| In his NYT column, Nobel prize- winning economist, Paul Krugman weighs in on tea parties, Republicans, and Democrats…..And once again, I find myself agreeing with Krugman, the economist whom Republicans have just recently loved to quote, as Krugman has been at odds with the Dem mainstream over the handling of the economy. This time, however, I suspect that the right wingers won't be too happy about what Krugman has to say…..
Today’s G.O.P. is, after all, very much a minority party. It retains some limited ability to obstruct the Democrats, but has no ability to make or even significantly shape policy.
Beyond that, Republicans have become embarrassing to watch. And it doesn’t feel right to make fun of crazy people. Better, perhaps, to focus on the real policy debates, which are all among Democrats.
Krugman goes on to say essentially the same thing that I pointed out in my article last week --- namely that the tea parties are not a matter of public sentiment, are not spontaneous, but rather, organized and paid for by the corporatists, and promoted by Fox News.
Last but not least: it turns out that the tea parties don’t represent a spontaneous outpouring of public sentiment. They’re AstroTurf (fake grass roots) events, manufactured by the usual suspects. In particular, a key role is being played by FreedomWorks, an organization run by Richard Armey, the former House majority leader, and supported by the usual group of right-wing billionaires. And the parties are, of course, being promoted heavily by Fox News.
Liberals invented revolution in this country. Leave it to the Republicans to muck it all up and give it an undeservedly bad rep. Happy teabagging, tools.
UPDATE:
MSNBC’s David Schuster gives us some background on the teabagging movement. Hilarious and factual.
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