Their partisanship and cultural hostility to Obama are far more intense, it seems to me, than their genuine proposals to reduce spending and taxation. And this is largely because they have no genuine proposals to reduce spending and taxation. They seem very protective of Medicare and Social Security – and their older age bracket underlines this. They also seem primed for maximal neo-imperial reach, backing the nation-building efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, favoring war against Iran, etc. Only Ron Paul, peace be upon him, extends his big government critique to the military-industrial-ideological complex. So they are truly not serious in policy terms, and it behooves the small government right to grapple with this honestly. They both support lower taxation and yet bemoan the fact that so many Americans do not pay any income tax. They want to cut spending on trivial matters while enabling the entitlement and defense behemoths to go on gobbling up Americans’ wealth. And that lack of seriousness is complemented by a near-fanatical cultural alienation from the modern world.
And in conclusion, feel free to treat Tea Party members like dipshits. [Sullivan]
Kieran
Where were all these revolting teabaggers when Bush’s neo-Con regime was bankrupting the country by spending Trillions of $ on senseless and immoral wars in The Middle East? They had no problem with Bush spending Hundreds of Billions to bomb and kill Arabs and Moslems for the past 9 years, but when President Obama proposes spending money to insure American citizens have access to affordable healthcare—-OH HELL NO!
jeem
I don’t normally agree with Sullivan, but this phrase:
“Only Ron Paul, peace be upon him,”
had me falling out of my chair laughing.
Robert, NYC
I didn’t hear republican voters complain about Bush leaving the country with a huge deficit that eventually tanked the economy. They seem to forget it was Bush who initiated the stimulus package to bail out banks and corportions. The economy started going down the toilet in 2007, not 2009. More jobs were shifted overseas under Bush 43 than in any other time in our history. Not a sound from the right winger psycho talkers or teabaggers.
As for Sullivan, how on earth do republicans think that by lowering taxes year after year, usually for the wealthiest segment of society, that it helps the country? If they’re so bent on privatizing everything, where will they get the funds from to support Medicare, Medicaid, FDA, HUD, FAA, CIA, CAA, FEMA, FBI, Homeland Security, Public School System, Libaries, Museums, Mass Transit, Police and Fire Departments, EMS services, ad infinitum? They have NO message,they don’t want any kind of regulation of the financial services industry including banks and they have basically NO solutions. Reducing taxes has NEVER solved the economic woes of any society.
Pat Duffy
The problem is that Republicans and Tea Baggers Beleive in Magic. You see, there are Magical Beings called Infrastructure faeries that come out at night and fix roads,bridges, powerlines,sewers, etc. Ther’s no need to pay for Time, Materials and Labor for such things because Cheezit’s Lil Helpers take care of such things so their taxes can go to supporting Rich Het Guys…as the Book tells us to.
D'oh, The Magnificent
A broken watch is right twice a day. That’s Sullivan. I find no reason to quote him for something that others already get right without also giving a platform to subjects he gets wrong. In my world, I don’t need to make that choice to achieve the faux “I am balanced because see a crazy conservative agrees with me on a topic.” So fucking what. I don’t need Sullivan to realize the tea baggers are nuts. Besides, “The Bell Curve,” which he endorsed, is just an intellectual version of the Tea baggers.
Pygar
Over ten years ago, I used to know this young, annoying conservative, college boy, homo who used to get all wet over Andrew Sullivan. Thank you, ladies, for these comments. It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Just right for a cold rainy night!
(Sigh!)
delurker again
@Robert, NYC: “As for Sullivan, how on earth do republicans think that by lowering taxes year after year, usually for the wealthiest segment of society, that it helps the country?”
Trickle down economics, silly! Once you cut the marginal tax rate, the benefits will trickle down and the poor folk will eventually get the crumbs, like magic.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@delurker again: You mean like a dog pissing down your leg is trickling down?
zenflo
Probably the most interesting moments we could have discussing Andrew Sullivan would be if someone posted the body pic (or at least a link) re: his bareback-seeking ad a few years back on a sex meeting site. Or was this just an Internet rumor?
tjr101
It’s a complete myth that Republicans are more fiscally responsible than Democrats. Every Republican president since Reagan left office with a deficit. Reaganomics is the main reason for the vast gap in wealth in America today. The trickle down effect doesn’t work and is complete bullshit.
Andrew Sullivan is only stating the obvious that the teabaggers are just a bunch of loony hypocrits. Their main beef with Obama is that he is a left of center politician with a “tan” and has kinky hair. They complain about “big government” but they didn’t seem to have problems with Bush policies the last ten years. False populism. What are their positions on gay rights? Since they’re against “big government” I’m guessing they’ll also be against constitutional ammendments banning same sex marriage. Well apparently it’s not so black and white.
OhYeah
That portrait of Sullivan in this story is WAY too flattering. He doesn’t look like that.
Sexy Rexy
@tjr101: TJR, you speeak the truth.
If they are so pissed at Repubs, why not go after Bush and have him bought to trial for his crimes? The Obamahate is, for most of them IMO, based on racial bigotry.
hardmannyc
OHYEAH: No kidding. I’ve seen him at the beach, and that’s as close to him as Emily Blunt looks like Queen Victoria.
Chitown Kev
Chile, don’t mess with Miss Sullivan’s man, Obama (and personally, I believe that sexual attraction is at the core of Sully’s fascination with Obama although there are some political similarities).
She will cut you for messing with her man.
Baxter
@Pat Duffy: I don’t think anyone wants to get rid of infrastructure improvements and maintenance. Infrastructure spending accounts for a very, very tiny portion of the federal budget. The vast majority is defense and entitlement spending. That’s where we need to cut spending.
Baxter
@Robert, NYC: “As for Sullivan, how on earth do republicans think that by lowering taxes year after year, usually for the wealthiest segment of society, that it helps the country?”
When you lower taxes it increases economic growth, because people and businesses have more money to spend, which raises the standard of living and lowers unemployment. Conversely when you raise taxes, economic growth stagnates and you end up like Europe. We’ve seen it a bunch of times through the history of this country.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Chitown Kev: No, he correctly identifies the president as a moderate conservative although many of the president’s liberal supporters are pretty clueless on this reality. The package of reforms the president is doing is something you might find a moderate Republican of old doing. i.e., health care was Mitt Romney’s bill in MA, financial reform is pretty much something you could have gotten an Eisenhower on, etc. This is not to say that all these programs are bad, but theya re what they are, and Sullivan is at least smart enough unlike many liberals to ignore identity politics and branding. Now, Sullivan is a bigot (again The Bell Curve fiasco), but he’s not a low brow one. He probably separates us coloreds into the good ones and bad ones. Obama is just one of the good ones. I imagine I am not one he would like.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@Baxter: This is untrue as a blanket statement. It is only true in very specific instances, and those instances are not always applicable. It is the fundamental laziness of the right that stuns me at this point. I mean- to even say that as a blanket statement, shows complete ignorance. By your logic, just to give an example, a tax cut that promotes savings, would according to you promote economic growth. Obviously, this on its face is absurd, but your argument, if taken literally, would support this assertion. Your Europe example is one of those conservative know-nothing statements that also illustrates you are pushing ideological belief rather than factual arguments. The EU fairs better than the US in some ways and worse in others. Health care for example is 10 percent or less of GDP with better outcomes than the US’s 18 percent of GDP. Their growth which is less for multiple factors is less but they have a better social net so economic upheavals impact people less. The growth is less impart because they don’t treat their economy as much like a lotto ticket or gambling in Vegas. So, ultimately, you are comparing apples to oranges, and doing so in a way that’s quite lazy.
delurker again
@Baxter: And yet the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression is happening during a time of historically low taxes. How does that work out?
Sexy Rexy
Is Andrew still trolling for barebackers on the Internet?
-
the problem with the laffer curve is that nobody knows where the curve “traces” itrw. possibly the optimum tax rate(s) are higher than currently.
agree with d’oh, and note that europe suffers a lower rate of suburban/hummer leaseships than US.
ford, carter and bush2 suffered (politically) from increased oil import costs. reagan benefited (politically) from relatively low cost increases.
Count Chocula
I will never understand how this scum maintains any relevancy in the political sphere. If anything, he should be the reigning campaign advertisement for what not to do as it concerns safe sex. You can’t promote conservative vaules and then participate in “not so smart” acts like he does. He makes us gays look bad. Down with this guy.
OhYeah
@hardmannyc: Haha, yeah, he is probably friends with someone at Queerty. He must look at that painting and sigh everyday. Wishful thinking!
ben doverr
@zenflo: I guess with his powerful media connections, Sullivan was able to get his racy “companionship ads” expunged from the worldwide web-a-roonie.
Well, almost. Just add http:// and, voila:
web.archive.org/web/20010606105110/milkyloads.tripod.com/bareback/index.html
web.archive.org/web/20010526175901/milkyloads.tripod.com/aol/index.html
Before the flames of Q hell consume me, I acknowledge that thematically, his sex ads (the type of guys or activities he likes/doesn’t like) don’t correlate directly to this Tea Party conversation above.
Still, I think people deserve access to these ads for comparison when Sullivan writes columns on matters of “gay morality” and “sexual responsibility,” as he does quite often.
Then, after you grow a bit disenchanted at the chasm between what “Sexy Andy Says” and “Sexy Andy Does,” at least you can keep strong in the knowledge that 10 years ago, Sullivan had a finely muscled ass that could crack a walnut in mere seconds:
web.archive.org/web/20010610223732/milkyloads.tripod.com/bareback/08406c.jpg
And a lovely evening to one and all.