Republicans seem to be getting crazier with every election!
Tennessee Representative, Marsha Blackburn's, appearance on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell a week ago on Monday night begged the question -- what is wrong with the Republican Party?
The party that collectively invokes Ronald Reagan at every possible opportunity would have difficulty nominating the Gipper to represent their ideals today. He would be too moderate for the scattered, displaced, sometimes on the edge of insanity, Republican Party.
What has caused this extreme change in the Party of Lincoln?
It's clear that the radical platform embraced by current right-wing politicians represents a level of extremism and zealotry never before seen in American politics.
But this is not just a manifestation of the rise in the Tea Party. The party had been leaning crazy for some time, but has exploded since the emergence of the Tea Partiers.
Blackburn, Michele Bachmann, Louie Gohmert, Virginia Cox, and Steve King were all elected pre-Tea Party. Their absurd ideas, analogies, and statements were somewhat innocuous -- seen more as comical than taken seriously; in stark contrast to the coverage they now receive since the rise of the far-right contingent called the Tea Party.
With the selection of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, extreme changes began to appear in the Republican Party; a bizarre metamorphosis which has enveloped and derailed the party.
Her selection spawned a genus of people who know little about politics and less about governing, but are excellent at repeating talking points -- most of them untruthful or disinformation -- which are fed to them.
Unfortunately, that selection combined with the short-lived escalation of the Tea Party, empowered this crazy faction to the detriment of the nation.
Both Palin and Bachmann are notorious for their erroneous examples of both history and geography, from the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, to 9-year-old John Quincy Adams as one of our Founding Fathers, to the much maligned mistake about John Wayne, the two continually butcher historical, constitutional, and geographical references indicating a painful lack of knowledge.
What is most disturbing is the number of Tea Party politicians who have shown the same deficiencies; a lack of knowledge and understanding which would diminish their ability to govern effectively.
The Republican Party already had significant problems -- most apparent being their blatant hypocrisy; outright lies tearing at the fabric of a 236-year-old democracy.
Add a tea bag to the brew and it becomes even more malodorous.
This has become more obvious with the current impasse on raising the debt ceiling and trimming the budget. Threatening to let the U.S. default on its debt. Clueless to the implications of not raising the debt limit, the raucous little faction is prepared to throw the U.S. economy into chaos to prove an untested and much maligned theory.
Loudmouth's like Representatives Joe Walsh, Mike Mulvaney, Steve Scalise, Alan West and Senators Mike Lee and Ron Johnson try to overpower the discourse, shouting out their talking points, and shouting down television hosts, rather than engaging in intelligent discussion. Their boisterous attempt at emasculation masks the incompetency of their arguments or positions to the detriment of a hurting nation.
The discourse in Congress was already difficult before adding a narrow-minded, tunnel-visioned element to the Republican mix.
Demanding draconian spending cuts during a recession will be more hurtful to the ailing economy than asking the rich to pay their fair share. Trying to explain that to these detached congressional members is tantamount to talking to a rock.
Unfortunately, when the economy worsens they will aggressively blame Obama and the Democrats for declining demand, increasing unemployment, and the anemic economy their demanded cuts caused.
We are stuck with this deranged contingent until the 2012 elections. Those who are responsible for this unqualified group of crazies need to correct their mistake in the next elections.
The potential problem is the amount of damage they will inflict on an already divisive and frail democracy before they can be replaced with politicians who care about their constituents and this country.
Clowns are fun! Clowns have a place in Americana.
But running this fragile government is no place for these clowns!