GOP wants candidate off ticket:

[Arathena]

Its own ticket. Just amazing.

[Ddrak]

That's disorganization at an almost Democratic level!

Dd

[Partha]

Hate on the brown people enough, and this is what ya get.

"We've denounced his campaign," Colety said. "We're not supporting him. We've withdrawn funds, volunteers, all resources. This is not the way Republicans think."

My ass.

[Embar Angylwrath]

Hate on the brown people enough, and this is what ya get.

"We've denounced his campaign," Colety said. "We're not supporting him. We've withdrawn funds, volunteers, all resources. This is not the way Republicans think."

Y

My ass.

C'mon Pathos, are you really that bitter?

[Partha]

Nope. But your tea partying friends really are that racist.

[Harlowe]

Don't forget intolerant and homophobic.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

...

Are there crazies in the movement? Yes.

Are there crazies in any movement on the left? Yes.

Are there crazies everywhere? Yes.

Are the amount of crazies in the Tea Party greater than any other political movement in the World? Not even close.

[Lurker]

As Ddrak said, the Tea Party is "probably the single most damaging movement in the United States". Nothing approaches the level of ignorance and contradictory positions than we've seen from this group of re-branded Republicans. And that's true from the top where hucksters like Beck and Palin are duping people for personal gain, all the way down to the ignorant members who idolize them.

[Embar Angylwrath]

Don't forget intolerant and homophobic.

See.. that's the kind of ignorant broad-brush painting that has almost eviscerated the Democrats previously strong connection with the American public. The Dems swept into office on a strong mandate. They controlled the Oval Office, the House and a filibuster proof Senate. What happened since then Harlowe? Did all of a sudden most Americans turn intolerant and homophobic? I'd expect that kind of ingnorance from Rsak, but not you.

And it's kind of interesting that you define the Tea Party as intolerant, homophobic (and by agreeing with Pathos, racist). Fallakin was right, and he schooled both of you. There are radical elements on the liberal left and the far right.. even the Tea Party. But it doesn't mean that moderates exist, and indeed populate, the majority of the parties.

For the Republicans - business special interests control them. The leadership (Boehner) is a chain smoking, spray-tan pawn that evades honesty like a vampire avoids sunlight.
Democrats - The leadership (Pelosi) is a career politician, that evades honesty like a vampire avoids sunlight.
Tea Party - no real leader, although many would like to claim the helm, they squabble amongst themselves, there is no real aggrandizing platform other than "less taxes, less government", which I think all of us can get behind.

Let me ask all my American friends (sorry Dd)... who among you wants more taxes and more government?

[Lurker]

Fallakin was right, and he schooled both of you. There are radical elements on the liberal left and the far right.. even the Tea Party. But it doesn't mean that moderates exist, and indeed populate, the majority of the parties.

There goes your last shred of credibility. /wave And not just the part about Fallakin, although that was funny.

While there are radical elements on the left they do not control the Democratic party; to the contrary, they are treated like lepers and ignored. Contrast to the Republicans where the radical elements are treated with reverence and embraced and offered positions of leadership. There are essentially no moderate Republicans left in Congress. And there are certainly no moderates at the head of the Republican Tea Party.

there is no real aggrandizing platform other than "less taxes, less government", which I think all of us can get behind.

Let me ask all my American friends (sorry Dd)... who among you wants more taxes and more government?

I think you've whitewashed what the Tea Party and it's followers are pushing if you think it's all "less taxes and smaller government", but whatever. "less taxes, less government" are platitudes and the Tea Partiers and Republicans have no realistic plan to get there. That's why they have proven to be so horrendous at governing. That's why the plans they offer up are proven to make the issues they claim to care about worse. The fact is all you really care about is this graph.

See.. that's the kind of ignorant broad-brush painting that has almost eviscerated the Democrats previously strong connection with the American public. The Dems swept into office on a strong mandate. They controlled the Oval Office, the House and a filibuster proof Senate. What happened since then Harlowe?

What happened is the Republican base is extremely angry and the Democratic base is complacent. According to polling Republicans are still the least popular group in Washington and Obama is the most popular. Republicans are still offering the same nonsensical policies they've been offering for years and they are even more beholden to a hateful group of know-nothings from the top down. The enthusiasm gap and the economic downturn account for whatever gains the Republicans make this November. So sorry, your party is still a group of ignorant buffoons who are incapable of governing.

[Partha]

I think you've whitewashed what the Tea Party and it's followers are pushing if you think it's all "less taxes and smaller government"

Don't be silly. They just want to go back to the government of their forefathers.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

They do want to go back to the government of their forefathers...

You know, with more of the original Values, Honor and Integrity. Not this corrupt mess we're stuck with right now.

[Ddrak]

What's dangerous about the Tea Party is there's a lot of very angry and frustrated people forming the base membership, and they have every right to feel that way. The GOP has done nothing for them and the Democrats aren't their political direction of choice so they're left without any voice in DC. Now, couple that with the people behind the scenes that are actually driving the direction for this angry mob and you see the exact same group of people that saw the US invade Iraq without proper risk analysis, that saw the massive playing of the politics of fearmongering, that saw spying on citizens to be just fine and torturing of PoWs to be their patriotic duty, that saw tax cuts for America's most wealthy to blow out the deficit to be a smart idea and really did nothing about the size of government while massively increasing spending.

The angry crowd in the Tea Party might want lower taxes and smaller government but the people rallying them have no intention of delivering on either. All that matters to them is keeping the mob angry and riding the wave back into power. That's lynch mob politics and they're playing it beautifully. It's dangerous for America and everything it claims to stand for which makes me sad, because I happen to like what America claims to stand for.

If anything, the only way to fix the problem is to either fix the GOP or bring in a better method of electing representatives that eliminates the two party system. I think sending men to Mars may be easier right now.

btw - all the political parties want to uphold the constitution and you can't go back to a rose-colored-glasses version of 18th century government with 21st century media and information distribution. If you seriously believe there was no corruption in government at any point in any nation's history then you're batshit insane. If anything, modern times just highlights what's always been there.

Dd

[Harlowe]

LOL...much like the majority of Teabaggers, you really know nothing of American history do you Fallakin. (rhetorical question, I already know the answer).

And this is precisely why it's so abso-fucking-lutely ridiculous that you both get behind this mob...

you see the exact same group of people that saw the US invade Iraq without proper risk analysis, that saw the massive playing of the politics of fearmongering, that saw spying on citizens to be just fine and torturing of PoWs to be their patriotic duty, that saw tax cuts for America's most wealthy to blow out the deficit to be a smart idea and really did nothing about the size of government while massively increasing spending.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

I know a good deal about history, it was my focus in school and I've only added to my knowledge of it outside of school. (I'd wager I've learned more about the Revolution and things interwoven with that since school, though.)

I'm not a part of the Tea Party. I'm taking a spectator's role in all of this and researching candidates in my area on my own. I do like and agree with the Tea Party mantra of "Less Government, Less Taxes", but only because I believe that the government and politics have penetrated too far into our day to day lives.

While many people around here are jumping behind the former Republican Congressman Steve Chabot, Tea Party included, and thinking how much of a fiscal saint he'll be compared to Steve Driehaus, I'm stepping back and looking at all of the candidates (there are 4 on the ticket) because I remember Chabot's spendaholic past. Do I believe one of these minor party candidates really have a chance? Hell no, but I'm not just going to vote for a major party member just because they're in one of the 2 major parties. Instead I'm going to analyze all the candidates and make an educated decision on them. I'm not simply going to vote for someone because thats who some conglomerate of people say they like.

[Harlowe]

If you knew a great deal about American history, you wouldn't say things like....

with more of the original Values, Honor and Integrity. Not this corrupt mess we're stuck with right now

That tells me you really don't know a great deal about our forefathers.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

I know that men like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were a lot more honorable, moral, and trustworthy than the miscreants we have in D.C. right now.

[Partha]

Oookay.

Forget the fact that Washington led militia troops against people who refused to pay taxes, right? And that Thomas Jefferson was impregnating his slave repeatedly. I mean, among other things.

[Harlowe]

More intelligent, sure, but more moral and honorable? Also, they envisioned elites running the country not the angry masses (basically the opposite of putting Teabaggers in office).

Listen the Tea Party has no clue which philosophical side they are on. They are all anger, slogans and mascots. They have no game plan, no ideas other than "I don't want this". They are a populist movement that is calling for a return to our anti-populist early structure of government. It makes no sense.

This was a pretty good blog post about the Founding Fathers and the Tea Party that resonnated with things I've been struggling with, arguments I've been having with Teabag sympathizers, while basically trying to figure out what the hell they really want, because I don't believe it's what they think they want....part of me thinks they don't have a clue what they want.

http://schuylerthorpe.wordpress.com/201 ... tea-party/

[Partha]

Sure they know what they want. The hard part is telling people what they want in plain terms, because if you spell it out in plain terms people get really creeped out.