TIME TO DUMP THE TEA PARTY OVERBOARD! (Part Two)

January 22, 2012  By Jack Jodell

I will begin this segment with a portrayal of some of the classic Tea Party originators and adherents, to pass on for future unbelieving ages just how hatefully ignorant and anti-democracy some of the people are, and why they are a complete aberration in American politics.

Tea Party co-founder DICK ARMEY is a perfect example. A one time House Majority Leader who enthusiastically believed in and preached the archaic modern Republican beliefs of deregulation, low taxes on the wealthy, small government, and disdain for the poor, this greedy man left Congress to pursue a lucrative career in political fundraising and lobbying. Always far-right, he helped launch, and would funnel millions of dollars into, the massive anti-health care campaign which spawned the Tea Party back in 2009. He and his cohorts set up networks of rabid far-right creeps to bus into and disrupt targeted Democratic representatives’ town hall meetings that summer. They saw to it that these kooks were provided not only transportation, but also talking points with which to shout down these representatives. They were successful in riling up a huge cadre of fearful elderly. low-information voters and turned them (plus many other sullen misfits) into an angry and militant voting block that eventually took over the Republican Party and which ousted the Democrats from their brief four year control of the House in 2010. Along the way, they skillfully disseminated disinformation and found an all-too-eager reactionary Fox “News” ready to fan the flames of their wholly-manufactured discontent with the President’s health care plan. Fox irresponsibly declared this a grassroots movement and spread these fanatics’ passion like wildfire. Before long, copycat Tea Party groups were springing up nationwide. Armey and his group of lying scoundrels had not only achieved Republican House control, but had parlayed their success into a large GOP election sweep all throughout the off-year elections. With so many statehouses now under Republican control, a massive gerrymandering effort was hurriedly implemented which will ensure heightened (and not necessarily truly representative) GOP control for many years to come. 

Armey has shown himself to be especially self-centered and vile. He not only recently received an astounding $8 MILLION payoff from the Tea Party to not go through with a purported hostile personal takeover of them, but was also condescending, rude, and sexist toward columnist Joan Walsh in a 2009 shared interview on Hardball with Chris Matthews. Armey at one point accused Ms. Walsh of “talking like a paid political hack” and also derisively dismissed her by saying “I’m so damn glad you can never be my wife because I surely wouldn’t have to listen to that prattle from you every day.” I was shocked at his obvious contempt for Ms. Walsh, and the vitriolic nature of his comment has stayed with me years later. My only other thought (then and now) was: poor MRS. Armey!

Minnesota Congressperson MICHELE BACHMANN was quick to latch onto the Tea Party for personal political benefit.  She tried to use it to propel herself into the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, but mercifully for the world,however, voters rejected her bid. She is Tea Party through and through, though, as she has repeatedly pushed to repeal not only the Affordable Care Act, but also favors abolishing the minimum wage!

Newly-elected Texas Senator TED CRUZ is another one of these Tea Party kooks. As a veteran attorney, though, he should know better. This insensitive man is also  a rabid NRA defender. He has even gone so far as to accuse President Obama of using the recent terrible Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings  for partisan political advantage. It was obvious to all but these crazed Tea Party fanatics that the President’s recent remarks to the grieving parents and friends of those victims of this murderous attack were heartfelt and genuine. Only overly-gerrymandered Texas could produce such a cruel and unfeeling man and send him to the U.S. Senate!

Current Kentucky Senator RAND PAUL, also the beneficiary of recent Republican gerrymandering efforts, has already established himself as a leading wacko Tea Party supporter. This outspoken fool has already stated he would not have voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as he believes it gave the federal government too much regulatory. He has also called for every proposed bill to be first determined to be constitutional prior to its being passed.           

Former Alaska half-term governor SARAH PALIN is the epitome of a Tea Party member: oh so ignorant; oh so woefully lacking in knowledge about current events, geography, history, or science; oh so self-centered; and oh so opportunistic. Since her debacle as a vice presidential candidate in 2008, she has been on a tear making as much money as she can possibly stuff into her purse and pretending to have something of any value to say whatsoever with her appearances on Fox “News”. 

Former South Carolina Representative, then Senator JIM DE MINT left Congress a few months ago to make big bucks for himself as a leader and lobbyist for a conservative think tank.  His time in the House and the Senate was unremarkable in that he constantly voted far-right and never sponsored a single major piece of legislation the entire time he was in office. What DeMint excelled in, though, was rabble-rousing and pushing his colleagues ever rightward. He publicly supported the Tea Party from its very earliest days and funneled a lot of money into the campaigns of other Tea Partiers, always positioning himself as a fringe force. Like Sarah Palin, he left office prematurely in search of personal wealth. I would term him a fringe FARCE. 

Former Tea Party Express chairman MARK WILLIAMS is a good example of Tea Party ignorant racism. As a far-right California radio shock jock, he referred to the President as “an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug.” He also said that Muslims worship a “terrorist Monkey God.” Now who could possibly be doing his fact-checking for him?

Fabulously wealthy DAVID KOCH of the notorious Koch brothers, and founder of the far-right, anti-tax, anti-regulation Americans for Prosperity lobbying group, has very close ties to the Tea Party even as he denies any personal involvement with them. He has spent millions to defeat Democratic candidates over the years, and has supported many anti-Obama administration initiatives.

These are but a few of the vast numbers of politicians, public figures, and/or businesspersons who have strongly supported the Tea Party since its inception in 2009. I would trust NONE of them to educate or coach your young children. NONE OF THEM ARE LIKE YOU. NONE OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ACTING IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, AND NONE SHOULD THEREFORE BE ON, OR BE ABLE TO INFLUENCE, THE PUBLIC PAYROLL!

Coming next: my parting thoughts on this wretched Tea Party, and why its attempt to rule this country must NEVER be realized!