Profiles in Cowardice: How the Tea Party Radical Congress Works(fails the country)

Its comic. Obviously Earl and Obama both went to the same school of English where the word "compromise" is synonymous with the word "subjugate", and the word "truth" has the definition of the word "lie".

For some real comedy, check this out:

 

Long time Conservatives, republican politicians, conservative thought leaders, the WSJ have all attacked the tea party strategy of black mailing the United States. Those are the thoughts of Republicans.

From Michael Gerson, a former member of the GOP administration and a conservative columnist:

The only people who follow this situation and tend to blame Obama are tea party fanatics. Long term Repulicans find the teaparty to be a destructive force with a wild radical political agenda.

The WSJ called the tea party congress Kamikazes. Kamikazes fly their planes into "their enemy" and try and kill them. That describes 9/11.

The house majority leader Boehner is being led by his tail the tea party fanatics in his party who are supported by independent groups who threaten Republican politicians who don't follow their idealogical radical perspective. Those are the same groups mounting campaigns against existing Republicans as noted above.

The advice from the radical right could well be the worst advice given to Americans in modern times. It is easily the most destructive thinking the US faces.

In late 2009 early 2010 the US was hit by a modern version of the Swine Flu epidemic not then seen by scientists. As reported a conservative estimate of deaths, probably severely underreported suggested over12,000 deaths in the US from this epidemic: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/estimates_2009_h1n1.htm

Rush Limbaugh the voice of tea party anti-Obama hatred, voicer of all things anti government so long as the Dems control the White House said this and advised his followers to not get protective shots.

Here is his response in a nutshell:

In late September 2008 with Lehman crushed and the nation rushing into what became the worst recession in 80 years, a Republican majority voted against emergency funding. World wide stock markets collapsed and instant LIBOR bank lending rates soared as the US and world wide financial markets and economic conditions faced ruination:

On September 30, 2008 the Republican dominated House voted against TARP sending all stock markets around the world crashing and world wide LIBOR rates instantly soaring.
The Philosophy of Right Wing Republicans is simply at odds with how the world works.

Immediately thereafter a second vote occurred in a few days, TARP was passed, funds started to flow into the failing economy and the beginning of recovery was planted, markets settled, interest rates returned to operational levels...and with TARP passed the first seeds of money's flowing into the collapsing economy helped to stave off what surely would have been a massive US and possibly world wide depression.


There has simply never been a more destructive philosophy and a series of destructive actions taken by a minority faction within a party that can and has more destructive elements than those of the far right wing.

It is why ever more Republican and Conservative commentators absolutely rail against the teaparty.

800,000 Americans lost work yesterday and 1 million were told to work without pay. The tea party Public Relations machine claims its Obama's fault. This from a faction of conservative who attack other republicans for engaging in the most fundamental element of American politics: Compromise. This is the attack from the tea party agenda who on the night after Obama became President in eary 2009 and the US was experiencing the worst recession in modern times, met at dinner and pledged to attack every Obama proposal whatsoever.

Only fanatics believe the teaparty agenda. The remarkable fact is how many conservative and Republican voices now hate and attack the tea party kamikazes.

Its always interesting when your elementary class has recess and they allow you to use the computer,

 

I am sure if Obama decides to stop spying on Americans, close the secret prisons, finance the wars in different countries,.... not only U.S. Government can pay for these people but hire many more doctors, nurses, teachers, build libraries, build schools and generally make a better world for Americans.

 

With so much corruption and the bribes that they are getting on the side, most politicians will go to "work" if you don´t pay them.

You really don´t believe that people risk tens of millions of their own private money in hopes of becoming president so they can get 400,000 dollars /year for 4 years, do you?

 

I agree

I agree on the politicians. Particularly the GOP members of congress who forced the shutdown. The note I read about the woman was that she was from Connecticut and had psychiatric problems. Haven't been following it since that last update. I did catch that one of the injured Capitol Police was working while his pay was delayed.

The miserable irony. That guy has his pay delayed while protecting members of Congress.

The political element is that a small minority of radical members of congress representing a tiny portion of the population have decided to throw 800,000 people out of work and delay the payments to another million while cutting back funding across the country into many areas. One of the worst cutbacks is for women and children in need.

Meanwhile the members of Congress who pushed this through are getting paid and getting protected by people without pay. Tea Party member of Congress Darrell Issa is the wealthiest member of Congress. He is reportedly worth over $450 million. He is being paid a congressman's salary by tax payers. As part of the tea party Public Relations attacks they floated a suggestion to make their congressional staffs subject to various health care rulings that would require his staff to pay between $7-12,000/year in extra health care benefits.

The sequestor cut Congressional staffs and expenses but not the wealthy congressman's salary. Now he wants to further slice their pay.

He has helped push 800,000 out of work right now.

He is getting full pay.

 

@sarahk its a shame these members of Congress are getting paid while they drive 800,000 out of work and the number is increasing. This GOP congressional creep is getting paid while he is sleeping on the job.


Meanwhile people are going without pay and poor mothers and children are losing food.

Today the largest govt contractor announced 3,000 additional furloughs of its own workstaff as a result of the shutdown. More will be coming.

While that old GOP member of congress is sleeping and getting paid and the wealthiest member of Congress, Darrell Issa, worth $450 million is getting paid by taxpayers while pushing to cut off the incomes of 1 million others, the national economy is once again being ruined by Right Wing perspectives.

 

More Information on Cowardly GOP Members of Congress
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The world at large is deeply aware of the cowardly nature of a significant membership of the GOP, all who are being threatened in primaries by the extreme right wing and their ultra rich ultra conservative financiers. If they don't vote the way the uber Right Wing wants they will be targeted in primaries.

Here is an analysis of how the GOP congress that has shut down the government is broken down into groups:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/10/04/the-5-species-of-house-republicans/

 

Actually it turned out that she was just a nujob off her meds.

 

Also I find it ironic that the Dems are so surprised of a shutdown when for the past decade they did nothing else but sling mud at Republicans and hit them with zero tolerance lawsuits and bills. Obungo King of morons and Stalin's true successor has played the class warfare card , religious warfare card and race warfare card since his election . Under his rule the US went from "global superpower who sometimes does stupid things" to "that place full of violent bankrupt morons" .

Now they're surprised that the Republicans have fought back tooth and nail - well when you gloat over someone for years and strip them of right and dignity then you can expect this type of reaction. Just ask the French what happened to them after they spit and robbed the Germans for 15 years.

 

In California, we passed a law by ballot measure ( a law voted in directly by the people) that prevents politicians from being paid unless they pass a balanced budget. The year it went into effect, the politicians sued claiming the law violated the state constitution. They also passed a balanced budget that was a complete fiction, made up of taxes they immediately repealed once their pay was restored. Its hard to point fingers at a political party in California, because the Republicans have been gerrymandered to the point of irrelevance. I doubt such a law would be any more effective at the federal level. Those who make the rules will never be held accountable to them.

Not exactly how it turned out.

I suppose if there were some politics to blame for this woman's death, it would be Obama's NSA spying programs and our militarized police force willing to pump hundreds of rounds into anyone they consider a problem.

@earlpearl: I had considered responding to your first multi-chapter post, but when you started responding to your own posts with more demagogic nonsense, I figured you found the echo of your own voice soothing enough to carry on a conversation.

I know you find it irritating... no... enraging to find the Tea Party calls the shots in the People's house. So much for the Tea Party's demise, despite all the obituaries given on a daily basis on MSNBC. This is what a populist movement looks like.

All the talk of terrorist/hostage taking/gun to our heads/blah blah blah blah, its a waste of time. Nobody is listening. Gallup has dropped Obama's numbers four points since the beginning of this shutdown, and I'm betting he will go a whole lot lower before its over. Its a funny thing about being the president. Rightly or wrongly, you get all the credit and blame for things that happen in Washington, no matter how much you claim the dog ate your homework.

The guy(Obama) is truly a pathetic tool. He isn't qualified to be a mid level manager. Hell, I wouldn't hire him to clean my toilets. I used to think I wouldn't mind having a beer with him, but those days are gone too. Consider how much damage Carter did to the Democratic brand. In the bitter watches of the night, when all life seems to be shrinking from your party, I'm guessing you secretly wish Obama would just quietly go away.

 

Every poll points to the fact that the majority of the country is disgusted with Congress. The overwhelming point though is that most people point to the Republicans as the problem.

What is fascinating is how many voices from the Conservative Right Wing and even libertarians are disgusted with the tea party. It is seen from the Right as a renegade group with a destructive hate filled agenda:

Consider these perspectives from different parts of the country and different Right Wing perspectives:

From an original libertarian tea partier who is disgusted with the hate filled agenda of this current politicized tea party:

http://geargrinder2012.thoughts.com/posts/tea-party-is-over-ex-activist-says-racism-hypocrisilled-the-movement

From aspects of the business community that is strongly Republican and is now working to find candidates to run against some of the tea party members of Congress: from Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee: http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...3d698a-2d27-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html

and from long term Conservative commentators and GOP members of Congress: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/scold-your-own/?_r=0

What is astonishing to see the massive blowback against the current manifestation of the tea party by a large spectrum of the Conservative Right.

 

Just how much do some Republicans hate the tea party:
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Respected journalist James Fallows wrote an article attacking Boehner for his work as House Majority Leader.

He got quite a few responses: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...utdown-reader-1-in-defense-of-boehner/280316/

one was from very long term GOP Capitol Hill key staffer to the Republicans, Mike Lofgren:

Mr. Lofgren, who quit his career of 28 years on the hill as a result of the changes by the tea party congress suggests articles of impeachment be brought up against the tea party congress.

 

28 years working as a Congressional staffer. Oh the calamity. This guy should have been put out to pasture decades ago. Talk about a RINO poster child of the status quo. I bet the Democrats didn't love him so much when he worshiped at the feet of George W. Bush. Oh no, back then, he was the symbol of everything wrong with this country, according to Democrats. Now he is their "most credible" witness.

What is astonishing is the cognitive dissonance exhibited by the professional left on the status of the Tea Party. At once they are all but extinct and in control of congress and the senate. At once they are hated by their own party, yet running the show with the help of the Speaker of the House (who represents the Republican majority.... all of them).

Make up your mind. If they are all but extinct, stick with that mantra. If they are in charge, stick with that one. Just pick ONE so you don't sound completely insane.

 

More on the small radical tea party element that has caused a shutdown, slowed the economy and now is aiming for default
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Tea Party influence in the Congress has had the following ramifications:

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Congress has caused a government shutdown, slowed the economy, enabled furloughed workers to apply for unemployment, costed taxpayers money....and now is threatening a default.

Its all astonishing in that its completely unnecessary. In a nutshell its nuts. At its worst it caused a financial meltdown in the US and world wide. Its a complete breakdown of the ability to govern. To date Congress has not passed a SINGLE appropriations agreement. There is no agreement as to funding for future spending by the federal government. None. The Congress has proven incapable of governing or compromising in any way.

The tea party faction made it impossible to pass an initial farm bill causing enormous frustration and anger among Republicans representing farm states. The initial house leadership bill was defeated, primarily by an uprising among tea party members. Bending to this faction the House leadership has crafted a bill that skewers what had long been a political compromise providing agricultural funding and relief to the poor. Tea Partiers have simply demanded no money for people who have little and can't fund a daily budget for food.

Now with a farm bill being less likely to pass by early January it is probable milk costs will skyrocket. There are about 80 million Americans under the age of 18. Many are young children. Tea Party recalcitrance is threatening to limit milk to these millions of Americans.

No funding bills have passed. Nothing. Its the do nothing congress. Meanwhile the tea party Republicans have voted against ObamaCare 40 times in the last two years. And of course that means nothing. Its simply public relations fodder for the tea party minority.

The Make up of the House tea Party and coward contingents in the GOP​

Ryan Lizza has written about the 80 GOP members of the House that signed a controversial letter in August demanding a shutdown if ObamaCare wasn't defeated: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blo...efund-obamacare-suicide-caucus-geography.html

The members who are pushing this destructive policy received 12% of the US Congressional vote in 2012. Their districts are primarily rural and significantly from the South. They represent gerrymandered districts that are decidedly NOT like the overall US population. They are overwhelmingly white, voted overwhelmingly for Romney in the 2012 election, and completely misrepresent the population at large. The unrepresentative minority won't legislate, won't compromise, can't pass legislation...but is willing to blackmail the US and cause widespread financial ruin.

A lot of these signers are considered part of the Coward Contingent of the GOP​

Its been written by many who follow Congress closely that many of these members of the GOP would not have signed this petition if not for fear of being "primaried" by ultra conservative Right Wing Tea partiers. A member of the GOP national party explained specifically how the GOP is being led around by the tail, the hard boiled deeply radical tea partiers that practice mafia like threats to get their way: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ainst-republican-led-government-shutdown.html

In other words do what the tea party wants or a more conservative radical will run against you in a primary. Its simple blackmail.

A tight analysis of this group suggests that about 50 members of the House GOP fall within the Coward Coalition: Republicans that know they are doing wrong by black mailing the United States but are afraid to cross the tea party: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/10/04/the-5-species-of-house-republicans/

Tea Party Radicals Drive ever more Republicans from their own party
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It is astonishing how many republicans are disgusted with the tea party. While I've listed many known conservatives and GOP members who are disgusted with the tea party and its blackmail tactics....here is a group of state activists and seat holders who have just left the party because of its radicalism:

http://www.nationalmemo.com/the-party-is-over-for-13-maine-republicans/2/

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I've got a question for you Dave. How does a group "blackmail" a moderate congressman by threatening to run someone against them in a primary unless they vote a certain way? Don't elections represent the will of the people? If the majority of the people in that "moderate" congressman's district don't want him/her to vote along Tea Party lines, in what way would a primary challenger make a difference? They would be trying to unseat an incumbent that voted in a manner representative of his district.

Its like saying Nancy Pelosi could be primaries for supporting post birth abortions. The truth is, the people in her district LOVE poverty, racism, and post birth abortions so she is aces in their book, just the way she is.

 

Good question: Everyone should read what Congressman Walden said to GOP financial supporters disturbed by the teaparty:

On a Monday last month, Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, met with some top GOP donors for lunch at Le Cirque on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The donors, a youngish collection of financial industry types and lawyers, had some questions for Walden, a mild-mannered lawmaker from eastern Oregon known for speaking his mind.



Why, they asked, did the GOP seem so in the thrall of its most extremist wing? The donors, banker types who occupy the upper reaches of Wall Street’s towers, couldn’t understand why the Republican Party—their party—seemed close to threatening the nation with a government shutdown, never mind a default if the debt ceiling isn’t raised later this month.

“Listen,” Walden said, according to several people present. “We have to do this because of the Tea Party. If we don’t, these guys are going to get primaried and they are going to lose their primary.”

Since the tea party, following in the path of the NRA, has been the one group on the right wing both threatening GOP members of Congress unless they vote to the extreme and there has been no organized resistance they have managed to dominate smallish primaries wherein the huge majority of people don't vote. Small groups of hyper active radicals can have oversized results.

Now the country as a whole is seeing the results. On the GOP side its interesting to see various anti tea party groups mass to run anti tea party candidates. It appears the same will occur from the part of the population that wants common sense gun laws to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous and disturbed people.

If a member of Congress is too scared to vote for what he knows is right because of threats from the tea party than that is blackmail.

Primaries are not the will of the people, but have have evolved into opportunities for small groups of extremists to take advantage of the disinterest and lack of information of the majority. It appears that will change in the future. But for the time being the nation as a whole, and the world economy is being threatened by a mafia of extremists from the right wing.

 

I can't believe it David. You had the sack to answer my question, instead of repeating the talking points you picked up from MSNBC like you normally do. So to your claim, you think the Tea Party has the ability to "primary" candidates because they are engaged citizens who vote, while most Republican primary voters are unengaged and ignorant, practically Democrats really. That is quite a claim, so I'm curious as to where your evidence is. Anything? Anything at all?

Seriously, how low would the Republican primary turnout really have to be for such a "small section of one party" be able to have such an impact? If the Tea Party is really only 10%, does that mean the Republicans who actually showed up to vote constitute less than 10% of the primary voters? If less than 10% of Republican primary voters who dislike the Tea Party showed up to vote, don't they deserve to lose? Isn't that Democracy? I didn't see you complaining when the dead, illegal aliens, and convicted felons voting from jail helped to put Democratic candidates into office. To you, those elections were perfectly normal.

Face it. The reason "moderate" Republicans are voting with Boehner and the Tea Party is because Tea Party values on these subjects will help them keep their seats with MOST Republican voters, not just some fringe RINOS, one step away from voting Democrat.

 

Revocation of Independence

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your failure to financially manage yourselves and inability to effectively govern yourselves responsibly, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up ‘revocation’ in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, David William Donald Cameron, will appoint a Governor for the former United States of America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated sometime next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. You will learn that the suffix ˜burgh” is pronounced “burra”; you may elect to spell Pittsburgh as ˜Pittsberg” if you find you simply can’t cope with correct pronunciation. Then look up “aluminum” and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
2. The letter “U” will be reinstated in words such as ˜colour”, “favour” and “neighbour”. Likewise, you will learn to spell “doughnut” without skipping half the letters.
3. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels (look up “vocabulary”). Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as “like” and “you know” is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.
4. There is no such thing as “US English”. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter “u”.
5. You will relearn your original national anthem, “God Save The Queen”, but only after fully carrying out Task #1 (see above).
6. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
7. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you’re not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults and then used solely for shooting grouse. If you’re not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you’re not ready to handle a gun, let alone shoot grouse.
8. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
9. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.
10. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
11. The former United States of America will adopt the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland prices on petrol (which you have been calling “gasoline”) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.
12. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French Fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with malt vinegar.
13. Waiters and waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.
14. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling “beer” is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. New Zealand beer is also acceptable, as New Zealand is pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth – see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat’s Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
15. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one’s ears removed with a cheese grater.
16. You will cease playing “American” Football. There are only two kinds of proper football; one you call soccer, and rugby. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American Football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies or Jessies – English slangs for effeminate males and blouses for big girls respectively).
17. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the “World Series” for a game which is not played outside of the United States of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket.
18. You must tell us who killed JFK. It’s been driving us mad.
19. An inland revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty’s Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
20. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Are Tea Party Conservatives Credible
and do their followers have any sense
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Consider Mark Sanford, member of Congress from South Carolina. Do you remember him?

He lied to his wife:
He lied to his kids:
He lied to the government of the state of South Carolina
He lied to his staff
He lied to the population of the state of South Carolina
He abandoned his wife:
He abandoned his kids:
He abandoned the State:
As head of the National Guard he walked out on his responsibility in the event of a crisis:

Then he came back to the state. He cried.

He wouldn't resign from his position. The state did not impeach him. And then his term as governor of South Carolina ended.

he decided to run for Congress.
He knowingly violated a court order and broke the law.
He campaigned while debating a cardboard cutout.
The people of his district voted him into a position as a member of Congress. He is a tea party advocate for shutting down the government and threatening a world wide default.
He told government workers who are furloughed to go back to work, even without pay. This from a guy who walked out on his job while being paid and lied to everyone.

Is he credible?