What Do We Want? A Bunch of Crazy Stuff! When Do We Want It? Now!

[babylonsister]

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=03&year=2010&base_name=what_do_we_want_a_bunch_of_cra

What Do We Want? A Bunch of Crazy Stuff! When Do We Want It? Now!


(Flickr/chadinbr)


Movements seldom start with tremendously specific legislative agendas, but the Tea Party movement seems unusually divorced from policy realities -- not just the what-could-we-actually-pass realities, but the realities of how government works. The more specific they become in their demands, beyond things like the sign portrayed above, the more absurd they sound. This is what Ed Kilgore points out, after reading the new Tea Party manifesto, "The Contract From America". "My favorite on the list," Ed writes, "is a proposal that in Congress 'each bill…identify the specific provision of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do what the bill does.' This illustrates the obliviousness or hostility of Tea Partiers to the long string of Supreme Court decisions, dating back to the 1930s, that give Congress broad policy-making powers under the 14th Amendment and the Spending and Commerce Clauses."

But it doesn't stop there. If you had said to the leaders of the civil rights movement in 1964, or the women's rights movement in 1978, "What laws would you like to pass?" they had a pretty clear idea of what that would be, and much (though not all) of it ended up happening either through legislation or judicial decisions. But the Tea Partiers? It's not just that the things they might pick are ideologically extreme, it's that they're just kind of nuts. Much of their "agenda" consist of things that even conservative Republicans in Washington would agree are utterly ridiculous, the kind of thing you'd get if you asked a bunch of elementary school students to come up with a plan. "Sunset all regulations," they say. What could possibly go wrong with that? Here, take a bite of your E. coli burger. "Broadcast all non-security meetings and votes on C-SPAN and the Internet." Well, C-SPAN already does that in Congress. Are you talking about the executive branch? Is it really important or feasible that we have cameras rush in to where the Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture has a morning meeting with his scheduler to talk about his upcoming trip to the Nebraska Soybean Festival? And do you realize that there are literally thousands of meetings that take place in government every day? Do you know how much we'd have to raise taxes in order to hire the technicians and buy all the equipment to broadcast them all? Oh, no -- more taxes!

-- Paul Waldman

[drm604]

1. I always have to bite my tongue when I personally hear people make silly demands like these.

None of this is new with the teabaggers of course. I've been hearing individuals here and there make such silly statements my whole adult life.

I usually end up quietly mumbling something like "I'm not sure how feasible that would be" then trying to either move elsewhere in the room or change the conversation. It's difficult to argue with viewpoints like this without sounding like you're implying that they (or at least their ideas) are stupid. Also, if I'm not careful I can get very loud and exasperated at someone who can't get what to me is a simple point.

Unfortunately, it may be that this type of profound ignorance has a sort of natural advantage in the marketplace of ideas. The ideas are so dumb that intelligent polite people are loathe to confront them for fear of implying that their friend or family member is stupid.

Maybe the only answer is to be willing to be a little impolite or even rude. "Cruel to be kind" as they say, but that's much easier said than done.

[Maru Kitteh]

2. All the mouthbreathers screaming about CSPAN would just watch "Dancing w/the Stars" anyway

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. You have to admit one of the examples given in the article is a poor choice.

"Sunset all regulations," they say. What could possibly go wrong with that?
Here, take a bite of your E. coli burger.

Uhhhhhh...bad example there, bud.

[drm604]

4. How is that a bad example?

You don't think that we should have laws protecting our food supply? Surely I'm misunderstanding you.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. It is a bad example BECAUSE we have laws, AND still have E.coli recalls.

The commentator was implying that a lack of regulations would lead to e.coli problems.

I was commenting that even with regulations, the e coli problems exist.


Of course I was not arguing against laws to protect food.
I am pointing out the fallacy of the commentator's logic.

And the fact we need food regulations enforced.

[drm604]

8. I think the implication was that without regulations, e-coli problems would be even worse,

so I don't think it's a bad example.

I think you and I agree on the need for regulations, we just disagree on the commentator's logic. :hi:

[Jennicut]

6. If they love the Constitution so much, why do they hate on the 14th Amendment?

[JoeyT]

9. They hate everything but

the 2nd, and they hate that if they think it might apply to minorities or foreigners.

They love the imaginary constitution Glenn Beck told them exists. The real one they don't care for at all.

[Motown_Johnny]

7. Ed's favorite is pretty easy, Just copy and paste Article 1 Section 8 to pretty much everything

It is so broad that it would be hard to prove anything they do does not either provide for the common defense and/or general welfare of the U.S..


http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec8.html

^Snip^

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.