Basically, the Tea Party congressional caucus is pointing a knife directly at the hearts of the seniors who elected them. These seniors were drawn to the voting booth by promises that Obamacare would be repealed. What they have gotten instead are two things: a) the Ryan Plan, which basically ends any significant access to medical care for people over 65; and b) a certainty that any budget cuts that come in the next few weeks will hobble Medicare and cut Social Security payments.
Overwhelmingly, the far right is old. Or, it was. Now that these people are seeing up close and personal what it really means in their lives, it doesn’t seem likely that the right is going to retain much of a constituency. The audience profiles of right wing radio and Fox news is powerfully skewed toward older listeners and viewers. They must be feeling profoundly betrayed.
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It is certainly true that a
It is certainly true that a number of elders would like to take Obamacare out behind the barn and shoot it, but I’m not sure that they voted for the TP crew on this point entirely. There are a number of planks in the TP platform, and within the TP itself, two wings: the religious right and the libertarians.
Historically, third parties come about when an issue arises that neither party can metabolize into a consensus a voting bloc will endorse. If the TP is to be viewed this way, it must be because the Republicans have abandoned the fight against restraining the federal government. From the TP perspective the choice is now between Republicans (big government) and the Democrats (bigger government).
Suppose we got USDA cards registering us to buy groceries at the supermarket, but we did not pay the bill at the register. Instead it was submitted to the USDA’s certified vendors by the store for verification and payment. At each step of the way government and private agencies add on costs to the process. After the dust settles, our $500 lamb chops would join the $50,000 toilet seats on nuclear submarines as fodder for late-night comedy. To a significant extent problems with health care stem from a broken business model.
In my estimation, the answer is relying on solutions that have evolved, as does reality, rather than a stream of a priori ideological constructs. I suspect we can agree on this. Evolution rubs off the rough edges so objects (and ideas) fit better and move together more easily. When it is not co-opted into ancestor worship, or forelock-tugging to the rich and powerful, this is traditional conservativism. But this term is probably too poisoned to continue to use.
Disclaimer: I can’t pretend impartiality; I was one of the California Libertarian Party founders in 1972.
It’s comforting to me that
It’s comforting to me that conservatives, that the T.P., is elderly…because that should mean their influence will begin to wane..at some point sooner or later Its funny that they should oppose Obama care because Obama care is a republican plan. Frankly those that voted for Obama, should also feel betrayed, because he has given in on almost every thing the right wanted, his presidency resembles what a third Bush term would have looked like. So progressives, many millions of them also feel betrayed. Politics no longer works, it no longer represents what people need. Corporations run things, but they can’t govern, so in essence we have no government. For example G.E., moves it’s x-ray plant to china, and Ford will build assembly plants there for over a trillion dollars. Who in America will buy their products when everyone is unemployed? Conservatives like to talk about job creators, but those job creators create jobs overseas. The debt issue, is a false economic issue, manufactured to prevent progressive political advances, as is the balanced budget amendment built to give conservatives control over future federal budgets. I really believe that conservative want to default. If you think things are bad now just wait and see what happens after the default.
Corporatist Party Stout (AKA
Corporatist Party Stout (AKA Republican Party) and Corporatist Party Lite (AKA Democratic Party). That is the two party “system” at this time in the United States.
I think it should be noted
I think it should be noted that not one Republican voted for Obamacare, to say its a republican plan is just delusional. Furthermore the default cuts to medicare and defense were instituted by the Democrats who wrote the “comprimise solution” to the debt crisis. Holding the oldsters hostage and claiming they will all soon die if the democrat spending and welfare schemes are not adopted is an old and dear ploy.
I beleive there are 60 republicans in office right now who are associated with the TP, i do not beleive any of them voted for this latest debt scam.
any third party or effort is
any third party or effort is a bust at this point as long as this country politics makes the rules and only allows two party system to stay in power without change, as they have now ridge this. the dems & repubs have saw to this several year back as the independant party put a crimp in two major party system buying for votes. pres 41 went down to defeat after the votes were pulled from him by the third party, leaving clinton go through. the two major parties got together to oust any chance for any other party to have an in or chance without having a majority of the votes. damn them all! now the two parties and the judges let the corps in with unlimited donation and we are really screwed!!! wake up peos!!! our vote are nothing to the power of money…
if they do not want us to vote than say so! i do not think our votes counts anyway, anymore.
i will always vote as my daddy stated. you have every right to complain and curse these devil as long as you vote and try to make difference. otherwise keep your mouth shut! (you deserve what you get!) it is when you let the government slowly boil all your rights away, like now…RE: like the frog getting slowly boiled to death as the temperture is rised on it. humm?
let all serious parties in to hear all point of view! this is easy for the modern era…it is not like we can not do this! they just refuse to have any other parties split the vote or carry weight to get started ” like the teaparty or such” they can create problems or draw attention to what they do not want to have to answer for. if the tea PARTY IS THE OLD PERSONS PARTY. IT IS ABOUT TIME THEY START ACTING TO DEFEND THE RIGHTS BEING TAKEN AWAY. THEY NEED TO GET OUT OF THE ROCKER AND START COMPLAINING OR JOIN THE PROTEST. INSTEAD MOST WANT TO SAVE THEIR BUTT AND WAYS THEY LIVE, BECAUSE THEY ARE COMFORTABLE? WHAT A CROOK!
IF THIS IS WHAT THEY NEED TO GET UPSET AND DO SOMETHING……….THEN KEEP SCREWING THEM! remember we are all going to be in the same shoes…sooner than we think!
I agree with the post by
I agree with the post by Tommy Hopf above. I would suggest to anyone unhappy with their “representation” to go to http://www.opensecrets.org/ and look up your legislator. See who contributes to his or her campaign and you may understand better why they vote like they do. Remember it too the next time they break out the American flag and start spewing their phoney patriotic rhetoric as well.