The Tea Party Nation, via Judson Phillips, has laid down a set of ultimatums for the new Republican Congress, and all I can say to them is "good luck with that." In a very long screed to Senator Mitch McConnell and Speaker-Elect John Boehner, Phillips lays out what they expect this Congress to accomplish in the next two years. Here's a list, in their own words:
- "[W]e want Obamacare defunded. There is no compromise on this issue and it is not negotiable."
- "[W]e want serious reductions in spending." (No suggestions for what should be reduced, however. Philips instead falls back on the "waste, fraud and abuse" standby)
- "[W]e must dismantle the liberal-political complex." He goes on to name ACORN and Planned Parenthood as agencies receiving Federal funding which should immediately be defunded and left for dead, as if one of them already hasn't.
- "[I]f the debt ceiling is to be raised, this is the last time." Interesting to me that they'd concede this. It may be the most significant "demand" on the list.
- "[T]axes must be reduced. The Bush tax cuts must be extended for everyone, made permanent..." He goes on to blather about how "small businesses" are being penalized. Small businesses like those holding companies pouring billions into Charles and David Koch's pockets? Those small businesses?
- "[T]here can be no amnesty." A call to oppose the DREAM act and "any other effort." They seriously want to toss every immigrant out and let them all re-apply. And I thought I was an idealist.
- "[F]ight the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The policy has worked well for the last fifteen years. There is no reason to change." He goes on to rail against "radical leftist groups" wanting to weaken the United States military but fails to acknowledge the near-unanimous opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the DADT policy actually undermines the military far more.
And I simply must quote Mr. Phillips' closing because it is so stunningly narrow-minded and insular:
We, the members of the mainstream Tea Party movement have a lot of expectations for you in this Congress. We realize the limitations you face. But we also realize the tools you have at your disposal. America is a conservative country. We expect conservative leadership from our country.
It's going to be a very interesting 2 years. I can hardly wait to see how wingers like Phillips handle the disappointment they're sure to feel when none of this happens.
