The Pubbies: Not 'Citizen-Lawmakers'

The nub of it:

It would seem obvious that a party that repeatedly states as its central belief the idea of limited government has somehow managed to produce an "elite" that in fact believes nothing of the kind.

IOW, by definition, the "elite" are perma-Gummint kinda guys (and gals.)  It's what Ron Johnson is NOT.

That observation comes in an article by Jeffrey Lord musing on the Republicans who spoke with the NYT in an article published last weekend.  Our author refers to them as "Clark Clifford Republicans."

"Clark Clifford Republicans" defined as those who really don't believe in the Reagan/Coolidge view -- the conservative view and once upon a time the Republican view -- of the world at all. Even if they give good lip service to the idea in public, it is clear from this piece that in the quiet corners of this or that Washington bistro they are muttering their equivalent derogations for Tea Partiers that match in some fashion Clifford's "amiable dunce" derisive. Although, it appears, they have dropped the "amiable."

Well they should drop 'amiable,' because the TEA Party folks will not remain 'amiable' for long.

Just try us.


There is something decidedly off-kilter when the party elite for a party whose core premise is limited government is itself addicted to Big Government. So addicted that the very idea of eliminating program X (much less Department Y) is viewed with alarm as an expression of Outside the Mainstreamness or, more viscerally, "paranoia." Creating in turn the impression to a growing number of alarmed Americans that the Party of Reagan has become the Party of Jabba the Hutt...

That accounts for the not-very-subtle twisting of the TEA Party into 'crypto-Paulistas.'  The Elite would label you as a 'nut'.


Lord is far more polite than he needs be:


The circle game goes round and round, with the money earned from protecting Big Government used for contributions to GOP candidate A, B, or C. To make certain the access to Elected GOP Official A, B, or C is thus greased and that when push comes to shove, no serious damage has been done to Big Government.

So let's go back to the Ron Paul ideas.


Nuke the following:

• Department of Education
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Energy
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Housing and Urban Development

Ron Paul may have some strange ideas--but THOSE are not; they're only a beginning.