When angry mobs disrupted healthcare reform town halls last summer, the first warning shots were fired. Back then Republican Party leadership appeared amused by the ruckus being created, believing they would ride the crest of this discontent to victory. They may not have shared the "birther" angst or "death panel" rage, but they played with these notions, and with a wink and a nod sought to use them to their advantage.
At that time I warned that the economic insecurity on which the GOP leadership was preying, and the anger with which they were toying, could ultimately turn on them and devour them first. And now after a half dozen or so highly charged Republican primary contests, it appears that this is exactly what has happened.
With Palin and the Tea Party acting as the chief cheerleaders and Newt, Beck and Rush -- the boys charged with pouring gasoline on the bonfire -- the GOP no longer looks like the Party of Lincoln. In fact, it doesn't even look like the party of Reagan anymore. No tears should be shed for the grey men in expensive suits who fed the fire and stoked the flames. They got burned and that's what happens. While some debate whether this is good for Democrats in November, my concern is less with what will happen in the election and more importantly what the success of this movement of malcontents will mean for civil discourse and our democracy.
town hall gatherings didn't seem organic at all but more the cause of the right fanning the
flames. At the time, I thought, there is no way they can let go of this snake without
getting bitten and now watching them trying to get a handle on this seems like just desserts.
They succeeded because a minority can sway primaries with low turnout. Elections are different.
The Tea Party is less powerful than many third-parties Presidential candidates have been.
As a regressive movement, the Tea Party is not as significant as was George Wallace.
First, we have a republic, not a democracy.
It seems that there is a growing rage among the people that Huffpost readers enjoy trashing all the time - you know, the common people that live in the middle of the country. The kind of people who build and fix and farm. The kind of people you look down your noses at and make fun of.
These are the people who send their sons off to fight our imperial wars, and bury them when they return in boxes. The people who have worked hard all of their lives, but still get crapped on by the financial and government elites. They are deeply angry, because their lives are now being destroyed by governments and large businesses. They are losing their homes and farms in heartbreaking numbers. They are not far from becoming destitute.
If you ever took the time to really know these folks then you would understand why they are so angry. Angry enough to pull your world apart. They are the Sons of Martha, and they make your world. If they withdraw consent to be governed then our present government will fall. Beware the fury of the patient man....
Here’s the big question; say the Democrats pick up seats in the House and the Senate, which is quite possible (for there are more rational Americans than not), what will happen?
Just remember Teabaggers you probably won't get a Coalition of the Willing for your next round of wars. You may be darlings at home, but overseas you will remind the world of the Ugly American.
To me this is about corporatist vs populist and not dem/repub or left/right or liberal/conservative or even capitalism/socialism. It is about the people taking back the government from special interests, especially multinational corporations and banks, and the entrenched bureaucracy that serves these special interests. Both the Democratic party and Republican party are part of this entrenched bureaucracy.
The Teabagger movement is born out of frustration with the Establishment Republican party which they have come to realize does not represent them at all. This morning I read a Glenn Greenwald column that speaks about this. If you are interested:
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/09/16/tea_party/index.html
There is no connection between the Tea Party and Dems. And fact is, a third party cannot win. Not seats in Congress, not the Presidency. The Tea Party can't win either of them.
Your call to destroy Dems is a call to elect Repubs, period.
Your call to continue with the Dems as they are now will just continue the status quo. The ststus quo is two unwinnable wars that are bankrupting the country, expansion of government powers at the expense of civil liberties, eliminating the last renmants of the social safety nets, elimination of social security, etc..The Democratic president with a clear mandate and with control of both Congress and the Senate are continuing and even expanding this status quo.
Stupid and self righteous is probably the worst combintion to have and right now those two qualities command a very high premium in the electibility on the right. (Angle, O'Donnel, Miller, Paul et al). You have people like Fiorina who fired 30,000 workers and was voted top 20 worst CEOs by her own kind, running on a jobs agenda !?
Hopefully this is a passing phase-else we are in serious trouble-one only needs to look at countries ruled by fundamental folks to see where we might end up.