Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Extremists

Who are the extremists? That’s the only question I’m left with after watching last week’s capitulation of establishment Republican “leaders” to Democrats who want to spend another trillion dollars we don’t have. Yeah, those quotes mean I don’t actually consider McConnell, Cornyn, Boehner or Cantor to be leaders. They’re surrender monkeys.
On Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) web site

Vitriol flowed thickly. The president, other Democrats and their media allies scared Republican surrender monkeys much the way Putin, Assad and the Iranian mullahs scared them. President Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats called Republicans arsonists, domestic abusers, hostage-takers, the Ku Klux Klan, even terrorists - because how else should we interpret White House advisor Dan Pfeiffer’s remarks about negotiating with Republicans: “What we’re not for is negotiating with people with a bomb strapped to their chest,” he said. I mean, heck, the White House doesn’t even call Major Nidal Hasan a terrorist and he shot 42 Americans, killing thirteen. They don’t call the Muslim Brotherhood terrorists even when they kill Christians and burn down their churches.
Democrats are afraid to call our enemies terrorists but they’re not afraid to call Republicans terrorists. Why? Because they know most Republicans these days are even more cowardly than Democrats are. In a game of chicken with Republicans, the outcome isn’t in doubt. There’s no price to pay for gloating after they fold either. Spike the ball? Go ahead. No worries. After all, Democrats know who the real terrorists are and would never think of taunting them. That’s why they expunge all references to “jihad.” That’s why they never utter the “terrorism” word in the same sentence with “Islam” or “Muslim,” but have no trouble using it with “Republican” or “Tea Party.” They don’t worry because they know establishment Republicans will wimp out. They know what the pecking order is, and so do their mainstream media allies. Everyone knows Republicans are at the bottom, hiding in the corner of the chicken coop, afraid of being pecked completely clean of feathers while Reid and Obama strut around like cocks of the walk, and throw our money all around.
Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne, ever a sycophant for Democrats, said Sunday on Meet The Press: “The era of the Tea Party is over.” Three years ago, just before Tea Party Republicans took over the US House, he wrote: “The Tea Party is nothing new. It represents a relatively small minority of Americans on the right end of politics, and it will not determine the outcome of the 2010 elections.” I suspect a much bigger surprise for both Democrats and establishment Republican wimps on election day in November, 2014. According to a Rasmussen poll last week, 78% of Americans want to throw out the entire Congress and start over.

Because the Tea Party Caucus in the US House of Representatives represents ordinary people much more closely than the Senate does. Yes, there’s Texas Senator Ted Cruz. There’s Utah Senator Mike Lee. There’s Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and a few others, but most Senate Republicans lack political courage. Those three weren’t elected by people who want them to bring federal money projects home to their states like Mitch McConnell did with his $2 billion Kentucky dam project that was attached to the “compromise” bill to reopen government. No. They were elected by people who believe America will cease to exist if we don’t drastically change course very soon. They were elected by people who fear national bankruptcy, who believe the federal government has vastly exceeded its constitutional authority and must be scaled back drastically.
The Tea Party Caucus in the House were elected by the same kind of people - voters who’ve been hearing Congress and the President say for years that we need to do something about our multi-trillion-dollar debt, but who continue to make it worse year after year. Are these Americans worried about a sequester? No. A government shutdown? No. Default? No. Why not? Because they know those things are inconsequential compared to what will happen if we continue borrowing and printing money - the collapse of America as we know it.
Are they extremists because they want their senators and their congressmen to stop talking about it and actually stop it? Ted Cruz is doing what Texans want him to do. He’s not backing down. He’s not playing nice with Democrats or establishment Republicans because Texans who elected him told him not to. Imagine that! When he went back to Texas last Saturday he got an eight-minute standing ovation, after which he said: “After two months in Washington, it's great to be back in America.”
So back to my original question: “Who are the extremists?” Are they Democrats and establishment Republicans who keep our federal government’s foot on the gas as America drives off the cliff?

Why are we told the ones yelling “Stop!” are extremists?

21 comments:

Peter said...

"Why are we told the ones yelling “Stop!” are extremists?"

If you really want to know the answer to this then here is a link to a great article explaining it.



http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/republican-extremism-and-the-lessons-of-history-20131010

Anonymous said...

I'm glad that Tea Partiers like Tom are ignorant as to why they are viewed as they are. Let them keep acting indignant and confused as they support politicians who throw tantrums hurtful to the American people over matters that have already been decided and voted on. If they don't want the Affordable Health Care act because of that guy in the White House who they hate, then win some damn elections and get rid of it the proper way. But their babyish actions have only made it less likely that they will win elections. Just look at the poll numbers supporting the Tea Party (and the Republicans, who have been damaged by being so wimpy and not standing up to the Mad Tea Party), and how they have plummeted over these recent actions.

The buffoon in the room is always the last to just how foolish they really are.

Butch said...

These extremists are SO desperate to not have this president go down in history with this great accomplishment of Obamacare that they are willing to do almost anything, no matter how harmful to the country. Radicals are an irrational bunch.

Anonymous said...

Good point about elections. Romney ran on the platform of getting rid of Obamacare, and being pro-big business, anti-government. He got his ass kicked and was clearly repudiated. Even in House elections did Democrats get well over a million more votes than Republicans. Only do to cheesy gerrymandering did they retain control of Congress.

But still.....inside the bubble the ignorant extremists somehow feel they are being "wronged" and continue to whine and throw tantrums.

Anonymous said...

Great column, Tom! Spot on observations.

Thanks!




Show Low Yaqui

rhondajo said...

@ the coward who posts his hatred anonymously, conservative's reasons for not wanting the UN-Affordable Care Act are just that. It is unaffordable. Pelosi said "We have to pass it first to find out what's in it". Well, Nancy, we have read what's in it and we don't like it and we don't want it. Perhaps we should have all read it first. Why was it sooo important to pass it first? Why was it soooo important to implement the website before it was working? Why did Obama send to Canada to create it instead of allowing some of the greatest tech companies in the world right here in our job-poor country create it? Why is it so important for Obama to "fundamentally change" this country? The changes happening in this country every day are shocking. Why hasn't our army done any training exercises in 6 months? Why are there only two armed brigades ready to defend us? Why does a young American soldier die in Afghanistan every few weeks, but no one reports it? BTW Damian Baer died in an explosion this past Sunday. Why does a soldier or vet commit suicide every single DAY???

Thompson said...

If the allmighty "we" that Rambling Rhonda speaks of has now read of, and doesn't like Obamacare, then they should be able to win the necessary elections to change things.

The problem is, the radical rhondas and toms of the world are under the illusion that their bubble is much bigger than it is.

Sorry, but no matter how much money the oil-and-gas tycoons (Koch brothers) pump into this dying movement, it is only supported by a tiny, and ever shrinking minority. It is great to come here and read what goes on in the alternative reality of these peoples minds.

Anonymous said...

Of course people want to remain anonymous when dealing with radical extremists.

Tom McLaughlin said...

Butch says: "[Obama will] go down in history with this great accomplishment of Obamacare . . ."

If Obamacare is a great accomplishment, I'd hate to see what one of his little mistakes would look like.

But then, the commodity bubble that is the stock market - feeding on $85 billion in monthly digital dollars from the Fed - is just one of those little mistakes. He's just appointed another Kenynesian to succeed Bernanke and the $85 billion is expected to bump up to as much as $1 trillion a month under her.

When that bubble bursts - as they all must inevitably - we're all screwed. All the king's horses and all the king's men won't be able to put our economy together again.

Steve said...

"$85 billion is expected to bump up to as much as $1 trillion a month under her."

That's over a thousand percent increase per month. Who is expecting that? Can you link something for us?

Tom McLaughlin said...

It was on CNBC yesterday here:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101127962

Anonymous said...

Holy crap man, have you no brain cells at all? You leap from somebodys comment:

"The question is not tapering. The question is at what point will they increase the asset purchases to say $150 [billion] , $200 [billion], a trillion dollars a month"

to stating that "the $85 billion is EXPECTED to bump up to as much as $1 trillion a month under her"???!!!???

Wow, you are ready for a job with Faux News.

And you taught history?

Shameless and plain shoddy "reporting", or whatever it is you are doing.

Good comedy though!

Steve said...

Anonymous’ response echoes what I was going to write. This is what bothers me so much about opinion media. It masquerades as journalism. They seek out these talking heads who are willing to speculate the most absurdly worst-case scenarios.

I’ll admit the causes and effects of QE are over my head, so I’m not going to defend or criticize it. I’m certainly spooked by what they’re doing. But QE1 paid out $100b a month, and QE2 through QE4 paid out $85b per month, so why does Farber just randomly speculate it could jump to a trillion per month? What is he basing that on?

In the wake of the second Gulf War, some liberal talking head could just as easily have come out and speculated that Bush might implement a draft because he could place 75,000 combat troops in every Muslim country in the world. No one in his administration would’ve been able to empirically prove that wrong.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that our political polarization is increasing in lock-step with the success of opinion media.

Tom McLaughlin said...

What do you geniuses expect is going to happen? Medicare and Social Security have unfunded liabilities in the tens of trillions. Some say over a hundred trillion. Add Obamacare onto that. Where's that money going to come from?

Democrats and establishment Republicans keep passing "Go," keep collecting their $200, keep passing their continuing resolutions, and they think it's going to go on that way forever.

That's what Weimar Germany thought. That's what Robert Mugabe thought. Did they expect the hyperinflation all their money-printing caused? They paraded out their officials to say everything was under control and things were turning around. Tim Geithner and Jack Lew are doing it today. So is Ben Bernanke. So is Janet Yellen.

They can't reverse course without triggering a huge, painful reckoning. They can only ramp up what they're already doing and hope it continues until after they're gone.

You can believe Obama's mouthpieces if you like. Faber makes much more sense to me.

Steve said...

Of course Farber makes sense to you, because he's giving you exactly what you need to hear: the absolute worst case conceivable. If Obama cured cancer, he'd be reporting on the sudden spike in unemployment among cancer researchers.

Thomas said...

I believe that this column, like most of Tom's columns and nearly every diatribe from his mouth, is merely piffle. As upsetting as it may be to conservatives and liberals alike I recommend reading, really reading, this man's recent column--http://paulcraigroberts.org/. I also recommend the fine writings on Counterpunch where the hyperbole and ideological obsessions of the extremists is put into proper perspective. I don't believe that all the liberal and Tea Party members are extremists but I do believe that the true extremists are the big mouths of both camps. And Tom, you are one of those happy campers.

Anonymous said...

"They can't reverse course without triggering a huge, painful reckoning. They can only ramp up what they're already doing and hope it continues until after they're gone." TM

So...it really IS "For the children".

Mr Ed said...

testing

Mr Ed said...

Tom

You have a tough row to hoe with the Obamabots that read your column.

They can't even figure out that the FED buying bonds and securities with money they printed out of thin air might cause a devaluation of the dollar

Steve said...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-poised-10-billion-taper-bernanke-bids-adieu-060550127--business.html

The bond purchasing program cut from 85B per month to 75B now down to 65B. A few more cuts like that, and we'll be at a trillion per month in no time.

Tom McLaughlin said...

Another step in the right direction.

The stock market, however, is beginning to tank now that the Fed spigot is being turned down.

Now we can expect interest rates to go up along with inflation. $30 billion of that $65 billion per month is going to buy Treasury bonds. If that continues to decline and existing bonds turn over, what happens?

Interest payments on the debt go up, that's what. What will Mr. Hope and Change do then?