The other party did it first! Do two partisan wrongs make a right? Retweet
Yesterday, we shared how Elizabeth Warren was likely both cynically and hypocritically using the “read the bills” concept for temporary political advantage. We included a mirror video from a Republican House leader, saying almost exactly the same things a few years ago. It’s eerie how similar the two videos are.
But in the last 24 hours, we’ve been repeatedly told, “Well, the Democrats did it first.”
Partisans swap scripts
Worse, it’s been suggested that we didn’t “bitch” when the Democrats rushed an unread bill out during the Obamacare saga.
That’s simply not accurate. We were advancing our “Read the Bills Act” long before Obamacare, and we were very critical of Democrats for not letting people read the bill before they passed it. Visit our blog archives. You’ll see we spoke out loudly at the time. And we’ve spoken up in several instances since about unread Obamacare. Even more importantly…
It was thanks to our efforts that “Read the Bills” became a Tea Party slogan and meme.
Remember the Tea Party, the collection of Americans that promised we could do better with outsiders instead of Democrats?
- Some are now using the fact that both parties do it as an excuse for inaction.
- Others have suggested that if the Democrats do it, then they have no right to complain when the Republicans do it.
Well, I guess we can then declare…
“The Tea Party is dead. We can tell by the stench of its rotting principles.”
Partisanship is actively corroding moral principle, as it always does.
Which makes me grateful that we have so many people of principle on our list. People who don’t make partisan excuses. People who don’t stink of moral corruption. Those are the kind of people who will hammer Congress when something wrong happens, instead of making excuses.
It’s a simple fact. Democrats should have let Republicans read Obamacare before voting on it. And Republicans should have let Democrats read the tax bill. And both sides should unite to pass Downsize DC’s “Read the Bills Act.”
Write and tell them so, if you haven’t done that already.
Thanks for being an ACTIVE DC Downsizer.
Jim Babka & Perry Willis
Downsize DC
2 Comments
Merry Meet,
The thought that the “Tea Party is dead” only reveals a lack of comprehension of it and where it came from. The “Tea Party” as an entity is constantly learning as the citizenry learns. Just because reality moves in a direction that you think is bad, is without any relation to the status of the Tea Party.
Yes DistrictOfColumbia corrupts everyone that we send to it, on a long enough timeline. Except those with high moral fortitude, who are able to resist the temptation much longer… though they are doomed too in the end. That is why it is important to elect people who have careers outside of politics and District of Columbia.
Those who want to live in a confederation with a great deal less federal oversight, should meditate and pray on it. Actions like making and updating this website are awesome too, though they perfectly can be mutually inclusive if that is of want.
Sincerely,
Brent
So, if the Tea Party started advocating for Obamacare, because “that’s the direction reality moved,” that would be A-okay, right? I spoke to multiple Tea Party crowds in 2009 and 2010, one of which had 5,000 people in it. Read the Bills was a mantra, back then. But, Democrats also controlled Congress. So, the question you choose ignore… Does principle get jettisoned just because a group has managed to obtain majority status? And, if you want to make this about strategy, then… Do you expect your side will be in charge forever?
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