A Liberal "Tea Party" Spoiler and His Entourage of Nuts

Jack Davis: Tea Party Liberal?

SPECIAL ELECTION ALERT:

On May 24, a self-described "tea party" candidate, Jack Davis, could be the key to victory for the Democrat in a special election to replace a disgraced U.S. congressman in NY-26 .

The Republican in the race seems to be a satisfactory alternative to the liberal Democrat. So why is Jack Davis in this race? Is it because the Republican, Jane Corwin, is too liberal? Surely not. Jack Davis has a résumé that would make almost any liberal Democrat very proud:

Jack Davis has been endorsed by ACORN's own NY political party, the Working Family Party. He is ardently pro-abortion and even supports partial birth abortions.

Davis' signature issue is a new tariff program that is advocated by Keynesian and far-left economist Paul Krugman. In short, it is another central planning scheme that makes Smoot-Hawley look like free-trade. He is opposed to any and all entitlement reform at the federal level. His campaign manager is a progressive consultant who called the Tea Party "a harbinger of midlife crisis."

While the Tea Party was protesting Obama's socialist agenda in 2009, Jack Davis was sending campaign donations to Democrats who voted in favor of Obama policies. One donation in particular was sent to Louise Slaughter one week after cap and trade passed. Louise Slaughter is one of the most liberal congresswomen in the House and was the Democrat leader who came up with the "deem and pass" rule for Obamacare.

This is Davis’ fourth attempt to win the 26th district. He ran in '04, '06 and '08 as a Democrat. When asked to square his old résumé with his new rhetoric, Davis stretches his credibility beyond the breaking point:

...Jack Davis told the media: “I’ve always believed in smaller government and less taxes.” What small government, less taxes principle was at play when he supported Barack Obama in 2008? Speaking of Obama and Democrats circa 2008, Jack Davis said he’d “do everything in (his) power to get them elected in November.”

As noted by Sam Foster, one of Jack Davis’ most influential supporters is Jim Ostrowski, a defeatist crank who wraps himself in a tea partyer's Gadsen flag, but hides behind an incoherent quasi-libertarian philosophy in his inexplicable guerrilla war against active political participation.

In an interview with World Net Daily, Jim Ostrowski reveals that he is a flaming kook:

...voting is like trying to stop a hurricane with your breath. The main function of voting is to give big government an excuse to push you around. The thugs always have the trump card as we hear constantly now: We won the election!

[emphasis added]

If you're tempted to give Ostrowski the benefit of the doubt, read on:

WND: Unlike Neal Boortz, a Republican in libertarian's clothing, you're clearly not a proponent of the political process. Before he joined the Fox News tea-party fest, the talk show host had pooh-poohed the tea protests, touting the political process instead. In a blog post, "Tea Parties – Give Me a Break," Boortz advocated "registering voters who actually produce and contribute to our society," rather than protesting. Why is politics a rigged charade?

OSTROWSKI: Well, I've been in the trenches for 35 years, since I was a kid. The game is rigged like a poker game where you are the sucker. They gerrymander districts. They use our tax money to buy votes and extract donations. So, even if you get a good candidate, you are outspent 10 to one and outmanned 10 to one since they use "off duty" government employees to campaign against you. I'm an election lawyer, so I know they try to knock you off the ballot or at least tie you up in court.

[emphasis added]

Ostrowski recommends his impotent 12-step program for remaining on the political sidelines in lieu of actively engaging in the political process at the polls and with the pocketbook. So perhaps it should be no surprise that this feckless crackpot is touting an entirely self-financed candidate who has no chance of winning.

Another reason for Ostrowski's support might be the money:

The Davis campaign paid Ostrowski $51,500 for legal work aimed at getting the independent candidate on the ballot.

And while Ostrowski has insisted that he stayed out of his coalition's endorsement process, that's not how it looks to [Levi] Russell, who said Davis "has paid tens of thousands of dollars to somebody to give him the endorsement."

Jim Ostrowski is, of course, free to run for the hills with his disciples, put on his tin foil hat, and keep an eye out for black helicopters. But voters in NY-26, including Ostrowski coalition of supporters, should make no mistake. Jack Davis is not conservative, he is not a libertarian, he is not in line with mainstream Tea Party values, and his most vocal proponent[s?] are nuts.

MORE

Tea party activists eager to disown Davis

Influential Rochester Radio Talk Show host Bob Lonsberry of WHAM unendorses Jack Davis

Hat tip to Sam Foster at Pajamas Media

X-posted