That's what the Washington establishment thinks of the Tea Party movement. From Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calling tea party members "extremists," and John McCain calling the Tea Party hobbits and mocking my dear friend Sharron Angle, it's surprising the amount of attention the Tea Party is getting for being "a few loud voices."
You see, the latest plan by Speaker of the House John Boehner is a great deal for conservatives. Just ask the stalwart conservative pundit from the Washington Post Jennifer Rubin. What's that? Never heard of her. Never mind that, she's outlined for us "ten things that happen if the Boehner bill gets through" the House. I won't go through them all, but let me highlight some of her "highlights."
She thinks Boehner's bill becomes "the inevitable solution to the crisis." Really, even though Harry Reid said the bill is DOA when it reaches the Senate? Nevertheless, whether it's $850 billion or $1+trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, those cuts will of course be ignored by any new Congress. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
Ms. Rubin rightly points out the Treasury Secretary Geithner would be authorized to immediately increase spending by $900 billion. So spending is guaranteed to go up while spending cuts are just another Capitol Hill promise to be broken later.
She thinks that the passage of Boehner's bill (I know it's not going to pass the Senate but go along for the ride) will cause "the most shrill voices in the GOP [to] take one on the chin" revealing a gap that "is actually between a few loud voices in the blogosphere and Congress." Oh but she does throw the Tea Party a bone saying passage would show that the movement "can move opinion and govern." Tell that to Reid, Schumer, and McCain.
But hey, don't despair, it's good that the Washington elites are underestimating our strength; that will play to our advantage in 2012, more so than in 2010.
Ms. Rubin goes on to say that "Obama won't have any excuse for the rotten economy." Um...Jen...can you name me one he has now, Ms. Conservative Voice for the Washington Post? Barack Obama is never going to need an excuse for the rotten economy; he has the MSM, including your employer, who will work overtime for his reelection.
Oh, and here's my favorite part. Ms. Rubin believes that the left will be demoralized. Yes, and history shows what happens when the left is demoralized, they stay home in protest and don't vote. Oh wait, I'm getting confused; the right does that. No Jennifer, the left, unlike the right and like the lemmings they are, will still vote for Democrats.
Now, the cherry on the top of this journalistic smashup sundae is she wonders "why this is even controversial in Republican ranks."
This is where we at Aletheia Group L.L.C. can help you out with some truthfulness that corresponds to reality. The plan is controversial because it is not a conservative plan and the House has already passed a bill which the Senate refuses to vote on.
The ball is in their court.
At least it was until Boehner jumped over the net and volleyed the ball back over the net into the House's court.
Honestly, the supposed conservative punditry inside the Beltway is completely out of touch with the grassroots conservative movement. So much so, and this pains me to write this, it includes the great Thomas Sowell.
More on that tomorrow...