Tornado Alley (PROG)

[StephanieVanbryce]

this is sickening - Clarence Thomas' wife starts Tea Party group



An interesting and troubling profile today in the LA Times.

In January, Virginia Thomas created Liberty Central Inc., a nonprofit lobbying group whose website will organize activism around a set of conservative "core principles," she said.

The group plans to issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election, although Thomas would not specify how. She said it would accept donations from various sources -- including corporations -- as allowed under campaign finance rules recently loosened by the Supreme Court.

"I adore all the new citizen patriots who are rising up across this country," Thomas, who goes by Ginni, said on the panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference. "I have felt called to the front lines with you, with my fellow citizens, to preserve what made America great." [ http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-thomas14-2010mar14,0,6505384.story ] And of her philosophy?

Although Liberty Central is a nonpartisan group, its website shows an affinity for conservative principles. Her biography notes that Thomas is a fan of Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin, author of "Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America."

"She is intrigued by Glenn Beck and listening carefully," the bio says.

And of course

As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, Liberty Central can raise unlimited amounts of corporate money and largely avoid disclosing its donors.

Because of a recent Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the group may also spend corporate money freely to advocate for or against candidates for office.

Justice Thomas was part of the 5-4 majority in that case.

Clarence Thomas called President Obama's criticism of that decision "irresponsible".

For her part, Virginia (Ginni) Thomas recently commissioned a poll with the Tea Party Patriots Some of the key findings of the poll include:

* The size of this movement is increasing and it evidences a conservative ascendancy.
* New citizen activists are increasingly worried that we are losing the core of what makes America great.
* They are more likely to be consumers of mainstream media, but find most credibility in talk radio, the internet and Fox News.
* Their key ‘gripes’ are: (1) aloof politicians, (2) biased media and (3) leftist agenda untethered to core founding principles of our nation.
* Their focus is intensely on 2010.
* Their demographics are unusually even in terms of age, education and income.

Seems to be inextricably linked.

more embedded links here
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/14/846102/-Clarence-Thomas-wife-starts-Tea-Party-group