When will the spending stop??

[Alceste]

I still don't get what the purpose of the Tea Party being a Republican propaganda arm is. Most Tea Partiers (at least the ones I know about) are either too extreme for the Republican Party, or so extreme that it is not in the benefit of the Party to associate with them. If anything, having a supposedly libertarian Tea Party running candidates around will split the economic rightist vote.

Are the Republicans intentionally trying to lose the next elections, perhaps so that the blame for the disaster they sent rolling in the 1980s will be shared on the winning democrats? After all, with the shortsighted American public, anyone who's around when something bad happens will get the blame, regardless of who caused it. That's why Bush is blamed for imitating Reagan's horrible economic policies, whereas Reagan is worshiped as a Saint.

I agree with your impressions. The tea party, which began as an arms-length Republican strategy to capitalize on feelings of disempowerment and racism in their base after the election, has grown into a political movement with its own momentum. The tea party is now putting forward extremely crazy, racist, religious extremist, conspiracy nut, Ayn Rand fanatic candidates for Republican primaries - and winning - in many districts.

This strategy seems to be a great gift for the Democrats - they no longer have to even pretend to have progressive inclinations to win over all those coveted moderate independents in swing states. They only have to appear slightly rational, fair-minded and informed and they'll look like the far better choice.

 

[T-Dawg]

I agree with your impressions. The tea party, which began as an arms-length Republican strategy to capitalize on feelings of disempowerment and racism in their base after the election, has grown into a political movement with its own momentum. The tea party is now putting forward extremely crazy, racist, religious extremist, conspiracy nut, Ayn Rand fanatic candidates for Republican primaries - and winning - in many districts.

This strategy seems to be a great gift for the Democrats - they no longer have to even pretend to have progressive inclinations to win over all those coveted moderate independents in swing states. They only have to appear slightly rational, fair-minded and informed and they'll look like the far better choice.

And that, of course, has been the Republican grand strategy since Reagan - be so ridiculously extremist that the opposition feels the need to move rightward in order to appear "bipartisan," causing the entire political spectrum to shift right.

 

[Alceste]

And that, of course, has been the Republican grand strategy since Reagan - be so ridiculously extremist that the opposition feels the need to move rightward in order to appear "bipartisan," causing the entire political spectrum to shift right.

Yup, you got it.

 

[Kathryn]

T-Dawg - that's because the Republican Party did NOT start the Tea Party movement.

 

[Revoltingest]

T-Dawg - that's because the Republican Party did NOT start the Tea Party movement.

You're just part of the conspiracy to cover up its origins. Either that, or you're a spoil sport who's out to ruin a good yarn.

 

[Engyo]

T-Dawg - that's because the Republican Party did NOT start the Tea Party movement.

Whether they did or not, they have certainly been willing to ride it, haven't they? Been a somewhat bumpy ride so far, of course.

I want to see what happens if/when some Tea Party candidates actually end up in Congress. I look at the morphing going on with Tea Party candidates like Sharon Angle from pre-primary to post-primary, and it just makes me wonder how much truth there is in old proverbs (like "Power corrupts.....").

That will definitely be interesting, even if only in the old Chinese proverb sense.

 

[Darkness]

Sarah Palin is an idiot, and there are plenty, plenty more Tea Party participants that agree with me on that one.

Just as there are plenty of Tea Party participants who think she is a wonderfully intelligent politician.

There is no "National Tea Party" party by the way. There are many loosely affiliated groups who RESIST pigeon holing and being forced into a defined box.

I know. Nevertheless, the name of the even was called the "National Tea Party Convention."

You're right. The movement was originally orchestrated by a PR firm acting on behalf of the Republican Party and publicized through Fox News, the propaganda wing of the Republican Party. If the Republicans were still in power there would still be loads of libertarians and bigots, but no tea party "movement" to unify them behind Sarah Palin's presidential campaign.

I honestly do not know how the Tea Party movement was started, but I do know that Fox News is pushing them with all their might, not because they agree with them, (All the good Fox Conservatives had no fundamental complaints with the Bush Administration), but because they help the Republican party. The Republican party is so far right-wing that even the significantly further right-wing tea party voters will still probably vote Republican in most instances.

 

[Alceste]

I honestly do not know how the Tea Party movement was started...

You might want to bookmark Sourcewatch:

Chris Good writes in The Atlantic, "Here is the organizational landscape of the April 15 tea party movement, in a nutshell: three national-level conservative groups, all with slightly different agendas, are guiding it. All are quick to tell you that the movement is a bottom-up affair and that its grassroots cred is real. They are: FreedomWorks, the conservative action group led by Dick Armey; dontGO, a tech savvy free-market action group that sprang out of last August's oil-drilling debate in the House of Representatives; and Americans for Prosperity, an issue advocacy/activist group based on free market principles. Conservative bloggers, talk show hosts, and other media figures have attached themselves to the movement in peripheral capacities. Armey will appear at a major rally in Atlanta, FreedomWorks said. All three groups vehemently deny that the movement is a product of AstroTurfing -- fake grassroots activism organized from the top down -- as some on the left have claimed."

[1] Alternet reports, "The Tea Party movement was born on Feb. 19 with a now-famous rant by second-string CNBC correspondent Rick Santelli, who called for a 'Chicago Tea Party' in protest of President Barack Obama's plans to help distressed American homeowners. Santelli’s call blazed through the blogosphere, greased along by a number of FreedomWorks-funded blogs, propelling him to the status of a 21st century Samuel Adams -- a leader and symbol of disenfranchised Americans suffering under big-government oppression and mismanagement of the economy. That same day, a nationwide 'Tea Party' protest movement mysteriously materialized on the Internet. A whole ring of Web sites came online within hours of Santelli's rant, like sleeper-cell blogs waiting for the trigger to act, all claiming to have been inspired by Santelli's allegedly impromptu outburst. ... But as our investigation showed, the key players in the Tea Party Web ring were no amateurs, but rather experienced Republican operatives with deep connections to FreedomWorks and other fake grassroots campaigns pushing pro-big-business interests."

I read an article a while back where one of the Republican propagandists controlling the movement suggested that he is planning to install a "leader" eventually, but not until after the 2010 elections. For the time being, it helps the Republicans to pretend it is a spontaneous grassroots movement. After the elections, I expect somebody like Palin to be thrust out into the spotlight to sieze the momentum. Sounds crazy, I know, but Ron Paul has too much experience, intellectual independence and integrity to be a useful figurehead for Big Business.

Seems like a lot of trouble to go to, IMO. All those nutters who've been swept up into the Tea Party would have voted Republican anyway.

 

[Kathryn]

Hmmmm, I voted for Hilary Clinton in the last election, as did my husband.

Sarah Palin has no future as a serious candidate in any party. Of course, no one can really stop her from running - but she won't win anything. She's disliked even by many conservatives.

 

[Darkness]

Hmmmm, I voted for Hilary Clinton in the last election, as did my husband.

You mean the Hilary Clinton who claimed to exit her plane in Bosnia under sniper-fire, while in reality a sweet little girl read a poem to her?

Sarah Palin has no future as a serious candidate in any party. Of course, no one can really stop her from running - but she won't win anything. She's disliked even by many conservatives.

I fear that Americans may be stupid enough to vote for her, someday. I know she has no real chance of winning, but the possibility is so scary that I have to worry. :shout

 

[Kathryn]

You mean the Hilary Clinton who claimed to exit her plane in Bosnia under sniper-fire, while in reality a sweet little girl read a poem to her?



I fear that Americans may be stupid enough to vote for her, someday. I know she has no real chance of winning, but the possibility is so scary that I have to worry. :shout

Yes - Hilary Clinton was the lesser of the evils in my opinion. At least I don't have to live with the guilt and regret of voting for Obama.

And Americans CAN be stupid - look who we've been voting in as Presidents for the past umpteen years. Not to mention Congress and the Senate. Sheeze.

But we're no stupider than most other people in other countries. At least we don't have porn stars and former Nazis in high public offices. Yet.

But you gotta admit - we don't have a lot of stellar choices out there usually. The men and women with real character refuse to play the political game.

Don't worry - I doubt very seriously that Sarah Palin will ever win an election anywhere again. You can sleep easy tonight.

 

[Smoke]

Hmmmm, I voted for Hilary Clinton in the last election, as did my husband.

Surely you mean the primary?

 

[Engyo]

I fear that Americans may be stupid enough to vote for her, someday. I know she has no real chance of winning, but the possibility is so scary that I have to worry. :shout

Have you seen Idiocracy?

 

[Kathryn]

Surely you mean the primary?

Well, yes. After that I pretty much gave up all hope of redemption for this country. McCain is not consistent and my gosh, look who he picked as a running mate. There is NO WAY I would vote for Sarah Palin to be our VP.

He lost me right there. Well, he had actually already lost me, but that sealed it forever, even after the primaries.

The choices this last go round were depressing. To be honest, I am not even sure who I voted for, for President, in the final election. I may have even simply left it blank.

I considered not even voting at all - but I hate for it to come to that point.

 

[Kathryn]

And don't get me wrong - I'm no big HC fan either. But at least with Hillary, you know what you're getting. Obama has attorney double speak down pat. I think with that man there is simply no substance, no depth whatsoever. And what IS there is deceitful, self serving, arrogant, and extremely egotistical.

But wait...that description fits most career politicians...

 

[Darkness]

Yes - Hilary Clinton was the lesser of the evils in my opinion. At least I don't have to live with the guilt and regret of voting for Obama.

And Americans CAN be stupid - look who we've been voting in as Presidents for the past umpteen years. Not to mention Congress and the Senate. Sheeze.

But we're no stupider than most other people in other countries. At least we don't have porn stars and former Nazis in high public offices. Yet.

But you gotta admit - we don't have a lot of stellar choices out there usually. The men and women with real character refuse to play the political game.

Don't worry - I doubt very seriously that Sarah Palin will ever win an election anywhere again. You can sleep easy tonight.

Who used to be a porn star and who used to be a Nazi? Berlusconi and Pope Benedict?

Have you seen Idiocracy?

I saw the first half-hour and the end. It is a funny concept.

 

[Alceste]

I fear that Americans may be stupid enough to vote for her, someday. I know she has no real chance of winning, but the possibility is so scary that I have to worry. :shout

I share your fear. I thought "no way" to begin with, then I remembered they managed to get Bush II and Reagan in, neither of whom had any brains at all.

They did have penises though, so I hold out hope that the people who are dumb enough to vote for Palin are too sexist to do so.

 

[Sunstone]

They did have penises though, so I hold out hope that the people who are dumb enough to vote for Palin are too sexist to do so.

If the people stupid enough to vote for Palin are sexist enough to refuse to vote for her, I will be satisfied that humanity is fundamentally invincible.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

Fannie Mae narrows loss, but asks for more aid

May be the place to start cutting is the military:yes:.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

And don't get me wrong - I'm no big HC fan either. But at least with Hillary, you know what you're getting. Obama has attorney double speak down pat. I think with that man there is simply no substance, no depth whatsoever. And what IS there is deceitful, self serving, arrogant, and extremely egotistical.

But wait...that description fits most career politicians...

You do know that Hilary ran to the left of Obama. If you keep on posting like this... I am going to send you a red bandana and call you comrade. Welcome sister to the liberal club.)(