Bend City Council candidate Scott Ramsay has invited all his fellow Tea Partiers to an “election results rally” tonight at the Sun Mountain Fun Center.
You say you didn’t know Ramsay was a Tea Partier? That’s not surprising – neither did we.
“TSUNAMA [sic] WARNING! TSUNAMA [sic] WARNING!” says the headline at the top of the e-mail invitation. “Hello Tea Party Tsunamists! Message to Barack Hussain [sic] Obama … Surf’s Up, Dude!”
The e-mail goes on to state that “TONIGHT, Candidate Scott Ramsay has invited all Tea Partiers, Conservatives Republicans and Like-minded Voters to watch election results at his Sun Mountain Fun Center Tuesday evening (tonight!)”
It’s tonight – you got that?
Of course, Ramsay has a perfect right to be a Tea Partier if he wants to. But it would have been nice if he had told the voters he was one before Election Day – especially since Bend City Council elections are supposed to be non-partisan.
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2010.
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Mr. Miller. Again, like most of the articles that “The Source,” you twist the facts to promote a point that is completely irrelevant. Firts off, I like your little [sic] marks after TSUNAMA and Hussein…………uh, Hussein is our Presidents middle name dude, or did you not know that about our President? And TSUNAMA is simply a play on words, and pretty creative I might add concerning the growing discontent in regards to democrats everywhere. Second off, Mr. Ramsay invited everyone regardless of their position, not just conservatives, and I know many of my liberal friends who will be at Sun Mountain tonight, because they know how much Scott really cares about Bend and they aren’t so shallow as to let differences in thinking divide us. Third, Bend City Council is a non partisan position, but doesn’t mean members don’t lean one way or the other, and Scott has never misled anyone of his position. You should come to Sun Mountain tonight Mr. Miller, maybe you’ll learn something, or at least have the ability to get your facts straight; although I understand facts aren’t anything “The Source” is really concerned about.
Once again the Source Weekly writes “news” without contacting the parties involved before doing so. If they had contacted me I would have told them that both the Deschutes County Republicans and The Central Oregon Tea Party were looking for a location to have an election results viewing event and thought Sun Mountain Fun Center was a perfect location to host ALL candidates that they support, including Dudley, Huffman, Conger, Telfer, DeBone, and Baney. As a business owner I agreed to host the evening and thought it would be elusive if I failed to mention either group on the invitation on Facebook. Furthermore, I HAVE attended Tea party meetings and am an active member of the Deschutes County Republicans and like all candidates in this non-partisan race for city council, have disclosed my personal political affiliations to anyone who cared to ask, including Mr. Flowers at the Source Weekly during our candidate endorsement meeting. Talk amongst yourselves. I did not campaign by leading with “I am a Republican and I have attended Tea Party gatherings!” because it IS a non-partisan race. Ask any current Councilor what their political affiliation is and they will give you a party or platform. I would even bet that one or more have attended a Tea Party event. Funny, I wonder if there would have been a concerned mention made if the Source discovered that I was a Green Party member?! I am a fiscal conservative that believes in smaller government. It says it on my website. Any additional projection you want to paint me with is your business, and quite frankly, without asking me directly, irresponsible “reporting”.
I am still wondering what a TSUNAMA is…
rb
sic : adv. Thus; so. Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally.
Get a dictionary. Read more. Expand your knowledge of the English language. Then you, too, can be a critic of things that are real. You can’t have your own grammar and English language usage rules, although like most critics you want to have your own facts.
“uh, Hussein is our Presidents middle name dude, or did you not know that about our President?”
Yes. But it’s spelled “Hussein,” dude, not “Hussain.”
“You should come to Sun Mountain tonight”
Thanks but no thanks.
Hey Scott,
I’m thinking back on our election interview and I certainly don’t remember any discussion of the Tea Party. I asked you if you were a Republican, which you confirmed. Nothing wrong with that. However, as you can see by the flyer that the local tea party is circulating, they are a lunatic fringe with some pretty racist overtones. That’s a concern.
Scott: You told Eric you were a Republican, but that is not the same thing as being an adherent of the Tea Party. I believe many Bend voters would consider that an important distinction.
Reading Scott’s post regarding Millers post brought out
To begin with a smirky insult at one of our communities newspapers that is known to be enjoyed by many in his community takes any credibility to his points that follow. Mr. Scott, the “Tsunami alert”…. you must admit is just as over the top. I will respectfully decline going anywhere near the Fun Center. I fear I MAY GET MY FACE STOMPED TO THE FLOOR by a “fun” loving celebrating Tea Partier. A few weeks ago that would be laughable but the Tea Party has taken care of that.
After speaking with Mr. Ramsay at length about Bend, I for one am proud of him for standing up and throwing his name in the hat. The people of Bend will benefit from his efforts. I say give the guy a chance. The people should stand behind him and watch him work. His passion will lead to progress.
As for the reporter, H. Bruce Miller, why don’t you try fact gathering instead of throwing someone under the bus. I know it is more work, but I think you will find it more gratifying in the end.
Eric Olson
Bummer is that the Tea Party is NOT what it should/was be. It WAS about killing fraud.
Now it is about Gods, Guns and Gays. What a crime.
Eric Flowers claims the tea party invite has racist overtones?, but shows no example. Prove it. The Tea Party is EXTREMELY cautious about such things knowing people will twist and distort anything they say in an attempt to discredit them. If there is such a flier it is NOT an official Tea Party approved one. That is for sure. Give it a rest. Do your homework. They are just a group of straight forward Americans trying to get this country back on track. And no I’m not a member, just a conservative.
Come on girls, stop your whining. Your views have been proven wrong, now let us clean up your mess.
FLowers, HBM….. you guys just can’t stand that everyone doesn’t use your entitled left wing logic. Not everyone who disagrees with the left is a racist. Way to kick and scream, and hurl unsubstantiated attacks at the opposition (we’re still winning).
“Your views have been proven wrong, now let us clean up your mess.”
“OUR mess” — right, eight years of Bush and 30 years of Republican trickle-down economics had nothing to do with it.
Have the Republicans fixed the economy yet? We’re going to hold you to the same standard you held Obama and the Democrats: Fix it in two years or you’re out.
This oughta be good.
Hi H. Bruce,
Sorry, we don’t send Bend Tea Party emails to the Source often, but last night you got one and obviously you don’t know we like to play with words over here.
Nobel Peace Prize winner and professional golfer Barack Hoosane Obama often gets his secret middle name misspelled; combine Tsunami with Obama = Tsunama.
Charming and bright Democrat fetus Dallas Brown (aborted late in his third political trimester last night) attended 3 Tea Party meetings and events this Summer. Our buddy, neighborhood activist Rondo Boozell popped-in a couple times, too. Both were invited to speak and were treated with respect and applauded by our members for their conviviality and aplomb.
Please don't throw these two earnest young gentlemen under the Liberal Intolerance bus (as you've done with Scott Ramsay) just because they attend Tea Party meetings.
Conservatives, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents and many Democrats attend Bend Tea Party meetings and they find themselves a home because they are true liberals and support Individual Freedom, Free Market Capitalism, Free speech, Low Taxes and Constitutionally Limited Government.
Rock-on Hippie Dudes!
Simply hilarious. His middle name is Hussein, but that’s hard to spell, because, you know it’s foreign. Just like him, right? How about throwing Leibovitz on the end of John Stewart’s name? What’s the purpose of that? To let us know that he’s a Jew right? Nothing racist about that. Just letting folks know some relevant information. Please, John, Your words speak for themselves. And no amount of juvenile backslapping can change that, dude.
PS There’s a term for people who use these kinds of dim witted innuendos and it isn’t “patriot.”
Eric, “I’m thinking back on our election interview and I certainly don’t remember any discussion of the Tea Party.” – When you were taking the picture of me with a tea cup in my hand I said something to the effect of, “I guess this is the photo you will use when you out me as a tea party member.”
The whole discussion has gotten off track here. My response was not intended to perpetuate an argument about which administration is disliked more or the principles of the Tea Party movement. My only concern is when stories, especially character pieces, are written without contacting the individuals that are the focus of the story to validate the facts surrounding the core of the article.
The election night gathering at Sun Mountain Fun Center was a multi-platform gathering that was certainly more Republican than Independent or Democratic, but I can assure you that all parties, with the exception of the Green Party were in attendance. KTVZ, KOHD, and KPOV Radio were on hand to interview attendees and candidates and everyone was in great spirits. There was no intimidation, no in-your-face celebrating as the results came in to show a clear shift in national politics, and no overt political squabbling. Tristan at KPOV Radio actually contacted me during the day and asked if it was “safe” for him to come and set up for a live broadcast and I assured him that if anyone from any party or group acted inappropriately they would be escorted out. In summation it was a nice civilized evening that was enjoyable for all.
Sun Mountain Fun Center is no haven for Tea Party activists and instead remains a safe, fun environment for families to spend quality time together. I am not a fringe candidate that has an agenda outside of listening to the citizens of Bend, asking important questions, and gathering facts before making statements or judgments that effect the city of Bend. I would only ask the same from the reporters at the Source Weekly when writing articles, especially those attacking the character of individuals in our community.
Thanks much,
Scott Ramsay
I voted for Ramsey not because of his affiliation with the dreaded Tea Party. He earned my vote simply because his opponent, Chuck Arnold, has a MAJOR conflict of interest being the president of the Downtowners Committee. If Chuck would have resigned to run for City Council I would have voted for him no problem. I surprised the staff at The Source didn’t pick that up and run with it. As for you Mr. Ramsey, I expect good things from you, don’t let us down or you can expect this to be a one-time gig.
Scott,
I’m not really interested in sniping back and forth about this issue and I do want to talk to you about the election, which has taken a turn for the dramatic with the final results as close as they are. However, I want to answer your charge about the paper and its reporters not contacting subjects. It’s true that if I, or one of the reporters on staff, were working an election story we would have contacted you before publishing anything about the gathering at Sun Mountain. Bruce, however, is not a reporter, he is a columnist and a blogger paid by the paper to provide his opinion on a range of topics of his choosing. Nowhere in the paper, or online does Bruce’s content fly under the News banner. That said Bruce holds himself accountable to the facts, and so do we. In this case, it appears there is some additional context to the gathering. However, the fact that you are affiliated even loosely with the Bend Tea Party was news to me. If you’re not associated with BTP and don’t want to be (It’s still unclear from what you’ve written), I would respectfully suggest that you might want to distance from the organization because the relationship certainly looks a little cozy from here. However, if your sole gripe is that Bruce didn’t call you before writing the piece, I can only re-iterate that what you are reading is a blog — an inherently subjective work of the author that isn’t held the same editorial standard as a “news” story.
I hope that clears up some of the confusion.
— Eric
“I can assure you that all parties, with the exception of the Green Party were in attendance.”
I’ve always wanted to meet one of those mysterious Tea Party Democrats, but can’t seem to come across one. They may exist, but if they do they must be more rare than whooping cranes or black-footed ferrets.