Anarchism: a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups.
Merriam-Webster
We on the left need to stop mincing words: the TEA Party are dictionary definition anarchists. Instead of “burn, baby, burn” their rallying cry has become “shut it down.” That those with strength will quickly cease power forms one of the major objections to classical anarchism. The TEA Party embraces this, claiming that such an unregulated corporate power will bring about jobs. That certainly hasn’t happened in any of the third world countries that have tried it: I suspect that the result will be similar here.
Let’s be honest the TEA Party could best be described as a group of insane anarchists. Shutting down the FHA in the middle of a housing crisis is not a sane act. Sending government workers home with unemployment at 8.8% is not a sane act. The demand to fire government workers, taking jobs out of the economy, while the country still suffers from some of the highest levels of unemployment is not a sane act. Ceasing to pay the military while fighting two wars is an act so insane as to be nearly unthinkable in American history.
Do the above equate the TEA party with bomb throwers in the street? Maybe not. One thing though puts the call for a shutdown outside the pale of reason: Fukushima. According to the NRC, as reported by the New York Times, the Fukushima Daiichi plant hangs by a thread. Another earthquake risks rupturing the already weakened reactor containment send the plant too and past Chernobyl levels, a risk underscored by today’s earthquake off the coast of Japan. Unlike with Chernobyl the United States is directly downwind from the accident. While the Pacific Ocean will insulate this country against anything but very large values of bad: a worst case involving multiple reactors and spent fuel pools qualifies as a very large value of bad.
Hopefully, and most likely, a meltdown at Fukushima will not represent an overwhelming disaster for the United States. This only makes the full operation of government more critical. In a measured disaster the actions of government have the opportunity to moderate harm to human health and property. Even without a direct effect on the country if the situation worsens, even if it is confined to Japan, the United States may find that it needs to quickly bring resources to bare to protect its economic interests.
In a shutdown vital services will stay open, though without paying those providing them. Disasters are unpredictable, during a disaster all services are vital. The last thing you want is a delay while locating a furloughed employee that didn’t seem vital last week but is critical now. Put frankly, shutting down the government right now is the equivalent of shutting Louisiana down while there is a category 5 in the gulf because it will probably hit the Florida panhandle. If predictions turn out to be wrong you will have a major problem. Shutting government down under such circumstances is not the action of sane and rational adults.
So what about the Democrats? Well we’ve already caved to the Republican’s original demand for thirty three billion in cuts. The result was a demand for more cuts and policy riders on the bill. The TEA Party has announced its intention to “shut it down.” When you give the other side everything they want and they come back asking for more, it becomes clear that the other side is not negotiating in good faith. At some point the situation may grow so dire that resumption of government at any cost becomes an option. Currently, caving to prevent what might happen cannot justify the deaths that will result if women's health screens and air born pollution enforcement are scrapped. The TEA Party want to “shut it down” and it seems like they will. What we must do is win the following PR fight. In doing so it will be helpful to remember that a time exists when we must call a spade a spade. The TEA Party are a group of anarchists that have taken over the house of representative and seek to use that power to undo rule of law.