Der Spiegel: Annihilating Democracy with the Tea Party

[marmar]

Annihilating Democracy with the Tea Party
A Commentary by Gregor Peter Schmitz in Washington


Democracy depends on compromise and the American government depends on all branches working together. The Tea Party movement shuns both, preferring instead to drive the state into bankruptcy. On principle.

America's Founding Fathers thought of everything. They wanted to establish several centers of power in Washington rather than just one. They wanted the occupant of the White House to be strong, but Congress was to have the power to check that strength. The friction between Capitol Hill and the White House -- a product of this system of checks and balances -- was to make the decisions of America's leaders cleverer, wiser and better.

But the system only works when all branches of government play the role designed for them. For almost 235 years, the system worked reasonably well. But, about a year ago, things started to go wrong in the US capital; the system began to melt down. The friction is no longer propelling the country to greatness, rather it is hastening its decline. Members of the right-wing conservative Tea Party movement, which is well represented in Congress since the last elections, want friction. But at the expense of results.

These lawmakers no longer view themselves as part of the political system. Instead, they identify themselves as its enemy. They see themselves as outsiders, even as they sit in Congress and enjoy the kinds of job benefits they would like to strip from their fellow Americans. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,777344,00.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. During the twilight of The Weimar Republic, representatives of the National Socialists

would disrupt proceedings in the Reichstag by making loud catcalls, getting up and walking out en masse of chambers, turning their chairs around to face the back of the room, etc.

When Germany finds the state of our democracy alarming, I think attention must be paid.

[joeybee12]

2. KNR

[Bluenorthwest]

3. They see themselves as outsiders even as they sit in Congress

and even as they cash their monthly $14,000 plus benefits and perks. Which each of them takes without hesitation. They see themselves as 'not Republicans' even when they are Republicans and nothing other than Republicans.

[starroute]

4. Hatred of government has become the philosophy of the right

It's the one thing that corporations, libertarians, and religious fundamentalists have in common. They all despise government -- especially the federal government -- and want to strip away its powers in the name of profit/freedom/anti-secularism.

Things didn't used to be that way. You can trace certain aspects of it back to Republican hatred of the New Deal or southern resentment of desegregation -- but that was confined to certain issues and a general fear of government intrusiveness. This universal belief on the right that government is a bad thing everywhere and under all circumstances is new.

Perhaps the best indication of how distorted all this has gotten is the denialism over climate change. In a sane world, we'd all agree that there's a problem and be arguing over the best approach to fix it, ranging from outright government regulation to incentives in the tax code to raising public awareness of green alternatives. But instead, we're having to fight a major battle over whether it even exists.

It seems as though the right has become the party of four-year-old-ism -- that attitude which says "I won't do it and you can't make me" that drives every mother mad. And that doesn't allow much room for a sense of responsibility, the common good, or even long-term planning.

[DFW]

5. Back in 2008, I was a guest correspondent for German radio news in Denver

I was on the phone to them giving an interview on what was going on. I also sat in from midnight to 5 AM
in a roundtable reporting on the election. It was very refreshing to sit among a group of objective,
detached, but interested, knowledgeable journalists who never interrupted each other on the air.

I passed on the chance to be there for 2010--I knew it would be ugly. I just hope that 2012 will be better.
They are interested, but take a slightly detached observer's point of view. I'd hate to be listening to
Candy Crowley and Wolf Blitzer instead.