As many of us wet our pants watching the Republican Party implode under the weight of wingnuts like Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, Michele Bachmann and Joe the Plumber, the REAL GOP is trying to rise out of the slime to present themselves as moderates. To that end, they have put their name behind hundreds of protest "tea parties" that are taking place across America and will culminate on April 15th. Kick’s first article on Rick Santelli and the Republican Tea Parties
These protests will be attended by many thousands of moderate Republicans who we see express their Republican views in this video.
[Please do not read any sarcasm into my use of the term "moderate Republicans" these really are moderate Republicans, the real thing]
These tea parties are being sold as grass roots protests to the President’s stimulus package. They also serve moderates as a protest against Socialist President Obama’s intent to raise taxes on the very wealthy by 3% in 2011 – which is 10% lower than what Republican President Dwight Eisenhower thought fair.
Of course this is no grass roots movement at all, it began with that infamous Rick Santille rant on CNBC (video here) and is now mostly orchestrated through Freedom Works, an organization of Moderate Republicans owned and operated by Dick Armey and Steve Forbes. It is also being marketed by FOX NEWS with Glenn Beck (a non moderate Republican) as its central salesman.
The purpose of all this is to push Dick Armey’s old FAIR TAX plan he came up with in the 1990’s to combat Bill Clinton’s tax increases that he and Newt Gingrich said would destroy not only the American Economy, but the nation as well. Instead, it helped produce the longest period of peace and prosperity in 50 years.
After Armey retried from Congress the FAIR TAX was picked up by Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and is now the purpose behind Joe the Plumber extending his 15 minutes to what already feels like 15 years.
Essentially the FAIR TAX removes the "progressive" factor from the tax code, eliminates all deductions which are about the only sticks and carrots we have in America to make people do the right things.
The bottom line is the FAIR TAX reduces GREATLY the taxes on the top 5% of Americans (like Dick Armey and Steve Forbes) by replacing the revenues needed with a "regressive" sales tax of around 25% on everyone and everything.
This nutty idea gains its legs come every April when even sane people get tripped up on the complicated IRS forms and dream of a simple alternative no matter how nutty it may be.
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote a column about this today called Tea Parties Forever, here is an excerpt:
Republicans have become embarrassing to watch. And it doesn’t feel right to make fun of crazy people.
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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.