The Tea Party's Terrorist Tactics

[RyanPsych]

Even in the absence of default, credit agencies would almost surely downgrade our credit worthiness, producing increases in interest rates that would slow the economy, increase unemployment and force families into foreclosure and bankruptcy. As the markets dropped, families would watch their retirement and education savings and their dreams disappear.

Rather than reject the unthinkable, the tea party harnessed this potential harm as its weapon of mass destruction. For pragmatists, it allowed a hostage-taking. The pragmatists threatened to defeat a raise in the debt ceiling unless Congress and President Barack Obama rejected taxes on the wealthy and accepted budget cuts that would move the country toward the tea party’s idealized vision of an America. Their dream is an alternate version of the United States — before the New Deal, the Great Society and civil rights laws alleviated massive inequality and injustice — and extended American opportunity.

The tea party faction could not achieve these goals through straight up democratic means because of their unpopularity. So it resorted to its threat of mass destruction. They were able to do so because they formed a disciplined bloc that gave them leverage over the House leadership and because of the threat that members who did not go along would face primary challenges from the right.

Hard-core tea party members were empowered by their oft-repeated disdain for reelection. They were liberated to pursue their radical course because they were freed from the traditional constraint on members of Congress, imposed by the need to face the voters.

continue reading at: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/60202_Page2.html#ixzz1TVAlm7y6

[iemitsu]

1. the supreme court helped them out with this aspect of their plan

by their "citizens united" decision.
"Hard-core tea party members were empowered by their oft-repeated disdain for reelection. They were liberated to pursue their radical course because they were freed from the traditional constraint on members of Congress, imposed by the need to face the voters."
these people are invested in the failure of our system, as are the bushes.
it should be illegal for elected officials to bet on failed policies that they themselves create.
the conflict of interest is so obvious.

[RyanPsych]

2. The only thing I can think of right now is the Dolphin's song from

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: "So Long, and thanks for all the fish!"