No, I've never written here before, seldom even commented. I'm more of a lurker, I guess I was just exceptionally cranky today and felt the need to vent, even if it's preaching to the choir.
I know this is a bit disjointed so feel free to slam away!
The forces behind high fructose corn syrup have been in the news lately. It seems people are becoming more and more resistant to choosing it. Their product is wildly unpopular due to its adverse affects. They would like to change the name to corn sugar. This name change is not because they made it better for you, its because nobody has heard anything bad about corn sugar. So it will sell better. This is a PR move plain and simple. They would like to bury an unfavorable history, especially recently, and their product will become instantly 'popular' again.
Does that sound familiar? It should. That is what the Republican Party is doing as well. The Grand Old Party has a bit of a tarnished name lately (thanks Georgie! among others) and the public as a whole doesn't like their product anymore. Much like high fructose corn syrup, they're not interested in making it better, that would take effort. Instead they'd just like to create a new name. And the tea party is born. See how they fight with Republicans? It's because they're different, they're not part of that wildly unpopular party that polls show a majority of Americans believe is the worst option available.They are new and different and worthy of your vote consideration.
Except that they're not.
Ask yourself what party line they run on in elections? Republican? Interesting. That's because this is not a new party, it's a rebranding. A new party would require hard work. A name change, on the other hand, is fairly easy. Plus you don't even need to change the product! While the product may still be bad for you, its got a new name so maybe its better. At least it's different.
Ask yourself where is their money coming from? Republican big money! Shocking I know. But the media says its a grass roots organization?? Yes, a grass roots organization funded by several of the richest Republicans in the country. Rupert Murdoch and the Koch brothers certainly bring grass
roots to mind whenever I think of them. Net worth of $6 billion, and $17 billion each respectively.
Ask yourself who is organizing this? Well, a large part of it is organized by FreedomWorks. In 2009 they gave help to at least 600 different tea party protests. Who is FreedomWorks?
FreedomWorks was created in 2004 by a merging of Citizens for a Sound Economy and Empower America.
Oh boy, that means we need to backtrack.
-Citizens for a Sound Economy was established in 1984 by... the Koch brothers. In 2004 it split into FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity.
-Empower America was formed in 1993 by William Bennett, Jack Kemp, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Vin Weber.
You remember those guys right?
William Bennett, Secretary of Education under Reagan, Director of National Drug Control Policy under George H W Bush and fellow of the Heritage Foundation, Republican.
Jack Kemp, Secretary of HUD, and a NY Representative for 18 years, Republican.
Jeane Kirkpatrick, US Ambassador to the U.N. under Reagan, Republican.
Vin Weber, US Representative from MN for 12 years, lobbyist for Lockheed Martin, Republican.
At least 3 of those 4 were also intimately involved in PNAC, the Project for a New American Century, the group most strongly associated with promoting the invasion of Iraq after 9/11 (they also promoted this need well before 9/11, see their letter to President Clinton in 1998 urging him to remove the Saddam Hussein regime from power, now they just had a better, though not real, excuse).
There is another significant helper for the tea party. It's called Americans For Prosperity. They have dozens of state chapters helping with event planning. Who is Americans for Prosperity? They were the other group that was split off the Koch founded Citizens for a Sound Economy we
just reviewed.
Ask yourself what are their grand ideas or what is their platform?
Well you'd have to start with their 'Contract from America'. Yes, just like the Contract with America authored by Newt Gingrich. Remember, we're rebranding, not creating. This one is different though because it was developed from the ground up, you know, grass roots style. Those original grass roots ideas were narrowed down to 10 with the help of, who else, FreedomWorks leader Dick Armey.
- Identify constitutionality of every new law. It is critical to follow the Constitution except when we don't want to follow it, like natural birthright citizenship.
- Reject emissions trading. This is the hell no to cap and trade idea, instead proposing economic incentives. Like say, giving companies government money for not destroying things. No big government there for sure.
- Require a balanced federal budget with a 2/3 vote required for tax changes. Note that it's not required for spending cuts. Or spending increases for that matter, like say, an off the budget war.
- Simplify the tax system. Libertarians rejoice, here is your idea. A single rate tax system that can't be more than 4543 words long, the length of the original Constitution. Hey everyone has their fetishes I guess.
- Audit federal government agencies for constitutionality. This is for the states rights folks, who again, find this very very important, except when they don't agree with it, like gay marriage or legalizing pot.
- Limit annual growth in federal spending. Well, except for defense I suppose.
- Repeal the new health care legislation which seems to contradict number six which is scored as a deficit reducer, but I never said they were good ideas.
- Pass an 'All of the above' energy policy. Authorize the exploration of additional energy reserves to reduce American dependency of foreign energy sources, reduce regulation of all forms of energy creation. This is for the drill baby drill folks, lets find all our energy here, in America damnit. Lets spend money on figuring out how to make oil shale reasonably affordable, but lets NOT spend money figuring out how to make wind or solar more affordable. The later would big government and anti-free market.
- Reduce earmarks. Moratorium on all earmarks until the budget is balanced, after which a 2/3 majority is required for any earmarks. 2/3 majority, sounds like what we already have now, at least when Democrats are in charge, it's called the Senate.
- Reduce taxes. Repeal all recent tax increases, extend all temporary reductions in any tax you can name. This is because trickle down works! Except the only thing trickling is warm piss.
A short summary of this would be: Eliminate taxes, block Obama, drill baby drill, cut spending we don't like, use the Constitution parts we agree with.
Well look at that platform, it's the same as Republicans! There is no difference at all. None. I dare you to find just one. (Unless, maybe, is 'be more racist' a platform? Maybe I'm off a little and the platform is 'be more overtly racist'.) The platform isn't different because the product isn't different. It's just repackaged.
So we see that this grassroots effort is paid for by big money Republicans, run by Republican operatives, and supported by Republican infrastructure. But the beneficiaries are NOT Republicans, no no, they're tea party candidates, raised up by the people for the people in an astounding show of patriotism and good governance. Right.
The tea party is not essentially Republicans, it is EXACTLY Republicans, it's just the louder ones.
Even if the Tea Party fails, they may successfully move the Overton window. Many voters will say 'I'm not voting for that crazy tea party candidate, but this Independent/Republican party candidate, they're much more sensible.' Despite the fact that they have the exact same agenda. They just don't spit out quite as much of 'the crazy'.
Why does the media act like this is some spontaneous new uprising. I'm baffled and frustrated.
It's the same party its always been and will do the same things they did under Bush, regardless of how much they try to distance themselves.
It's not a new core, it's not a new slogan, it's not a new group of people.
It's the people who hate government and want to destroy government running for government positions.
America you're being offered a re-branded lousy product that you claim to not like, and apparently you're buying it. This election should be called The Great Corn Sugar Midterm.