In this interview with Ryan Nobles, Ken Cuccinelli waxes (in)ineloquent on the “Tea Party” and “Occupy” movements, their similarities and differences. I say INeloquent because Cuccinelli is so wildly off base, it’s hard to know where to start. Here are a few Cuccinelli Clunkers.
1. Kooky-Cuckoo claims that the Tea Party and Occupy movements agree that the “corporatist element of government,” is a bad thing. Yeah…except that the Tea Party is heavily funded and backed by the Koch brothers and other huge corporatists/crony capitalists. Perhaps that’s why Jim Hightower wrote an article entitled, Tea party Congress: “Power to the Corporations”. Perhaps that’s also why you haven’t seen the Tea Party protesting Wall Street, or the huge profits of corporations like ExxonMobil (which simultaneously receives enormous corporate welfare and other favors). And perhaps that’s why the Tea Party Citizens United is “the leading voice and vision of the Tea Party agenda,” and why Citizens United-fueled corporate front groups have “flooded the electoral zone with massive contributions to reactionary Tea Party candidates.” Yes, just like the Occupy movement. Oh wait, it’s not at ALL like the Occupy movement? You mean Ken Kookinelli’s absolutely, 180-degrees wrong once again? Shocker!
2. Cucc’s love for “999,” of course, is part and parcel with his warped philosophy of massive benefits to the wealthiest Americans, while cranking up taxes on the working and middle classes. That, of course, is exactly what the moronic 999 plan would do — “Cain’s plan would be a tax hike for the lower middle class and a tax windfall for the wealthy.” That, sadly, is what many in the Tea Party are fighting for. That most certainly is NOT what folks in the Occupy movement are fighting for. Minor difference there, I can see how Ken Kookinelli would have missed it. (snark)
3. Then there’s Kookinelli’s howler about how the supposed “free market” – which we have never had and never will have in this country, or any other country – is all knowing, that if something is good enough, “it will stand on its own.” The utter ignorance and blind ideology here is stunning. Does Cuccinelli seriously not understand that the market is distorted by a myriad of subsidies, externalities of all kinds, and a gazillion other distortions to the theoretical (which is all it is) “free market?” Apparently not, but then again, this is the same guy who doesn’t “believe” what thousands of scientists have found over decades of research, so why would we expect him to believe economists or anyone else. Cuccinelli knows all!!! LOL
4. Cuccinelli also manages to wildly distort what’s going on with the Occupy movement, claiming it’s a bunch of lawbreaking, violence-loving hooligans essentially, contrasting it with the law-abiding/peace-loving Tea Partiers. Just a minor simplification here, but then again, when you see everything in subtle shades of dark black and bright white as Ken Kookinelli does, is this a surprise?
5. Cuccinelli finishes up by repeating his lie that both the Occupy and Tea Party movements are fighting against the “continued grip special interests have on government on every level.” Except, again, for the fact that the Tea Party is heavily funded and backed by those very special interests, and has certainly not protested against said “special interests.” I’d also point out that when it comes to government spending, which Tea Partiers want to slash, most of the “special interests” are you and me, as the vast majority of the budget goes to “entitlement” programs like Medicare and Social Security. The other big item in the budget, other than interest on the debt, is of course the military-industrial complex, which I’m sure the peaceniks (heh) in the Tea Party movement want to slash. Oh wait, they don’t…
In sum, Ken Cuccinelli babbles on here for 4 minutes, 8 seconds, and manages not to say anything that makes any sense whatsoever. He also manages to cram in several howlers, slanders, and displays of utter ignorance in that short time frame. I guess we’ve got to hand it to him, that certainly takes talent! 😉
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