In a follow up to our compare/contrast post, where we showed the strength of the “tea party” in WI. In Washington DC the “Tea Party Express” rolled into town and apparently the invites are still at the printers.
This big crowd showed up to hear Herman Caine speak. I guess whatever Cain has, momentum, interest and popularity is not on the list.
H/T and rest of the story – Talking Points memo.
Can the Mainstream Media please, please, please, stop pretending that the “tea party” is relevant?
Bonus link: \"Dysfunctional\" Too Polite to Describe Tea Party Congress:
It is revealing to listen to the congressional freshmen affiliated with the tea party as the debt clock ticks down and panic begins to set in. Many of them have repeatedly vowed to vote down any bill to increase the debt limit, but somehow they’re sure that if those checks don’t go out and that debt doesn’t get paid, it will be the president’s fault and not theirs. Some say there is no reason why the Treasury should miss any of its bond payments. Others have sent a letter to the White House, urging Obama to “prioritize” those Social Security checks if worse comes to worst.
Such outbursts prove that the tea party is not only against taxes and spending, but is strictly opposed to arithmetic, which like climate science is probably just another socialist plot. They also prove the utter insincerity of these characters, who just voted this week for the “Cut, Cap and Balance” bill that would gut Social Security, along with Medicare, while erecting a constitutional wall around tax breaks for society’s wealthiest individuals and corporations. They want to pose as defenders of the middle-class and the American dream, even as they promote legislation that would destroy the programs and institutions that are the foundation of that way of life.
There is no need to look too far to find the source of our discontent — our “dysfunction,” if you must. It is in the Congress, which the American people mistakenly turned over to fakers and fools last November. Every poll shows that most voters regret that error now, and wish that Congress would tax the wealthy and preserve social insurance. Now those voter had better make their remorse heard, and loudly, if they hope to avert catastrophe.
It is unfortunate that so many that were desperate for jobs voted for the people who promised the jobs would come. Feeling let down by the Democrats, they turned to the “new guy” , trusting that it would be better. Unfortunately, it has become clear the Tea Party lied and are simply protecting the rich and powerful. This is painful to the public, who simply wanted the jobs. I really hope that this Tea Party feels the wrath of a “snookered” public in the next voting cycle.
I thought this article was somewhat intersting. Basically, it concludes that both parties are fundamentally wrong on the debt.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/07/27/miron.debt.ceiling/index.html
SI, I completely disagree with this article. For lack of time at the moment I will just hit on a couple items.
1. medicare is absolutely NOT the “primary driver of the fiscal nightmare”
2.
Just absolutely Not true and it is a tired right wing talking point.
3.
What he should be saying is that it is affordable to a few families that HE PERSONALLY KNOWS. It is not affordable to many many many families that are trying to make ends meet on a daily and weekly basis.
4.
UGGGGGGG as a Cancer Survivor, when i was diagnosed, all I cared about was beating it. After meeting with my dr’s I did not run home quick and start calling local hospitals and clinics for the best price. What i cared about was getting the Cancer out of me and living. Call me a crazy liberal but I think 100% of Americans who are sick should be able to do the exact same thing.
5.
what thunder would that be exactly? The republicans have thunder? this would be the end of democratic party(see IKE’s famous quote)
6.
Amen to that and may it always be that way!
7.
This is another outstanding talking point that sounds great and is not based on reality. In reality Americans are paying the lowest tax rate they have in 50 years and 2/3 of corporations pay no taxes…how is that working for us?
Gotta love that inside the beltway bubble thinking. Only there is proposing something that would be EXTREMELY unpopular (and as Jeff correctly notes the death of the party) be akin to “stealing thunder”. Out of touch morons. Sad thing is, idiot Dems in Washington are always most susceptible to this convervative-ish* beltway pressure. Witness their own stupid obsession with contractionary economics right now. (yeah yeah, only a DFH would argue contractionary policies aren’t, you know, expansionary).
(* not that the beltway cw is motivated by a conservative ideology, but the result of being so constatntly out of touch with society is almost always to tsk tsk the DFH’s for being so unSerious; meanwhile IOKIYAR).