, they left planet earth.
A revolution huh? The 2008 election wasn't a revolution. But you lunatics in the Tea Party are trying to cause a revolution and divide the country. I find it amusing that majority of Tea Partiers are all republican. Show me a democratic Tea Partier please!!!!
Ronald Reagan was a moderate republican and he was a great leader but if the tea party was around then they would have denounced
him I 'm afraid that this party will do more harm than good what if it splits the repub party democrats would always have a majority and that's not good.
This right-wing xenophobic loud mouth windbag is what passes for a "patriot" in the Repubican Party today.
The more I hear the likes of this guy...the more impressed I am with President Barack Hussein Obama.
Amazing... Next up Palin.
Tancredo it so far out of touch that he is completely out to lunch! WOW!! I really think he's lost it! – Grundoon
The Republicanische Bund at work ...
This guy is an idiot.
Some of those people who may not spell "vote or say it in English" are fighting in our wars and dying for the country they also love. Lets give the mic. to thinking people, we need substance in our national dialogue if ever we hope to see a brighter future, and yes, for all AMERICANS including those foreigners living among us. America will be at its best when Her citizens understand the value in mankind and the encourage.
Way to win over those minority and hispanic voters!
Tancredo continues to spew his bilious xenophobic boilerplate nonsense. If President Obama were the "committed socialist ideologue" which Tancredo describes, why is the progressive liberal base of the Democratic Party so upset with Obama? Wouldn't a "committed socialist ideologue" make the most liberal Dems happy? If Obama were truly that far to the left, how come the health care reform debate NEVER included single payer, the most liberal of options? It was Obama himself who took single payer off the table before the debate even began. That doesn't support Tancredo's imbecilic claims.
This kind of reminds me of the McCarthy era ( although I wasn't born yet at that time). Don't we ever learn from history?
this group is one big crazy idiot. just what do these persons plan to do with the government? we are all trhe government of theSA. do they think we can go back 200 years? we are advanced and we will not go back to sects and primitive factions. why did we leave the old world behind? admit it!!! you all just hate our President because he is a very smart, handsome, man of color. you are all afraid of the chages we have taken and want to put fear and hate back into our lives. WELL WE DON'T WANT IT< NOR WILL WE ACCEPT YOUR STUPID AND CRAZY IDEAS. GO LIVE ON SOME ISLANDS WITH ALL YOUR OTHER CRAZIES. LETS SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES BEFORE YOU WANT THIS WONDERFUL USA GOVERNMENT. GO AHEAD LEAVE ASAP.
Once again the extreme right is trying to take over a grassroot movement and turn it into another fringe element of the republican party. The *Tea Party* should not allow itself to be turned into another mouth piece of intolerance, arrogance and ignorance because if it does than it would be seen as another divisive movement. We as voter should know by now that politicians are in it for themselves because the more they divide us, the longer they can control us and stay in power.
America does not belong to one party or another, it belongs to all of us and we all may not agree on everything but our disagreement should not lead us into our demise.
My family has been in this country since the 18th century. I speak English and know how to spell 'vote' too. I also voted for Barack Hussein Obama. So who does he mean by "...our country"? Whom are we taking it back from??
As far as I can tell President Barack Hussein Obama was voted into office by Americans. That's more than I can say for George W. Bush who was voted in by the Supreme Court and created this mess that we are in now. If Tancredo & his idiot, xenophobic Tea Party hate this country so much then they are free to leave & good riddance! They don't have any special claim to this country.
Man what a bunch of NUTS these people are and Just think that Palin could have been VP of the strongest country in the world. Their really is a GOD.....
This guy is definitely an idiot. How dare he mock the democatic process. We voters vote based on how we fell about a candidate. Obviously there are a lot of sore losers in America today
Seriously...what is wrong with this guy?