Morristown Tea Party Draws Thousands

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the festivities down in Morristown, NJ, although it appears thousands showed up and had a good time.

Today's tea-party protest on the Green erupted in cheers when one speaker said he was thankful his son will not see President Obama's back-to-school speech in class.

Radio talk show host Steve Malzberg, who assailed Obama as "a Marxist ... who fundamentally despises everything that's great about America," predicted the president will use his speech to encourage students to "give back" rather than pursue personal wealth.

"How do you give back until you get," said Malzberg, who lives in Fair Lawn and did not name the school declining to show the speech.

Amid accusations from Obama's critics that his speech Tuesday will advance a partisan agenda, the White House today released the text in which the president exhorts children merely to work hard and stay in school.

The thousands at today's three-hour rally starting at 11 a.m. -- Morristown police did not provide a crowd estimate -- indicated they already had made their minds up about the speech, Obama and his 7-month-old administration.

Many brought signs calling him a socialist; a few accused him of treason.

Speakers assailed Obama over his health care plan and his former environmental adviser, Van Jones, who resigned last weekend following the disclosure that he once signed a petition suggesting a possible government role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

FOX News business analyst Charles Payne, an invited speaker, explained the nationwide protests named after the Tea Party leading up to the Revolutionary War by saying, "I think a lot of people are not ready to see this country turned upside down."

No confrontations were observed with a handful of counter-protesters, including Dan Grant of Montville, who walked around the Green holding a campaign sign from Ted Kennedy's unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1980. His wife, Patti, held a Clinton/Gore sign from 1996.

Geez, we're here in very blue New Jersey and all the left can drum up are a couple of people with dated signs?

The Star-Ledger estimates the crowd at 2,000. More photos at that link. If anyone locally attended feel free to send a link.

'I Don't Know What Caroline Kennedy's Qualifications Are'

Neither do I. Except for the fact she's got the Kennedy name. But that's all it takes with Democrats, right?

Apparently not. My guess is Gary Ackerman, being from Queens, is probably a Cuomo guy.

A prominent New York Democratic congressman publicly questioned Caroline Kennedy's credentials to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying she's no more qualified to hold office than Jennifer Lopez.

Rep. Gary Ackerman of Queens, a 25-year veteran of Congress, declared in a radio interview: "I don't know what Caroline Kennedy's qualifications are."

"Except that she has name recognition, but so does J.Lo," Ackerman continued on Steve Malzberg's radio show on WOR. "I wouldn't make J.Lo the senator unless she proved she had great qualifications, but we haven't seen them yet."

Well, according to popular lore, she's got a nice ass. Doesn't that count for something? Oh, and she can sing and act a little bit.

On second thought, she is more qualified than Kennedy.

Ackerman's interview was posted on the Web by Malzberg yesterday after being broadcast Monday.

Ackerman is the first prominent New York Democrat to question Kennedy's credentials at a time when Gov. Paterson is considering John F. Kennedy's daughter as one of a dozen potential replacements for Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for secretary of state.

Some Democratic activists have publicly questioned the fitness of Kennedy, a lawyer and mother of three who has never sought public office, for the Senate. But no prominent elected Democrat had been willing to take on a member of the powerful Kennedy clan until now.