AMERICA AT THE CROSSROADS

For the past few years one of the fiercest fights in American political history has been waged. The stakes are the highest imaginable and they relate to the management and distribution of society’s assets, the regulation of the market place and the very value system by which the USA wishes to interact between it’s citizenry. In short this is a battle about the rights of individuals and the economic philosophies on which this country will be run on. The Tea Party has taken on the existing form of the American Society as defined and accepted by the Democratic Party and the former Republic Party for scores of years.

This war is likely to continue till at least 2016 when the dust settles following that election. As with all conflicts there is confusion as to what is going on as skirmishes are fought that appear to have nothing to do with anything. But the battle lines have been drawn and the warring parties have been defined.

If one wishes to dignify the fight in economic terms it is, on the one hand, between Keynesian and on the other, trickle down economics. Notwithstanding America’s adherence to free market capitalism, Keynesian theory coupled with the distribution of assets has been the basis of its economic policies for living memory.

THE DEMISE OF THE OLD REPUBLICAN PARTY.

(Blog: The Republican Party is Dead, June 2013).

In fact a major battle to create an opposition party to take on the societal status quo is all over bar the shouting. Rather than create a new political party, The Tea Party has taken over the Republican Party as their vehicle to create a new order. Their opposition is the existing Democratic Party and an ever-diminishing number of old Republicans who still understand the politics of the past. The latter even occupy key positions in the Republican Tea Party and are unashamedly being used by the new ultraconservative group to create the aura of unity.

The old style Republicans are at a loss as to how to react. Many are in denial, others periodically criticize some of the more outlandish statements of the Tea Party and a few vow to reinvent the old party in the Primary Elections of 2014 and 2016 by selecting “better” Republican candidates. But that will be too little too late. A few hope that the chief representatives of the Tea Party like Cruz will implode with their off the wall positions and that they won’t be caught in the explosion. Most, however, go along with the Tea Party in the vain hope that they will live to fight another day. (John Boehner, the leader of the House of Representatives, who has totally caved into the Tea Party, is still facing a primary challenge never the less).

THE NEW ORDER – THE TEA PARTY.

In January, 2011, Jay H. Ell blogged the coming out of Tea Party and two short years later in March 2013 he blogged that the takeover was complete. While the differences between the Democrats and the Republicans were always there they have sharpened over the past decade. The differences on policies on taxes, individual rights, societal support to the disadvantaged, market regulation and environment, for example, have always been central to the debate between the two dominant parties. However, there was the inevitable compromise at the end of the day otherwise, as the American Constitution is constructed, nothing would ever get done.

THE CENTRAL ISSUE

In this stage of the history of the USA, following the 2008 Great Recession, 1% of the population own one third of the nation’s wealth. The belief is that these selfsame 1% were responsible for the economic collapse with its subsequent unemployment and loss of homes. The 1% were not only not punished but also profited from the mess. Also the Bush tax cuts, that Obama was barely able to tinker with, are still in place and these favor the wealthy.

The income differences, now, between those in the top income brackets and those at the lower end of the scale are as great as they were before the 1928 Great Depression. The result is that more and more people are on unemployment, require food stamps, need health care insurance, have little if any savings and are in debt.

It is at this stage in the Country’s history that the Tea Party want to do away with all social programs and defund Obamacare let alone rectify the current imbalances of society’s resources. The practical means by which they are currently aiming to do is by not passing the annual Governmental budget, in the House of Representatives, which supports the social services and funds Obamacare. This is not ultimately going to happen because the Democratic dominated Senate will never agree and so unless there will be a compromise  all the Government finances will be shut down.

To summarize the Tea Party are quite willing to bring down the ship for their ideological views and presumably build a new America out of the wreck.

CAN THE TEA PARTY SUCCEED?

It is hard to imagine the Tea Party succeed on the National scene. Remember Romney had a manifesto that was a much-watered down version of the current demands and got soundly beaten. Also they and the Republican Party as a whole have done nothing to reassure the key demographic groups, women, Hispanics, African Americans and the youth that they understand their needs. Their tactic has got to be that those in power are responsible for the current and forthcoming economic worsening and that the electorate will turn to them, the only alternative, in desperation.

Remember the Tea Party is not running as the Tea Party per se they are running as the Republican Party.

In their guise as the Republican Party they have proceeded with the politics of nullification. (Blog: Obama and the New Nullification Politics, August 3, 2013.) In addition to getting rid of existing social programs the objective is to let the Obama administration achieve nothing. Now they are going for broke. They will defund the government, produce chaos and hope against hope that the Obama administration will either cave or get the blame.

The Tea Party’s aim must still be to assist the Republican Party in 2014 takeover the Senate so that they then control the House and the Senate. They believe they can do this and then the ultimate prize is the Presidency in 2016.

TEA PARTY ASSETS

The Tea Party’s biggest asset is unlimited amounts of money. In effect by representing business and money this is not surprising. Their largest benefactors are the Koch Brothers who have a combined wealth of $72 billion dollars. And what better way to spend it then by buying your own government? The Koch’s are spending  $60 million on defunding Obamacare alone.

The Tea Party’s ability to obtain unlimited funds has been assisted by a sympathetic Supreme Court that has equated money with freedom of speech.

The Tea Party is also being assisted by the Republicans in State Legislative moves to restrict the vote of minorities such as the African – Americans and the Latinos.

AT THE END OF THE DAY.

The current crises funding the government will resolve. Even if funding is withheld it will be reinstated after a short while. Obamacare cannot be stopped. Obama, on the stump, is welcoming the challenge. Obamacare is the law and recruitment of uninsured citizens starts on October 1. Jay H Ell does not believe this grandstanding will help the Tea Party but nor does he underestimate the Tea Party and their backers’ resolve to change the face of the American Society. However, history does not favor the Tea Party’s chances. Ultimately the rights of individuals triumph. However, never has there been this imbalance of financial resources backing a determined minority group.

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