Reason.tv: The Tea Party vs. John Boehner

The anti-spending movement fights to make itself heard in Washington and at home.

The Tea Party held a rally outside the Capitol Building today to demand that congressional Republicans demand significant cuts in federal spending. The outlook is bad. House Republicans are fighting to hold on to the $61 billion in spending cuts they approved in February, a mere rounding error in a budget totaling about $3.8 trillion.

Today's rally shows how the Tea Party has continued the fight to make itself heard in Washington. But in Ohio there's a new focus: local politics.

"I have no expectation of anything coming out of congress that's going to be very close to what I'd like to see happen," says Chris Littleton, president of both the Cincinnati Tea Party and the Ohio Liberty Council, which is an umbrella group of 65 Tea Party and other activist groups in the buckeye state. "But we can have a greater degree of effect at the state level."  

The Ohio Liberty Council is appointing a designated representative in every congressional and state senate district; Tea Party groups across Ohio are throwing support behind mayoral, city council, and school board candidates, with the intention of effecting policy but also building a farm team for higher office; and city and county Tea Party organizations are breaking apart into more localized groups comprised of precinct and block captains who regularly go door-to-door to court the votes of their neighbors.

However, the Ohio Tea Party is attempting to influence one local politician with outsized influence on the national stage: House GOP Majority Speaker John Boehner. As house minority leader from 2007-2011, Boehner rubber stamped practically every Bush-era initiative to expand the scope and size of the federal government.

More recently, Boehner has stated his support for increasing the federal debt ceiling, which will allow Washington to continue borrowing money to meet its obligations after it hits the limit (which is expected to happen before the end of May). The West Chester Tea Party, which is opposed to increasing the debt limit, has been contacting the Speaker's donors, asking them to influence him to take a harder line on the issue.

Approximately 6 minutes.

Produced, shot, and edited by Jim Epstein, with help from Joshua Swain.

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Comments

[Au H20]

Fellow Reasonoids, I may finally have a way to drive the blog whore rather from our midst:

Email address: [e-mail]

I take no responsibility for what you guys do, but I probably support it. Also, I had to wade through her horrible blog to find it.

The Goggles, they do NOTHING!!!

[Old Mexican]

I don't advocate harrassment. It should be enough with making it obvious how clueless rather really is.

[Au H20]

Yes, fair enough. Just decided to allow us another bullet in the chamber, as it were.

[Episiarch]

Just remember, if you email her, she might email you.

Think hard about that.

[Sudden]

I recommend establishing a new email account solely for the purposes of sending it emails.

On a side note, if you're acting as a benevolent Nigerian dignitary on the run from radical Christians and in need of a US bank account, I have a feeling this might be the ideal email to send your request.

[Joshua Corning]

may finally have a way to drive the blog whore rather from our midst:

I am on board with driving Rather from our midst.

I think we should have more bloggers here not less.

And I don't think I am alone when I ask what could possibly be wrong with having a whore here?

[Joshua Corning]

I am on board with driving Rather from our midst.

Crap!!

I am NOT on board with driving Rather from our midst.

corrected.

[Boxbot]

Hotmail.

I am beginning to have something of a low view of the woman's intelligence.

[thebardofmurdock]

Budget Pharmacology

Way over in the corner,
Beset by fits and starts,
The trouble-makers loiter
And practice their black arts.

They just don't keep their focus,
At least like you and I.
Their minds begin to wander;
Their thoughts go all awry.

When jolted by a crisis
They go into a state,
Unable to face problems
That make them concentrate.

Just take a look at Durbin
Whose thoughts have gone askew,
Ignoring our debt crisis
And lecturing on chew.

And how 'bout Charlie Schumer's
Extremist conference call?
I'm worried 'bout that fellow;
He needs his Adderall.

Of course, there's good old Harry
A Leader, sure as sin,
With poetry for cowboys:
Rush in the Ritalin!

And then we have odd Barney
The Bay State's figurine,
Who's introducing ENDA;
He's out of Dexedrine.

We need the pharma lobby
To generate a pill,
That brings a little focus
To members on the Hill.

I know it's hard to get there
For those with ADD,
But please just pass a budget,
That ends the spending spree!

[Old Mexican]

More recently, Boehner has stated his support for increasing the federal debt ceiling[.]

But, you see, government is about compromise, as in "You compromise YOUR principles for my sake, and I sure will not do the same for you."

At least, that is how lefties like Tony see it: When Dems are in power, there should be no compromising. When the Repubs are in power, then they should "compromise" in order to govern.

[Tony]

That legislating takes compromise is just a fact.

Principles are shit if they only serve to make you feel good about yourself.

[Tony]

No--less than shit. Shit has uses.

[Jim]

Oh Tony Tony Tony...do you realize what a big setup to any number of jokes you just gave me? I won't make them, because even though we disagree on most things, I'm not that big of a bastard. But oh jeez, the jokes I could have made...

[Tony]

If you're into fertilizer humor...

[Jim]

Not exactly what I had in mind. I am extremely immature in my sense of humor.

[Tony]

That seems to be a theme here.

[Joshua Corning]

what are you aiming for?

two Tonys one cup?

[Sudden]

You know who else thought shit had uses...?

[Mr Whipple???]

Shit has uses

Yeah, here's one for you to try, Tony.

[Dumbass]

I have never laughed so hard from being so horrified

[Old Mexican]

Re: Tony,

Principles are shit if they only serve to make you feel good about yourself.

That should be your epitaph.

[Mr. FIFY]

Let us guess, Tony:

When your side compromises with Team Red, it's "selling out to corporations", whereas when they compromise with Team Blue, it's a good thing.

Fuck getting along, I would be physically thrown out if I were a Congressman, just for verbally refusing to make deals with the criminals in session.

[Tony]

Yes, compromise when I win is good, bad when I lose.

Here's the thing. Take the tea partiers in congress. They of course are refusing to compromise. That means, if Republicans want to get anything passed, they have to instead compromise with Democrats. The tea party thus gets a worse bill, for them, than they would have if they'd played ball.

Now there's a political angle that does serve a purpose. They have to act like that because tea party voters act the same way they do, and if they compromise they may lose their seat in their districts. Because they're idiots and ideologues, actual governing doesn't seem to enter the equation.

[JoshiNHB]

Politicians sticking by the promises that got them elected?

Outrageous

[Fatty Bolger]

30 billion vs 60 billion in cuts is not a compromise. It's a rounding error. It's like scarfing down a Big Mac Extra Value Meal, not eating the last fry and a half, and calling it an "extreme" diet.

[The Fringe Economist]

I guess the dems must love Obama cuz of his ability to compromise his values.

Since he's been in office we've had:
More war
More corporate bailouts
More marijuana raids

[CrackertyAssCracker]

So the deficit is about 1.3 trillion right? (or is 1.6 I forget).

So lets meet half way and cut 650 billion. (or 800 billion).\

See, we are ready to compromise. 33 billion ain't jack crap though.

[Doktor Kapitalism]

Valid point. Rand Paul's plan ($500 billion this year) is compromise. The $61 billion or whatever they're claiming this week really is nothing.

[BigT]

Deficit is 1,600 billion. We need to cut 1,600 billion just to get to even, before we can start paying pack the debt. Anything short of that is criminally cowardice.

[Doktor Kapitalism]

I'm all for putting us in a trillion dollar surplus. I'm just confirming with CAC that compromise is cutting hundreds of billions, not the double digit billions the "compromisers" are wanting.

[Doktor Kapitalism]

I'm all for putting us in a trillion dollar surplus. I was just confirming that cutting hundreds of billions is really compromising, rather than the tens of billions being cut by the "radicals" in the House.

[TrickyVic]

""At least, that is how lefties like Tony see it: When Dems are in power, there should be no compromising. When the Repubs are in power, then they should "compromise" in order to govern.""

Wow, welcome to partisan politics 101. Next week, you'll learn how the other side does the samething. 😉

[Tony]

It's not quite equal. Republicans throw tantrums, Democrats compromise. Republicans only have to compromise occasionally, because Democrats are pussies who can't agree on anything, while Republicans are a disciplined army of crazy. They were until lately anyway.

[JoshiNHB]

It's not quite equal. Republicans throw tantrums, Democrats compromise runaway and hide in other jurisdictions, like pussies

FIFY Bitch.

[John C. Randolph]

>Republicans throw tantrums,

Say there, Tony... Seems to me that the tantrums I see, where people howl and scream and destroy property, are the left-wing demonstrations like we just saw at the Wisconsin state house.

-jcr

[Virginia]

Ever wonder what a man turns into after he hits the planet's surface like a meteorite? Wonder no more. The Russians held an open casket state funeral for a botched astronaut mission back in the 60s. Scroll down for pic.

Open casket.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-rage.html

Looks like a giant placenta. Or maybe brisket.

[Libertymike]

Holy threadjack!

The bardofmurdock manifests itself in you.

[Sudden]

Speaking of threadjacks, you know who else came from Ohio?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/morbi.....d=13257442

[Libertymike]

Caloric imbalance?

[JoshiNHB]

Sounds like a report from the onion.

[Dumbass]

they didn't even give a weight on that fish they hooked

[Binky]

So it actually is "Boner"?

[Mr. FIFY]

Only if we can refer to "Anthony Whiner".

[Brian from Texas]

I'm not surprised one bit by the Speaker's actions. He is after all a professional politician first and foremost.

[Martin]

Why would he get into a big fight over paltry cuts? Just refuse to raise the debt ceiling, and hey presto! They're CUT OFF.

But that would take some sense of honor, which is a scarce commodity in our ruling class.

[Tony]

Destroying the world economy to make a political point: honorable!

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Refusing to raise the debt ceiling would destroy the world's economy? No wonder you are an English major, because clearly the concept of the exponential function escaped you completely.

[Fatty Bolger]

He's got the lingo down though, doesn't he? Destroy the world economy! Cutting $60 billion out of a $3800 billion budget is extreme! EXTREME!

[Doktor Kapitalism]

So...by needing to consume less in taxes and by avoiding even more taxes to come, we're hurting the economy? Taxes which prevent job creation and make anyone who has to pay them poorer?

This goes beyond Keynesian. It's Tonyian.

[John C. Randolph]

I don't think Boehner's gotten the memo yet, but if he votes to raise the debt ceiling, he's going to get the Bob Bennett treatment the next time he's up for re-election. He might even come in fourth behind three tea party candidates.

-jcr

[Cytotoxic]

Frankly, this should have already happened to that TARPING asshole.

[Carl's Sr.]

The republicunt at 4:18 nailed it: (the Tea Party is all about enforcing my bigoted view of) "marriage between a man and a woman".

Fuck the federal budget. Hell, fuck the country. Just keep those nasty homos from entering into a civil contract at all costs.

[BigT]

Actually, the guy in the mohawk got it - it's all about money - addition doesn't mix with religion.

[Doc S]

The republicans and tea partiers were elected to do one thing.. MAJOR spendign cuts. Get rid of the stupid pet project religious bull shit funding cuts and make some cuts that actually make a change.

[Realist]

As much as I hate it....I agree with you.

[Doc S]

I'm actually fairly libretarian, we'd probably agree on nearly all issues not environmentally related. But environmental articles are usually all I post on since my perspective differs so much.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

The Tea Party needs to stay on topic. Fiscal responsibility, small government, adherence to the Constitution. Sticking with these three precepts makes the movement all inclusive. Both conservatives AND libertarians can agree on these points, and they are very hard to argue against from the left.

The left's strategy, has been to paint the Tea Party as the "extreme" right. I'm not sure how fiscal responsibility, small government, adherence to the Constitution can be considered extreme. BUT, if we take up social issues, we give the left's argument credibility.

Let's stick to the topics we can all agree on and make change in those areas. Once we've accomplished our main goals, we can splinter and argue about the rest.

STAND FIRM!

[e]

The Tea Party has the Demoncrats shaking in their boots. There's literally dozens of people there (not tens like the LIEberal media would have it).

[e]

Awesome how the guy calling for BILLIONS IN CUTS is wearing an Air Force hat. Because bombing brown people is free!

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