No wonder so-called “Tea Party” corporate shills look to the dangerous demagogue Beckster (Glenn Beck) to pump them up this weekend. Their party is so broken that it is increasingly dominated by the likes of him, Sharon Angle, Sarah Palin (who tells her followers to “re-load”) , Rand Paul, and Michelle (“be armed and dangerous,” she menacingly says) Bachmann (Is extortion their new modus operandi)? The Republican Party has become unhinged.
The huge polluters, the Koch Brothers, have infused “astroturfs” and pseudo think tanks with over a hundred million dollars to write phony studies, spew false information, and stage phony populist events. They do this to expand their already gargantuan wealth. Rupert Murdoch has turned over his network to promote extremist Republicans (and Tea Parties), who know nothing about being republican, with a small “r.” GOP insider and otherwise corporate shill, Dick Armey, fronts the ironically named “Freedom Works,” which is really about multi-nationals operating unfettered. And Rick Scott, Columbia-HCA’s former CEO “leads” “Conservatives for Patient Rights.” He wanted to bleed profits out of patient care. Along the way he incurred the largest fine for corporate misdeeds ever levied upon a US corporation ($1.7 billion). For this he was fired. Now he wants to gut health care reform and end Social Security. AND he wants to be governor of Florida, a state’s first Astroturf-in-Chief, running Florida of, for and by folks such as the Kochs. Nihilist Peter Peterson is nearly in a class by himself. But he too is funded by the Kochs. These are some of the folks behind the so-called Tea Party (and supposed deficit commission).
As previous studies have shown, Tea Party folks are largely more affluent than the rest of America, more Republican, more male and more white. What ordinary folks actually show up this weekend show up having been attracted, deceived, influenced, and incited by these opportunists and their Goldline-promoting demagogic front man. Indeed, the corporate Tea Party is now indistinguishable from the “mainstream” GOP.
What’s even worse is the 10 or so corporate CEO’s pitching defamation about Obama and Democrats. I won’t repeat what they have had to say here, but it is as bad as it gets (go to HuffingtonPost if you wish to read the no-conscience CEOs). They are so far out in extremist “right” field that they almost make the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy look tame. And President Obama has given them no reason to speak as they have. Ironically, however, they ought to re-read their dictionaries and then take a long, hard look in the mirror before throwing about the names they have hurled. But it’s opportunism, plain and simple. The massive wealth they have accumulated on the backs of everyone else is just not enough for these Gordon Gekkos.
Don’t believe the “polls” showing Dems behind in generic surveys. Generic surveys are meaningless and only designed to give media talking heads something to scare us with. Who answers the phone when they call anyway? I sure don’t. And I am sure as hell voting, which will never be for a Republican as long as I live.
Though there is absolutely no (other) comparison between mainstream Howard Dean* and these demagogic prevaricators, there are two: First, these extremists have appropriated from Dean his campaign slogan “Take our Country Back.” The consummate gall of these folks, who broke our system, claiming to restore honor and dignity is, well, outrageous. But in this weekend of outrage, most of it contrived by the very ones behaving outrageously, please consider this: Howard Dean lost. I wish he didn’t. But that’s what happened. And to adapt one famous debate saying, I met Howard Dean. Howard Dean was a candidate of mine. And Glenn Beck is no Howard Dean. Their Party caused the problems we have and their revisionism won’t pass for even an ounce of the truth. Restore honor? That’s what happened when Barack Obama took the oath of office.
* Whom I almost always agree with, except on his recent calling for the so-called mosque to be moved. It never ceases to amaze how so many Dems buttons can be pushed in counterproductive directions.
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