Dishonest attacks against Mike Wilson

I had planned on writing Part 2 of my series on the recent Federal budget deal tonight, but that's going to have to wait. Earlier today I read one of the most dishonest attacks on Cincinnati Tea Party President Mike Wilson that I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot considering the numerous false attacks against him during the 2010 campaign. At the end of this entry I'll post both the attack as well as his recent email on the budget situation so you can determine for yourself where the truth lies.

One main complaint focuses on his allegedly negative criticisms of Boehner and other Republicans, stating that he only knows how to complain, and for not understand that budgeting is a process and not an event. In actuality, Wilson's 4/9/11 email stated that there were good and bad in the budget bill. It also stated that it would be a good deal if and only if this was a first step towards greater reform. Finally, it acknowledged that this debate changed the conversation about budgeting in America. To misrepresent Wilson's email as an endlessly negative attack on other Republicans is nothing short of dishonest.

The other main criticism alleges that Wilson has retreated to couch, where he does nothing but complain and scream at the tv. It's hard to see how that is true given that he resumed his old position as President of the Cincinnati Tea Party and has remained active in a number of issues as he did before.

If the person/people making these type of attacks would spend more time working on their own personal and political shortcomings, they'd undoubtedly find themselves enjoying more success than they currently do. It's one thing to have honest disagreements, but it's never legitimate to criticize someone for statements that were never made. Furthermore, is there really much doubt this criticizer(s) spends most of their own time sitting at home crying in their milk rather than showing the rest of us how to lead? If I'm wrong they can always identify themselves and prove me wrong.

And no, I am not Mike Wilson, or anyone who was closely involved in his campaign or the local Cincinnati Tea Party. I don't believe that cheap attacks like these are doing anything positive for our limited government movement. While Wilson and I don't fully agree on the budget situation, I think his Saturday email was largely on the right track. Getting $38.5 billion in spending cuts was a positive, but it's not nearly enough. This has to be a first step towards much greater reform. Our side needs to turn our attention towards getting the 2012 budget right; we don't need to be criticizing others for statements they never made.

Here was the portion of Wilson's 4/9 email commenting on the budget deal:

Last night, House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and President Obama agreed to a continuing resolution that will fund the government through the end of the 2011 fiscal year (9/30/2011). This cuts $38.5 billion from 2010 levels. There was good and bad in this deal. The good news is that this is the largest spending cut in American history that did not result from the end of a war. The bad news is that this amount is barely a week and half's worth of this year's deficit of $1.5 trillion.

This agreement is good news if and only if it is a first step. Bigger battles over raising the debt ceiling and the 2012 budget are coming up in the next months and the stakes are much higher. This initial skirmish was only over a small fraction of federal spending as I will explain below.

Now is the time to redouble our efforts. As disappointing as $38.5 billion is in the great scheme of things, it represents a shift in the conversation brought about by our tea party activism.

On Monday, call John Boehner's office at 513-779-5400 or 202-225-6205 to let him know that this must be the first step on a path that ends with reduced federal spending and elimination of our debt.

On Friday, join us on Glendale Square to rally on Tax Day. Bring your signs and let the world know that we will see this fight through to the end.

Now here is the anonymous e-attack on Wilson, which I'm sure you'll all agree contains minimal accuracy.

That Tea Party Messiah who was going to be crowned state rep-tile has once again proven that he only knows how to complain and doesn't know how to do anything constructive in public service. Defeated for political office, he has gone back to doing what he always did best: sitting on the couch and yelling at the television.

Most people consider forcing any President, let alone Obama, to sign a budget bill that spends $78 million LESS than the previous year to be a great victory. Most people consider GOP House Speaker John Boehner to have accomplished something extraordinary, considering that he and the GOP only control one-half of one of the three branches of government. Clearly, if the situation were reversed, with a Republican President demanding less spending and then being forced to sign a budget with more spending, the Left would be doing cartwheels.

Lost on losers like the Tea Party Messiah is the fact that the GOP-controlled House did something in 90 days that usually takes nine months. So why is this sore loser and failed candidate given so much media attention? It's because he is attacking Republicans. He attacks the people, like Boehner, who are actually successful because he is a bitter sore loser. The budget is supposed to begin on October 1, but because the Dysfunctional DemocRATS led by Nancy Pelosi failed to do their job last year, it fell to Boehner to clean up last year's mess first.

Too often, political amateurs like the Tea Party Messiah think one event means everything. They aren't in the trenches day in and day out and fail to realize that government is a process and not an event. Republicans have already begun work on the 2012 budget, for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1.

Boehner and the Republicans will be working on even more cuts while losers like our Tea Party Messiah sit home and throw hissy-fits.

I close by challenging this dishonest attacker, and others like him/her, to get off their own couch and do something useful for the movement they claim to support.