If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

POLITICAL COMMENTARY

"Dysfunctional" Too Polite to Describe Tea Party Congress

A Commentary By Joe Conason

As America lurches toward new and unfamiliar status as a nation that defaults on its debts, commentators around the world are wondering how the democratic government that was once the most admired in the world -- for many reasons -- is now so "dysfunctional," to use the polite term. But the truth is that the entire U.S. government is not dysfunctional. Much of the government functions well enough or better, and even the members of the troubled U.S. Senate seem to be trying, a little late, to deal with the problem before us.    

No, dysfunctional is the too-polite term for the House of Representatives, specifically its dominant tea party Republicans, who can be described in far less dainty psychological terms. Even the most extreme Republican partisans in the Senate seem to realize that their House colleagues, seized by some combination of ideology, madness and pig ignorance, are propelling the country and the world toward economic chaos.    

Of course, the tea party Republicans insist that no such thing will ever happen -- the warnings from economists, business leaders, financiers and public officials are merely so much "scare talk."    

When President Obama says that he won't be able to send out Social Security and Veterans Administration checks or meet the nation's obligations on Treasury debt come Aug. 2, he is just trying to frighten his opponents into giving up their principles. They don't accept the idea that we have to pay for financial obligations already incurred -- or that the rising interest rates caused by default will make future deficits much deeper.    

But they don't have to believe the president to understand that the threat posed by default is real. They could listen to ultra-conservative senators like Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. -- members of the Gang of Six/Seven whose own profound ideological hostility to Obama and the Democrats still leaves space for prudence.    

Or they could listen to more than 60 business groups, from the National Association of Manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce to the Telecommunications Industry Association and the American Gas Association, all fearful of the consequences of default.  Now those business lobbyists may find out why it isn't so smart to fund any bozo running for office who claims to support "free enterprise."   

It is revealing to listen to the congressional freshmen affiliated with the tea party as the debt clock ticks down and panic begins to set in. Many of them have repeatedly vowed to vote down any bill to increase the debt limit, but somehow they're sure that if those checks don't go out and that debt doesn't get paid, it will be the president's fault and not theirs. Some say there is no reason why the Treasury should miss any of its bond payments. Others have sent a letter to the White House, urging Obama to "prioritize" those Social Security checks if worse comes to worst.    

Such outbursts prove that the tea party is not only against taxes and spending, but is strictly opposed to arithmetic, which like climate science is probably just another socialist plot. They also prove the utter insincerity of these characters, who just voted this week for the "Cut, Cap and Balance" bill that would gut Social Security, along with Medicare, while erecting a constitutional wall around tax breaks for society's wealthiest individuals and corporations. They want to pose as defenders of the middle-class and the American dream, even as they promote legislation that would destroy the programs and institutions that are the foundation of that way of life.   

There is no need to look too far to find the source of our discontent -- our "dysfunction," if you must. It is in the Congress, which the American people mistakenly turned over to fakers and fools last November. Every poll shows that most voters regret that error now, and wish that Congress would tax the wealthy and preserve social insurance. Now those voter had better make their remorse heard, and loudly, if they hope to avert catastrophe.

COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM

See Other Political Commentary.

See Other Commentary by Joe Conason.

Views expressed in this column are those of the author, not those of Rasmussen Reports.  Comments about this content should be directed to the author or syndicate.

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.