The (Tea)party is over
Published January 9, 2015
by Thomas Mills, Politics NC, January 7, 2015.
The Tea Party is over. Mitch McConnell is telling his new members not to worry about primaries from the right. He says the establishment beat Tea Party opponents in 2014 and they’ll beat them again in 2016. John Boehner was re-elected speaker despite challenges from wing-nuts like Louie Gomert. Once he won, Boehner punished the rebellious house members by stripping them of plum committee assignments.
Because gerrymandered districts assure their continued presence, Tea Partiers will still make a lot of noise. It’s what they do best, but they will have limited impact on policies and politics moving forward. John Boehner doesn’t need them to pass legislation anymore. As one Republican aide told Politico, “We don’t need these fringe guys as much as we did anymore.”
As for McConnell, he should have been Majority Leader two cycles ago except that Senate nominees like Tea Partiers Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock and Christine O’Donnell kept the Senate in Democratic hands until now. McConnell has little patience for the Ted Cruz crowd and, after beating back Tea Party challenges in 2014 primaries, he’s not going to give them much breathing space. He wants a Senate with the type of accomplishments that can keep him Majority Leader for years to come instead of a Senate marked by ideological grandstanding.
So why are Democrats bashing them as a bunch of Tea Partiers? Because, as the saying goes, the generals are always fighting the last war. As the Tea Party’s influence has waned, so has its popularity. Tying the GOP to their fringe element, the theory goes, makes them less palatable to the middle and keeps the Democrats’ own fringe frothing at the mouth.
But that’s so last election. The new Republican leadership may be a lot of things, but they are not wing-nuts and the mainstream media, the most reliable third party validator, is not going to portray them that way. The most effective criticisms are based in reality, supported by news reports and broadly believable.
Instead of wrapping the GOP around the Tea Party, Democrats should define Republicans for what they are now: the party of big oil, big banks, and big business. The U. S. Chamber of Commerce and Wall Street bankers have seats at the head of the table. They will be writing legislation that benefits them, not working Americans.
The portrayal also sets up a nice contrast. Democrats need a populist economic message that defines them as the party of people who make their money from working, not investing. Boehner, McConnell and company are shills for the rich and corporate America. As the economy recovers but wages don’t, it could be a potent, and believable, contrast heading into 2016.
http://www.politicsnc.com/the-tea-party-is-over/
January 9, 2015 at 9:36 am
Norm Kelly says:
'instead of a Senate marked by ideological grandstanding'. Sounds to me like the author is talking about the Senate led by the senile Harry! Do we have ANOTHER lib telling Republicans how to govern? Is this another lib telling us that elections DO NOT matter when Republicans win, but only when libs win? I know nothing about Thomas or Politics NC. Don't know if the organization is lib or not. Don't know if Thomas is lib or not. But what the previous 6+ years have shown is that the Demon party has no intentions nor did they display any willingness to get along with Republicans when Demons were in control of the Senate. Not only did they NOT negotiate with Republicans, they lied about it. Of course, they were aided by their allies in the media. Take a look at some N&D editorials where they simply repeated the lib claim that Republicans were obstructionists, the party of 'no', and completely failed to offer any alternatives to the schemes of the libs. Which media outlet reported that the Republican House had passed over 300 bills, sent them onto the Demoncrat ruled Senate, only to be completely ignored by the senile Harry? Which media outlet reported that Republicans offered multiple alternatives to socialized medicine? Which media outlet reported that the estimated cost of Obamacancer was fabricated? Which media outlet reported that the Democrat controlled Senate failed to pass a budget the majority of the past 6 years?
Referring to the new Republican leadership: 'they are not wing-nuts and the mainstream media ... is not going to portray them that way'. What delusions does this author suffer from? What part of the media being allies of the Socialist Party of the US does this author NOT understand? There is no way the democRAT party is going to let their ally portray Republicans as anything but wing-nuts! And if there's a media outlet that dares step off the socialist reservation, they will be slapped extremely hard by the demon party! Even the socialist, America hating, community organizer, occupier will berate ANY media outlet willing to step out of line and report the Republicans as anything but lunatics!
'The most effective criticisms are based in reality, supported by news reports'. Time to take your head out of the sand! Visit reality once in a while. With statements like this it appears that Thomas is a lib and he works for a lib organization. It's typical of media types to be so far left that others seem to be middle-of-the-roaders. What news reports have been based on reality over the past 6 years? What criticisms of Republicans have been based on reality? When Demons claimed Republicans were the party of 'no', which media outlet DIDN'T carry this story and repeat it often? When demoncrats claimed Republicans didn't offer any alternatives to socialized medicine, which media outlet indicated that the demons might be off base? When Obama lied and people died, Benghazi, which media outlet supported the investigation by House Republicans? When Billary made the famous 'what difference does it make now' statement, which media outlet questioned her lack of concern about dead Americans? Which media outlet wondered what she was doing, where she was, what she knew, that allowed Americans to die without support from ANY military? When Billary participated in the lie about the video, and even helped the occupier create an ad to run in foreign countries to apologize for the video, which media outlet reported on this outrageous step? Where's the criticism? Where's the 'basis in reality'? Where's the news? What news reports have supported ANY Republican position or even reported fairly and fully on Republican positions on ANY issue? Is it possible for Thomas, or any lib, to show examples of MSNBC (any nbc version), CNN, N&D, or other media outlet that reported accurately on demon schemes? How about showing examples of media outlets that reported honestly and fairly on Republican plans & positions? How about media outlets that pointed out the failings of the demon schemes or the errors in budget estimates of the schemes put forth by demoncrats? How about the lie that we'd be able to keep our doctor or health insurance? Where's the truth, the honesty, and the criticism based in reality concerning ANY democRAT scheme? How about any truth from media outlets when it concerns voter fraud and the plan to implement voter ID to AID in reducing voter fraud? How about any truthful stories that show voting among helpless blacks has NOT suffered when voter ID is implemented? How about truthful reporting on the fact that those who can't afford a picture ID, including poor, helpless, needy, blacks, would get a free picture ID to allow them to vote?
The party of 'big banks'. Really? Who is it that took millions from big banks when running for reelection to the White House? What legislation have Republicans stood in the way of that was meant to penalize big banks from the demons? Which demon didn't vote for legislation that allowed for bank bail-outs in the future? Which demon president is it that just made homeowners insurance ANOTHER right in an effort to get people who can't afford to own a house into home ownership? And told us while doing it that we would not go down the same rabbit hole that we were forced down by prior demon presidents causing a massive economic collapse!
Defining Republicans, based on reality, Thomas writes they are 'shills for the rich'. Unlike the demons who do what George Soros says? Unlike the demons who support gun confiscation along with ex-NY mayor (or was he governor? not like it matters!). That guy is rich and he supports demons and their schemes. How about all the other 'rich' who the demons claim to hate and want to penalize, but support their party. And the demons go out of their way to protect these rich because they are the loved rich, not the hated rich. Koch brothers are hated rich. Soros is beloved rich. There are others, but it escapes every lib, and obviously Thomas, that these people exist. Shills for corporate America? As opposed to socialists, who claim that American businesses do NOT create jobs? There are, so far as we know, 2 prominent demons who claim that US businesses do NOT create jobs. Where has the honest, truthful, full reporting on these bogus, outrageous, socialist statements by prominent DemocRATS been? Which demon-ally media outlet has fully, honestly, reported on these statements?
The demons can define themselves as 'the party of people who make their money from working'? When will this start? When has it been true in recent history? It's the demons who have told us that food stamps improve the economy. It's the demons who have told us that unemployment benefits improve the economy. Not working people, but those on the government gravy train. How about the new executive actions by the occupier? Instead of encouraging people to work their way through community college, have some skin in the game, the plan now is that this is also a RIGHT, not found in the US Constitution. How about blanket amnesty that will cripple unskilled working job creation because these positions will now be filled by 'legal' citizens but at a lower wage than would be required of legal American citizens? How does taking money from the rich Soros promote anything to do with 'working class' people?
The one thing that's obvious from this post is that concluding words are 180 degrees off base. The contrast between demons, socialists, and Republicans will be anything but believable. When there remain few media outlets that report truth, when average people can access the Internet to gather facts, when we have the ability to educate ourselves, many will know that the schemes of the demons will only drive us further over the cliff of socialism. More and more will be demanded of producers for the benefit of those loved by the demons. Taxes will increase. Spending will sky-rocket. The debt will grow to unimaginable levels, even more than currently projected. Freedoms will be restricted at every turn, cuz it's good for the children. Or some other such nonsense.
The contrast will be glaring. But not the way libs expect it to be!
