The Maine GOP (which is historically moderate) had their convention last weekend and adopted a radical, tea-party inspired platform, to the surprise of even the authors of the new platform.
But what is really ironic is that the group that wrote the new platform met in a classroom of a nearby school, and objected to some of the class materials they saw so much that they stole some of them and defaced others. For example, the group objected to a stack of copies of the US Constitution (which they found by rummaging inside of a closed box), because they had been donated by the (gasp!) ACLU.
In their new platform, the group wrote “It is immoral to steal property rightfully earned by one person, and give it to another who has no claim or right to its benefits.” But apparently it is acceptable to steal school materials, deface school property, and rummage through the teacher’s desk. In fact, when the classroom’s teacher objected to the school materials being stolen, their response was “Well, it should have been because it shouldn’t be in that classroom!”
I sure hope the Republicans can survive themselves.
12 Comments
it’s really annoying that the media is calling this a ‘tea party’ inspired platform.
as far as I know, the ‘tea party’ is not about fundamentalist evangelical christian ideals, it’s about taxes and small government. In other words, it’s a secular libertarian movement, mostly.
this platform highjack appears to mostly be about codifying fundamentalist christian pet causes in the party platform. it reads like a checklist of “hot topics” in the evangelical community, with a few fiscal issues thrown in.
why is this not being reported as the fundie highjack it is? Probably because “tea party” is a better buzz word. it’s dangerous to ignore the real motivations here though. the fundies are trying to ride the tea party coattails here. they are succeeding, and they are much more dangerous than any tea party could be, because they are inherently organized and motivated over the long term.
Perhaps so, Rob, but republicans and conservatives (many of those in the tea party) made their bed long ago with the fundies in order to win votes, so it’s no surprise they would be blamed. The group is so intermingled now, you can’t tell them apart (racist, fundies).
“You got to dance with them what brung you” to quote an Ivins title.
Rob,
The Tea Party is about having a BLACK democrat in the White House. So it’s a coalition of all kinds of weirdos being used by the rich and powerful aristocracy of this country to get these people out to vote Republican. Pure and simple….sounds like you’re trying to read way too much into what the Tea Party represents.
There’s a bumper sticker I wouldn’t mind having: WWMIS (What Would Molly Ivins Say?)
Actually, if you read the platform, it includes many tea party talking points, like closed borders, smaller government, and no taxes. For example, the quote that I included about it being immoral to tax one person in order to give the money to someone else — that is textbook tea party. And the poster they stole was about the labor movement, which is not a big fundamentalist issue. So I don’t think you can blame this on the fundies, Rob.
Does anyone else out there see any similarites between the teabaggers and what happened in pre-war Europe during the early rise of facism? Are we ready to deal with that?
I hate to use the fascism label too much. This reminds me more of the McCarthy commie witch hunt days. Especially their rhetoric about “real Americans”.
After the GOP lost in 2008, I figured their party would be split up and look a little more like the parties in France. There would be a conservative party and a moderate party. This happened but not the way I figured their power would be shared. Everyone (who claims to be a republican) is quickly siding with the ultra conservative base.
Why the hell is this happening? They are slowly destroying their own party!
Is it possible we could see a third major party rise out of these ashes…..a moderate conservative/progressive group try to get together? Or will all of the moderate Republicans (when they come to their senses) migrate toward the Democratic party?
Looks like the Maine G.O.P. is fixing to fire Snowe and Collins and send a couple more Democrats to the Senate!
I just received a questionnaire or something in the mail from the Republican National Committee or some such group. They really shouldn’t have provided a postage paid return envelope. What’s that postal weight limit again? 70 lbs?
Mad Hatter comment #3: Your are 100 % on track with your comment. Spelled Karl Rove (a wannabbee Aristrocracy) and Richard Mellon Schaif who is using the Mellon money to keep the power with the Squires. Which includes Brainwashing the uneducated. If you aren’t familiar with him, wikipedia him. He is the money funds behind so much of this. He runs the conservative newspaper in Pittsburgh and brings you “soda head”