Former GOP Congressman On Fox: 'Just Voting No' On Everything Is What Makes Tea Partiers 'Chuckleheads'

Former Congressman Steve LaTourette of the Main Street Republican Partnership and Matt Kibbe of FreedomWorks clashed on Fox News Sunday over remarks LaTourette made where he called members of the Tea Party 'chuckle-heads.' LaTourette blamed the Tea Party for the current budget problem while Kibbe rejected the notion that members of the Tea Party are somehow responsible for the frequent budget crises that have consumed Capitol Hill in recent years.

'I don't think I would say it is all Tea Party freshmen, it is those who seem more interested in voting no and going home than governing,' said LaTourette when asked by Wallace to explain the position.

Kibbe went on to defend the Tea Party saying that the only reason anybody is actually talking about balancing a budget is because of the Tea Party members that were swept into Congress in 2010. Kibbe said that the Tea Party members are the only people on Capitol Hill that are actually serious about solving the long term budget problems.

'We're never gonna fix this problem just by pretending that the process of bipartisanship somehow gets to real problems because that's how we got here. This crisis was created by both Republicans and Democrats not willing to make tough choices,' said Kibbe.

LaTourette proceeded to reiterate his point saying that the Tea Party members are an important part of the GOP but that they can't just throw their hands up at everything and say no. They have to work together with others if they want to get anything done, he said.

'Just voting no and then holding your nose and saying 'boy if it passes I can go home to my local Tea Party groups and say 'I voted no!' that's ridiculous. That's what makes them chuckleheads,' said LaTourette.

Watch clip below via Fox

ABC's Matthew Dowd Torches CPAC: 'It's Like A Flintstones Episode' And Stuck In 'Mesozoic Era'

ABC contributor Matthew Dowd heavily criticized the Conservative Political Action Conference during a segment on This Week for including Sarah Palin as a major speaker at the convention and for being out of step with modern conservative politics. He described the conference as being stuck in a Flitstones episode and said that 'its time has come and gone.'

Dowd took dead aim at Palin for her reality show remarks about Washington's political class by nothing that she actually had her own reality show. 'Between Palin and the Kardashians, there's ten reality shows that have been built around that,' he said.

The imagery and the attendees of the conference struck Dowd as being completely outside the current political climate saying that it is increasingly filled with relics of a conservative movement from a different time. 'It's like going to the Land Before Time, it's like going to a Flintstones episode. It's like a bunch of dinosaurs. Most of them are throwbacks in time. It's like who's running for Grand Poobah of the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes,' he said.

'CPAC's time has come and gone and it's time for somebody to put together a 21st century conservative agenda,' he said.

When asked about having conservative ideas hashed out public he said he's fine with but 'I just wouldn't do it in the Mesozoic Era.'

Watch clip below via ABC

Paul Ryan Tells CBS' Bob Schieffer 'We Do Not Have A Debt Crisis'

Congressman Paul Ryan downplayed concerns that the United States is in the midst of a debt crisis on Face The Nation this morning by saying that the country hasn't arrived there yet because it is buoyed by factors unique to America. Ryan's statement was similar to what House Speaker John Boehner said earlier today where he too allayed concerns of a national debt crisis.

America is still a step ahead of the European nations that are confronting a debt crisis, of Japan that is in its second lost decade, it's partly because of our resilient economy, because of our world currency status. So we do not have a debt crisis right now but we see it coming. We know it's irrefutably happening and the point we're trying to make with our budget is let's get ahead of this problem,' Ryan said.

RELATED: John Boehner Tells ABC He Trusts Obama, Agrees Debt Is 'Not An Immediate Problem'

Ryan said that the longer the nation delays in addressing the current budget problems will lead to serious harm to the seniors and the poor down the road when it's too late to resolve the debt problem.

Bob Schieffer asked Ryan if he trusts he president and congressional Democrats and Ryan said he does but with caution.

'I subscribe to the Reagan school of thought which is 'Trust but verify,'' he said.

Watch clip below via CBS

Sarah Palin's CPAC Speech Trashes Establishment GOP, Calls Obama Liar, Reality Star

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin delivered the most scathing and electric rebuke of President Obama at CPAC yet by calling him a liar along with a litany of other one liner insults during her lunchtime address that repeatedly brought the crowd to its feet. Later in her speech Palin unleashed her wrath on Karl Rove and the assorted political consultants that she so despises.

After being introduced by Senator Ted Cruz in a surprise appearance, Palin unleashed a laundry list of zingers in Obama's direction on guns, criticizing calls for a ban assault weapons and expanded background checks.

'It's not about the bad guys, it's all about the led. That chunk of metal solely did the crime,' she said, snarkly ripping the president's gun proposals.

'That's like saying that pork made me fat,' Palin said, moving quickly to her next zinger.

'More Background checks? Dandy idea Mr. President, should have started with yours,' Palin said to roaring laughter.

Palin trashed Obama for his nearly all of his policies from guns to the budget to 'free Obamaphones and prophylactics.' At one point she ripped Obama's budgetary practices, calling him a liar and echoing Congressman Joe Wilson's 2009 outburst. 'Barack Obama promised the most transparent administration ever. Barack Obama, you lie!'she said, again drawing applause and cheers.

At one point Palin, a former reality TV star, ripped Washington as a whole for lacking 'leadership' and being a 'reality television show.'

Some of her other zingers:

'We don't have leadership coming out of Washington. We have reality television.'

'He's got the rifle, I got the rack.' When referencing a gun rack gift for her husband, Todd.

'Remember No drama Obama? Now it's all drama Obama.'

My advice to college kids is: You gotta be thinking Sam Adams not drinking Sam Adams.

After she completed her thorough trashing of the president she took a dig at New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg by drinking a big gulp on stage and expressing her disgust at the soda band that he attempted to implement. Still, she was not done as the consultant class and Karl Rover were next in her line of fire. Palin delivered a scathing rebuke of the failed 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney without mentioning him or any of the consultants involved by name just saying that they continue to make millions even though they repeatedly lose elections.

'If these experts keep losing elections keep raking in millions, if they feel that strongly about who should run in this party they should buck up and run or stay in the truck. The architects can head on back to the Lone Star State and put their name on the ballot,' she said in a clear reference to Rove.

This was Palin's second CPAC appearance.

Watch full speech below via CSPAN:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Another Reason Anderson Cooper Should Be Glad His Daytime Show Is Ending

Padma Lakshmi joined Anderson Cooper as his co-host on his first episode back after a hiatus to cover the papal conclave, and boy do those Anderson Live producers know how to throw a warm welcome home.

After an awkwardly segued video clip of the new show Finding Bigfoot, Padma and Anderson fell into titters over the absurd premise when ' HOLY SHIT WHAT WAS THAT?!

That, friends, is Bigfoot pranking non-believers. Move over, Ellen. Anderson's jokes might start trumping yours in virality.

Check out the priceless moment below.

Conservative Rockstar Ben Carson Excites CPAC Crowd With 2016 Talk

Dr. Ben Carson wowed the crowd at CPAC with a thoughtful speech that mixed tidbits about neuroscience with current politics and policy and in the process managed to firmly cement his position as a conservative darling. Carson drew a loud and sustained applause when he said toyed with the crowd about a possible 2016 crowd.

Carson rocketed to superstardom in conservative circles after lecturing President Obama during the National Prayer Breakfast in February . He further raised his profile among the conservatives by making the rounds on numerous right-leaning media shows and being ridiculed on some left-leaning programs.

During his speech 22 minute speech the neurosurgeon focused on what he called 'common sense' and 'logic' in today's political world and implored not just conservatives but liberals, too, to use it everyday. Carson hit on religious themes while frequently circling back to the prayer breakfast that put him on the radar of national conservatives.

'This is a country for, of, and by the people not for, of, and by the government. If we turn it over to them we cannot complain about what they're doing because this is a natural course of men and we have to hold their feet to the fire,' Carson said.

Carson's biggest moment came when he hinted at what it would be like to be president.

'Let's just say you magically put me in the White House,' he said, eliciting a roar of cheers and long applause from the crowd.

'I take it back,' he said, before going on to explain how he thinks Obama is destroyin the nation by dividing the nation and pitting people against each other.

Watch clip below via CSPAN

Donald Trump: Forget 'Illegals,' Let's Ship In More 'Europeans'

After insulting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as a Golden Girl Friday morning, the roster of headliners at the Conservative Political Action Conference continued to woo the groups of voters they alienated during the 2012 election. This time, former GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump told the CPAC audience to give up on ever earning the votes of the '11 million illegals,' even if they were given citizenship, and instead, wondered 'Why aren't we letting people in from Europe?'

'When it comes to immigration, you know that the 11 million illegals, even if given the right to vote, you know you're going to have to do what's right. But the fact is, 11 million people will be voting Democratic,' Trump said, and in case the message about those 11 million undocumented immigrants was lost on the crowd, added 'You can be out front, you can be the spearhead, you can do whatever you want to do, but every one of those 11 million people will be voting Democratic, that's just the way it works.'

Trump went on to describe the current push for comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, a 'suicide mission' for Republicans, a clear message that Republicans should give up on the Latino vote they just lost so crushingly. In case it still wasn't clear, he added, 'You're just not going to get those votes.'

He then contrasted that electoral calculation with this question: 'Why aren't we letting people in from Europe?'

'I have many friends, many, many friends, and nobody wants to talk this. Nobody wants to say it,' Trump said, 'but I have many friends from Europe, they want to come in!'

As Mitt Romney never tires of reminding people, the Republicans got their clocks completely sterilized by minorities and women in 2012, and immediately began to try and make inroads, particularly through renewed support for comprehensive immigration reform. Trump's clear disdain for immigration reform, and his preference for 'European' immigrants, isn't likely to help with those inroads, and perhaps provides a preview of what the GOP has in store for future primaries.

It's also worth noting that, in another part of his speech, Trump wondered why the United States gives military support to South Korea, which is currently facing renewed threats from North Korea. 'What do we get for it?' Trump asked, rhetorically. 'Nothing.'

This guy once held a double-digit lead over eventual nominee Mitt Romney, who, himself, thought that the United States could be brought to its knees by any terrorist claiming to have planted a dirty bomb somewhere. We dodged those bullets, but the party is still fully loaded.

Here's the clip, from CPAC 2013:

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