Teabaggers Redux. Where were these guys 8 years ago?

[Tripoli1711]

Steven-  Thanks for that recitation of the event.  It is actually heartwarming to read, as one of my main points was that this should not be a Republican rah-rah event.  I am sure Ander Crenshaw was dynamite right?  Friendly people speaking passionately about old time conservatism before the republican party got crazy.  Perfect.  And for what it's worth, both the republicans and the democrats are crazy now.  Go listen to a speech by JFK.  Amazing.  Hell, even Robert Kennedy would only be a "moderate" democrat these days.  Oh well, it is what it is.

[Sigma]

That was my assessment as well, Stephen.  

Looking at the title of this post -

These guys were around 8 years ago, and even before that as evidenced by hooplady.  I think it has gotten so bad that it has rattled people who are normally not so outspoken.

[Tripoli1711]

I am a bit out of my league once we get into a deep economic discussion.  I don't doubt that the Keynes crowd wanted more spending.  One thing I do know is that Keynes and Keynesian economic theories have been routinely criticized by scores of economic thinkers.  (yes, likely all with converse political views.)  Point is, Keynesian economics is not gospel and many would claim it is an economic model that cannot sustain.  Anything more and I'll be talking out of my rear..

[JeffreyS]

I hope this ends up doing more good than harm for the fair tax.

[Sigma]

Rather, it was Franklin Roosevelt, who may well have extended a bad recession into a full-scale collapse by using it as the rationale for a massive expansion in the size and scope of the federal government.

What a load of revisionists history bull shit this is.  For the four years PRECEEDING FDR's first term, the economy was in a downward death spiral the likes of which this nation had never seen. Yet it is described as a 'bad recession'.  The 25% unemployment that FDR inherited was not a 'bad recession', it was the GREAT DEPRESSION. 

And as is typical of right wing revisionism, the article TOTALLY ignores the fact that REAGAN, BUSH -41 and CLINTON all raised taxes and the result was,  -- economic expansion and a reduction of the deficit.  Also, that jobs expansion that Bush 43's tax cut supposedly created, came after a multi-million loss of jobs. 

I guess the right is going to ride that one trick pony until it collapsed beneath them.  After all, it's the only idea they have.         

Try reading what the 19th century French economist Frederic Bastiat called "What is Seen and What is Unseen" - it may help you understand.
http://www.econlib.org/library/Bastiat/basEss1.html

[urbanlibertarian]

I'd like to take a moment to thank all the unborn taxpayers who will pay for the gifts we are about to receive.  Wait, if we just continue to refinance the debt over and over again no one will ever have to pay for anything we do with borrowed money.  Bread and circuses for everyone!

[BridgeTroll]

Wonkette...

[Sigma]

wouldnt something from the previous 100 years be more appropriate?  Or even something written after the Great Depression itself?

Actually, no, Stephen.  One reason is because the great depression was not the first instance. Previously they were called "panics" until the government wanted something that sounded better - "recession" and "depression" were born. Another reason is that it is a very simple read, something that even vicupstate could possibly understand.

Now go read your wonkette and huffington post. 

[chipwich]

While many tea-baggers may have had a noble ideology, I still don't really understand the point of yesterday's rally.

Taxes have not gone up yet under the current administration.  In fact, the gov't has done the opposite and put more money back into the paychecks of middle and lower income earners.  These people (advocates of lower taxes) should have been cheering the current administration yesterday, not booing it.  It just seemed too political and by political I mean Fox news, republican jargon. 

The original intent of the protesters may have been good, but it did not come out that way.  To me at least, it looked like a bunch of people who were sore they lost the election.  The left wingers did it too under the last administration and it pretty much looked the same as well (just with the opposite message).

Also, I wish the right winger radio guys would just put all the conspiracy theories to rest.  It makes them sound absolutely insane, not to mention stupid.

[mtraininjax]

Neal Bortz said it best "these people went and wasted their time and for what? Did anyone in Washington DC notice what they did"?

[civil42806]

Trip.  It was argued all the way through the 30s that FDR wasnt spending enough.  Every single one of the keynesian theorists were demanding that he increase, not decrease spending.  In fact, directly as a result of FDR bending to Republican pressure to stop the social spending, the depression widened and deepened in 37.  All evidence prior to that was that the spending program was working.  The Republicans used the facts in order to end the programs.

The result was almost instantaneous.

Finally, the military spending not only equalled what keynes had already been saying, but exceeded it.

As a result, America became an economic superpower.

WWII WW II!!!!!!!!   Thats the way to stimualte an economy!

[copperfiend]

Neal Bortz said it best "these people went and wasted their time and for what? Did anyone in Washington DC notice what they did"?

Will anybody remember next week?

[Tripoli1711]

Chip-

The fact that taxes (except on cigarettes of course) have not gone up under the administration misses the point.  There is a very simple 'connect the dots' between the actions of this Congress and Administration since January and taxes.  When people see Congressional Budget Office numbers showing the national debt almost tripling within ten years due to all of the spending that has taken place in a matter of weeks, when people see that this administration has obligated the United States into more debt than the first 43 presidents combined, and when people hear the CBO's estimates that within ten years the interest payments alone on all this debt will be $780 Billion dollars a year, we realize we the nations finances are rapidly heading toward a budgetary cliff.  It does not take a leap of faith nor does it induce blind partisanship to realize that taxes will have to be raised to pay for all of this.  It is truly a scary scenario to consider how much debt we now have, what a horrible quagmire medicare and social security are, and that this government wants to lay the groundwork for socialized healthcare in the next couple of years.  Look at the runaway costs of medicare.  Where is the money going to come from to socialize the entire healthcare system?  Taxes. 

The fact that those in favor of the constitutional principles of limited government, free markets and lower taxes happen to typically be republicans and therefore disagree with the most recent electorial "winners" should not serve to instantly disqualify them because they were the most recent "losers".  What is the moratorium on exercising your right to free speech and free association after an election so that you aren't dismissed as a "sore loser"?  6 months?  A year? 

[Shwaz]

Apparently, the first thing that comes to their ‘minds’ is some arcane, disgusting sexual perversion and not American history and tradition.”

Apparently I'm a lefty then... because when this story first broke and "teabaggers" / "teabagging" was mentioned I shot milk through my nose.

[Tripoli1711]

Agreed Shwaz.  I guess I will always be immature because I have given an almost butt-head like "heh heh heh" most every time I have read the term "teabaggers" or "teabagging" in like a respectable publication.