Classical Values :: Do the "Wackos" really have a "road map to paralysis"?

September 16, 2010

Do the "Wackos" really have a "road map to paralysis"?

Today's Philadelphia Inquirer features an editorial about the Tea Party movement which made me feel oddly optimistic. Asks the Inky, what would the Tea Party movement do?

The unanswered question is what the tea party movement would do if its candidates arrive in Congress in January.

Since they perceive cooperating with Democrats as treasonous, would they rather shut down the government? And let's not forget the movement's fringe obsession with questions about Obama's citizenship, or the percolating hysteria that he's a socialist.

Joe Miller, the Senate candidate from Alaska, believes government shouldn't pay for unemployment insurance. Sharron Angle, the Senate candidate from Nevada, said in a radio interview that unemployment insurance "really doesn't benefit anyone." (That's not too far from the rhetoric of Pennsylvania's Republican gubernatorial candidate, Tom Corbett.) Rand Paul, the GOP candidate for Senate in Kentucky, said private businesses shouldn't be forced to abide by civil-rights laws (although he wouldn't try to repeal the 1964 Civil Rights Act).

Gov. Rendell was right when he said recently that the GOP is being "taken over by wackos."

Checks and balances are necessary for any administration, but these election results are shaping up as a road map to paralysis.

Considering what government in general has been up to recently, paralysis is cool with me.

Especially if it means taking over the government, and then leaving you alone.

I only hope the wackos are serious.

AFTERTHOUGHT: What the Inquirer seems to be forgetting is that the American voters have a long history of wanting gridlock. Or paralysis. Whatever.

posted by Eric on 09.16.10 at 11:32 AM

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Comments

The best we can hope for in sending Tea Party candidates to congress is government paralysis. In other words, when you've got lemons, make lemonade.

I have never signed on to this Tea Party movement. It is too easy to hijack a political grass roots movement without any central leadership. And as Glenn Reynolds has pointed out, it is 2/3 women.

Sarah Palin is the prime mover here, isn't she? While I admire her personally, and have reluctantly come around to accepting that she will be the Republican standard bearer in 2012, she is still not qualified to be president. (Not that the yo-yo in there now is.) But, behind all this alleged focus on the economy, taxes, and small government, the religious right is using stealth to infiltrate. And good old Sarah is backing it.

At least two of the Republican Senate candidates, Sharon Angle and Christine O'Donnell, are right-wing religious nuts. Both were backed by Palin. If elected in Novemeber, they will take their religious baggage with them. O'Donnell is the smarter of the two, and the most vicious. She's a kind of modern day Carrie Nation. I can picture her taking the oath of office with one hand on the Bible, and the other holding a hatchet. Carrie's famous quote: Men are nicotine-soaked, beer-besmirched, whiskey-greased, red-eyed devils.) comes to mind.

It's also interesting that Palin backed Kerry Ayotte over her Tea Party backed, male adversary, La Montagne, in New Hampshire.

Frank · September 16, 2010 04:46 PM

Beggin' yer pardon, and with all due respect, and the rest of that stuff......

We really think that 6 weeks every other year ought to be enough for the government to do all that it ought to be doing.

We would like to go days at a time without wondering what the hell they are up to now.

Of course I exaggerate. I think maybe three weeks every year makes more sense.

I am not comfortable with wishing paralysis on anybody--as a committed claustrophobic, that is one of the scariest things I an think of. But long periods of inactivity would be OK. The could go get real jobs, learn what is involved with meeting a payroll, and stuff. The might even find somebody that would pay them.

Larry Sheldon · September 16, 2010 04:51 PM

Hahahaha, the Inquirer. I remember when the Inquirer was a real newspaper. Hell, there aren't any real newspapers anymore.

Eric, you know the Inqy and the DN are for sale, right?

Want to go thirds with me and M.? We should be able to get the whole thing for about a hundred bucks. Let me know.

dr kill · September 16, 2010 05:56 PM

dr. kill,

Put me down for half. The salvage value of the presses ought to cover my share. With a tidy profit.

M. Simon · September 16, 2010 07:17 PM