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Spiegel Interviews Tea Party Patriots Co-Founder, US Ridicule And Obama Bashing Ensues
German daily Der Spiegel has conducted a rather unexpected interview with Mark Meckler, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, or about as right as they come, in which he discusses the US debt ceiling, the radical right's "uncompromising fight against the national debt" and the "complete economic disaster" he claims President Barack Obama has created. Naturally, the bottom line should not come as a surprise to anyone: the great reset is overdue, and it is all Obama's fault. What is curious is that Germany is giving such a prominent soapbox to one of the US administration's biggest critics. Is Germany becoming more actively involved in doing what ECB's Trichet and Noyer have done over the past month, namely deflecting Europe's own problems by pointing out the country which Europeans have said has even worse credit fundamentals? Will ridiculing America be the dominant theme in Europe's media over the next few weeks even as the second European bailout falls apart (Intesa Sanpaolo was halted again earlier, for the nth time). Is the game of G-8 scapegoating about to take on a whole new dimension? And what does that mean for future consensus in an organization that has for now been largely submissive to every US whim? We will find out in the coming months.
In the meantime, here is Mark Meckler
SPIEGEL: The world is looking at Washington and sees gridlock and chaos. How much have the negotiations over the United States' debt ceiling hurt America's standing in the world?
Meckler: Saying that these debates have hurt our image is absurd. What you currently see in Washington is one of the most responsible debates ever about the size and scope of government. The world should look at what is going on in the United States as a model for what should happen in all countries.
SPIEGEL: We look at it and see a Congress held hostage by a small group of radical Tea Party members unwilling to agree to any budget compromise and risking a US default.
Meckler: What do you mean by "a small group?" Forty-one percent of voters in the last US election said they agreed with Tea Party values. And the primary values of the Tea Party are about fiscal responsibility.
SPIEGEL: But you are willing to accept a US default if your demands for massive budget cuts and no tax increases are not met. That seems rather irresponsible or even unpatriotic. Most leading economists forecast financial "Armageddon" in that case.
Meckler: Default is a false threat. We take in over $220 billion in revenues every month and our debt service is only roughly $20 billion. The only way we will default is if the President of the United States makes the irresponsible choice not to pay our debts. We Tea Party Patriots put principles first, and we have to understand what America is about. Our country was founded on an idea: liberty. But it requires fiscal responsibility for people to be free. We are becoming slaves to our own government. Every US family now owes $400,000 to $500,000 in national debt. We Tea Party Patriots fight for the future of the nation, and there can be nothing more patriotic than that.
SPIEGEL: Democracy is not just about winning fights. It can only function if all parties are open to compromise.
Meckler: The compromises that we have witnessed on debt have taken our country to the brink of financial collapse. Currently, the American government is spending 44 cents of each dollar on interest payments. We have compromised our way into disaster. None of the budget plans proposed have real cuts in them -- only promises to cut. The reality is that legally one Congress cannot bind the future Congress to cut, so these promises are actually a lie. We need real and immediate cuts.
SPIEGEL: The budget plan proposed by Republican speaker John Boehner contained massive spending cuts. Why were you so unwilling to embrace it?
Meckler: Look closely at the plan: It proposes $22 billion in cuts in the upcoming fiscal year. That is ridiculously little. It is the equivalent in the United States of shutting off the lights on Friday night and reopening at your normal rate of spending on Monday.
SPIEGEL: The plan also rules out any tax increases to close the deficit, though. Even the plan of the Democrats does not mention new taxes. So your movement already won the debate over taxes.
Meckler: This debate is not about taxes. This is a question of spending. There is no amount of taxes that we could raise that would stop our deficit spending caused by politicians who have lied so often.
SPIEGEL: Your movement often refers to Ronald Reagan, the Republican icon. But he raised taxes 11 times and the debt ceiling 18 times.
Meckler: At no time did he control both houses of Congress, so often he had no choice. But Reagan got attacked viciously by conservatives over this, just as we would attack any Republican president in the future if he did something similar.
SPIEGEL: The US economy is still growing very slowly. If you cut government spending drastically now, you will risk having a double-dip recession.
Meckler: That is simply wrong. Government spending is never efficient.
SPIEGEL: But in the short run, the cuts will lead to even higher US unemployment.
Meckler: Possibly on a minimal level. But we have worried about the short term for so long that we have damaged the long-term prospects of our nation. Look at what is going on in Europe: Spain is a complete disaster. It has more vacant homes than we have here, with only 40 million people. Italy is a complete disaster. Europe is going down the same path as the US, only many countries are far ahead and don't take corrective action.
SPIEGEL: Speaker Boehner failed several times to rally Republicans around his plans. Does he need to go?
Meckler: We have polled our membership and 74 percent of our members in our 3,500 chapters said it is time to look at new leadership.
SPIEGEL: And should he be replaced by a Tea Party representative?
Meckler: The ultimate goal is to have somebody in the House who is fiscally responsible. We have changed the debate in the United States, which is a pretty radical thing to do in such a short period of time. The question back then was: "How much more will we spend next year, not how much can we cut?" But you will see much more profound change in 2012.
SPIEGEL: Who could be the Tea Party candidate in the next presidential election?
Meckler: The movement has no clear preference. Our members are taking a cool and careful look at all the candidates on the Republican side. I am actually glad people are not more excited and blown away. The last time we saw that on the campaign trail, the country got Barack Obama in the White House -- and that led to complete economic disaster.
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What a patriot! pfffff.
Exactly! Pfff! When history books are written, "Tea Baggers" will be exposed as the biggest traitors and enemies of the United States of America.
It's stunning how ignorant your post is. Of course, it's likely you wanted it to sound that way to rile folks up. Unfortunately your handle kind of gives away your intentions.
+1 for being a C# dev :) Completely irrelevant so I'll bring it back.. Leo, you're a dick.
Leo, I say to you, in my most serious of tones: GO FUCK YOURSELF. When this shit ball goes down in flames, and it will, we "Tea Baggers" will go down in history as the ones who said "Told you so" and you and your ilk will fade away into the void.
Exactly! Pfff! When history books are written, solar stocks will be exposed as the biggest scam in China.
what is the QC like in china where they make these solar panels.........:)
I'm guessing alot of them end up in their american owned subsidiaries because of defects..
Credit, in commerce and finance, term used to denote transactions involving the transfer of money or other property on promise of repayment, usually at a fixed future date. The transferor thereby becomes a creditor, and the transfer, a debtor, hence credit and debt are simply terms describing the same operation viewed from opposite standpoints. Thanks a lot.
Regards,
Atlanta bankruptcy lawyer
Just like Leo's Quebecois are traitors to Canada.
are you just trying to start shit this morning leo?
Yo drifter,
Go easy on Leo. He recommended Greek bonds as a major buy when they were paying 8%; that's his level of sophistication. He needs bazooka bailouts just to get back to even. He's gotta talk his book.
only Socrates is wise because only Socrates knows he knows nothing
he claims he is a consultant. who pays for us "advice" ...........?
Leo can't help it. He starts shit whenever he opens his yap. The fuckers that have spent and borrowed away this country's prosperity over the past 30 years are fine with Leo, but the fed up fools who have watched their children's and grandchildren's future thrown into the bankster's debtor prison...well, THOSE people are traitors.
Leo, you're a willfully ignorant fuck.
negligently ignorant is ignorant, willfully ignorant - that's another matter
Oh wise and Knowing Akak, come forth now. We summon you , oh lord of the rings, to destroy this evil leo , like only can and make this evil monkey, go away so that the hobbits may rejoice............:)
Leo, I understand why self-interested people and countries would like to see the United States borrow itself into oblivion. For example, many countries "officially" supported Obama in his election because they knew he was inexperienced and would move the U.S. towards socialism/marxism and generally screw up and divide the country---I do not say that to be derogatory---it is just a fact. I also understand why people such as yourself who just want the market to "go up" would like the government to print money---it reduces your debt burden while simultaneously giving you the opportunity to profit from the market.
So, I UNDERSTAND the selfish reasons why others would want the U.S. to deliberately destroy the currency. I also understand why people like you would use derogatory names like "tea baggers" to defame anyone who believes in a responsible government. What I cannot understand is how people like you do not recognize the damage that these policies cause. While you may only look at the debtor's perspective and believe it is good for the goverment to steal (via debasement) peoples savings, you should recognize that they are not just stealing savings, but also labor, and this is really nothing more than enslavement of the population. Do you really think it is fair that people who worked their whole lives to save a few dollars should be forced to gamble in the casino (which ultimately they will lose) or watch as their savings are debased 5-10% a year? Do you realize that the responsible citizens who saved and do not want to participate in the criminal, fiat ponzi scheme casino are earning nothing on their money? Do you understand that the fat cat bankers are loaning "savers" money at 2% and keeping it all to themselves while leaving savers with nothing?
If being against criminal debasement of the currency, being against government theft, and being against corporate welfare makes someone a "tea bagger", count me in.
Why should anyone in the USA care what you think? You live in Canada. To be sure, the Great Implosion™ will drag Canada down as well, but you can thank the Decepticrats and Republicons for perpetuating an unrealistic amount of Govt spending, NOT the Tea Party!
Conservatives want default: it is their conscious strategy.
Paul Teller, executive director of the Republican Study Committee -- a coordinating group for right wing Congressmembers -- emailed his membership the week of July 18th that "I'm now more confident than ever that a final solution [to the debt negotiations] cannot come before, say, August 4th or 5th. We MUST get past August 2nd [the day the US would default] if we conservatives are to win."
Gangrene doesn't go away by slapping more bandaids on it -- amputation is the only cure.
Kettle calling the Tea Pot black, bitchez
sure tea baggers are responsible...when it comes to anyone else spending the money;
"Sixty House members backed by the Tea Party, whose opposition to federal spending helped bring on an impasse over raising the U.S. debt ceiling, represent districts that last year received $43 billion in government contracts. In 16 of those constituencies, spending exceeded $1 billion each -- more than twice the median amount for all House districts"
Michelle Bachman.
you'll get what you deserve man, heh, a lot of you guys talk about brainwashing on this site, but that woman takes it to another level, she goes for the jugular.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZxQZMSl-o0&feature=related
Brainwashing on ZH ??
I'd say this site enhances your thinking.
Michelle Bachman, former employee of the IRS and supporter of the Patriot Act. Get real.
But her husband can dance. I think about the Tea Party the same way I think about any party. Started out with some decent principles but like every other large organized political entity, it quickly attracted freaks, criminals and salesmen, not necesarily in that order. These problems are fundamental, severe, and for the most part, the byproduct of corruption, corruption of honest capitalism and consitutional principles. In the end, I do not understand how anyone, despite where they fit on the political spectrum can not see this. We will never accomplish anything until we return to some basic principles, arrest a large number of criminals, strike most of the bloated counterproductive corrupt system and start over. It will not happen withing the existing system, like hisotry shows us, that will either crash down, be torn down or both. Like our new food and energy systems, "real change" will be decentralized, humble and having nothing to do with podiums or piss talk.
Unfortunately, the Tea Party was hijacked by neocons, but there are still plenty of true patriots out there.
believe it or not. But Der Spiegel is still an independent newspaper that likes to present all points of view. So you shouldn't infer any national political conclusions just because Der Spiegel did an interview with an obama critic.
Last time I checked at my hairdresser Der Spiegel was a weekly and not daily. Would not buy this MSM time waster. If they have a financial topic cover illustration it gives a contrary opinion clue most times.
Yea, whats all this blustering 'How dare they interview that guy' about? If they'd have interviewed Timmay, everyone would be treating it as some highly significant thing. Cant interview a 'nutter' who speaks out against Obama though, thats just CRAZY!
Meanwhile, the Borders across the street boards up their wondows....probably be a $1 store next. Or a FEMA/DHS regional office.
The Tea Partiers are RADICAL! They are CRAZY! They want a balanced budget process and real cuts (not reductions in the rate of growth from a high baseline) in spending. They look at the constitution and wonder where Amtrak, CPB, agricultural and solar subsidies, bailouts, etc., etc., etc, fit in.
These people are fucking crazy and must be silenced or killed.
Easy, dude. Usually the guys asking for a group to be "silenced or killed eventually end in the same way.
I find your view on balanced budgets interesting. SPEND OR DIE! Hope you teach this your children, too!
"Cut, Cap and Balance" has been replaced with "Spend, More and Borrow".
Seems John Boehner drank some of Obama's magic mushroom tea over the weekend. The tax increases come when the Bush/Obama tax cuts expire at the end of 2012, by then the crisis will be in full bloom.
Hasten the Collapse, OBAMA 2012
This dude is no threat to anything except sanity.
"This dude is no threat to anything except sanity."
Indeed, I agree with much of what Meckler has shared, and I see and feel his frustration in trying to reason with both the current administration and compromising republicans that have contempt for fiscal sanity. Insanity isn't reasonable.
Um... his rhetoric is somewhat sane. His blame on Obama? Overblown. Where was the Tea Party while the housing bubble was inflating and Bush spewing his crazy nonsense? This dude and his 'movement' are impotent so it's irrelevant now. The dye has been cast.
yeah, I think they were out protesting TARP, dipshit
Mark Meckler is on our list of high profile suspects. He flies out of LaGuardia almost every other week.
He always flagged for extra screening to insure the public safety against terrorist.
I wish these guys on the list would not fly because it's a pain and they clog up the pipeline.
FUCKING UP YOUR COUNTRY IS THE PATRIOTIC WAY TO GO!!
SUPPORT OUR BANKERS! BUY US BONDS!
UNCLE JPM & GOLDBERG NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
That's what will happen with Belgium, when Flanders secedes joining France ... but, but, but .... Belgium is just a word... isin't it?
Maybe, maybe not, don’t think so. Never the less Merkel and other European leaders will be jugged by european tea parties in upcoming elections. Besides, who reads Spiegel, NYT or the Economist?! I've stopped wasting my time long time ago.
Do you even know where Belgium is on the world map? :)
or Europe for that matter?
Belgium? I guess somewhere between Mordor and Rohan!
Europe? Never heard of! I guess, you ment Europa. Closest moon of Jupiter. ;)
Flanders joining France? That's a good one...
close enough :)
+100
I'll say it again, Obama was a placeholder president. He was a bone to the Democrats meant to have a single term. His presidency was designed to reflect badly on Democrats and minorities.
The economy will continue to tank allowing the Great White Republican hope to ride in promising a working fix.
Sometime after Inauguration day 2013, probably in 2014, the shit hits the fan. Thath when we see the collapse start full on. Services will be cut, power/heat/food. Riots in the streets, the poorer streets. You will see troops called in and because it's in the "meaner" areas no one will care, just like with the TSA.
Expect martial Law and Gun control.
On the positive side Obama may be groomed to head the UN. Should have been Clinton but he couldn't keep his dick out of the public eye.
Gully,
On the positive side Obama may be groomed to head the UN. Should have been Clinton but he couldn't keep his dick out of the public eye.
Yep, just what we need ON a positive side.Send me some of what your smoking..................
huh? Minorities already do a bangup job reflecting poorly on themselves, especially blacks, who manage to commit greater than half the homicides in the US each and every year. 50% of black women have herpes..the list goes on and on.
WTF did they need Obama for? The meaner areas are ALREADY USING MARTIAL LAW. You should really look around at the curfews in certain major cities that have been NECESSARY to curtail black crime. Hell, look at the Black Expo in Indianapolis recently where they had to erect a veritable police state to avoid a repeat of the rash of shootings from the same event the previous year. Local commentators were asking, "safety, but at what cost?" This is the cost.
I have no idea why you see this as injustice...not only do the "meaner" areas require this level of security, the populations there demand it to restrain their own impulses.
Say wha? The homies be "wildin'" fo' fun, you racyss!
TO: Gully Foyle: mon, 8/01/2011 09:04
"I'll say it again, Obama was a placeholder president. He was a bone to the Democrats meant to have a single term."
absolutely; but you have to see the problem in terms of decades and not simple 4 year elction cycles.
after 'w' , the most recent destabilizing agent of change, a shape shifting substitution was necessary to maintain some semblance of equilibrium.
in the one party, national security state all elections are intel ops. crafted from shrewdly constructed disinformation campaigns designed to daze and confuse, the end game is a public so bewildered and befuddled that they can be counted on to make predictable, emotional decisions based on simple sloganeering.
that's the essence of the secret sauce used to maintain power on a permanent basis. while the individual candidates and their alleged party affiliations may vary, within this system all political wannabe's ultimately serve the same unseen, hidden hands that are the source of all political largesse.
the tea party is simply the latetst avatar created and funded by these venal, clandestine interests whose control of the mass media serve to guarantee the desired outcomes.
it is their ability to co-opt and deflect real agents of change that keep these masters of deception in power...............
How much does it cost to subscribe to your newsletter?
So, in other words you are saying: Democrats are honest, upright people who were just fooled into voting Obama - but they still, and always will, hold the moral high ground. Without Obama, the Democrats would be righting our ship in no time with imperceptible pain, and also add 10 laws a week to bring ever more justice. Nobody else than thy holy Democrats are able to fix anything in this country.
</sarcasm> (Because otherwise, there's a lot of Ignorati around that would find themselves in agreement wit ya!)
1) Tea Party deserves credit for at least holding the feet to the fire to get this cut the deficit ball rolling.
2) EU/Germany are codependents with the US. We can name call, etc, but we need each other with all our warts and shit.
3) MSM, aka Obama's presstitutes, will never allow a credible third party candidate (like Tea Party) to emerge. "D" or "R" bitchez....that is your choice.
4) Go to http://www.americanselect.org/ and at leat TRY to get a valid third party candidate rolling.
Whatta
"and at leat TRY to get a valid third party candidate rolling."
I don't vote. Two reasons. First of all it's meaningless; this country was bought and sold a long time ago. The shit they shovel around every 4 years *pfff* doesn't mean a fucking thing. Secondly, I believe if you vote, you have no right to complain. People like to twist that around – they say, 'If you don't vote, you have no right to complain', but where's the logic in that? If you vote and you elect dishonest, incompetent people into office who screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You caused the problem; you voted them in; you have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote, who in fact did not even leave the house on election day, am in no way responsible for what these people have done and have every right to complain about the mess you created that I had nothing to do with.”
“The next time they give you all that civic bullshit about voting, keep in mind that Hitler was elected in a full, free democratic election”"Now, there's one thing you might have noticed I don't complain about: politicians. Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky. They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here... like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There's a nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks. Fuck Hope.'"
"I have solved this political dilemma in a very direct way: I don't vote. On Election Day, I stay home. I firmly believe that if you vote, you have no right to complain. Now, some people like to twist that around. They say, 'If you don't vote, you have no right to complain,' but where's the logic in that? If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and they get into office and screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You voted them in. You caused the problem. You have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote -- who did not even leave the house on Election Day -- am in no way responsible for that these politicians have done and have every right to complain about the mess that you created."
George Carlin
We need a candidate that has not first been vetted by TPTB. The two main candidates, first and foremost, need to pass muster with TPTB. If they don't then they are marginalized and kicked to the curb by the MSM/PTB. Why do you think Ron Paul is not getting any airtime worth speaking of and that interviews he does manage to line up seem to really attempt to put him in a bad light. All the other interviews he gets are from small independent media or online. The only way we will get a real choice is to have a third party on the ballot or have massive write in participation.
We have a country full of people who thought they could have a 400k house, with a Hummer a Beemer and a speed boat in the garage on a 30k salary. Is it any wonder that we have the politicians we do? They are just a reflection of the population at large.
great post. I wonder how many times a ruled people have come to these conclusions.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke.
How anyone can justify sitting on their arse and expecting shit to work out for the best in a country as corrupt as the US simply defies belief (in my humble opinion), but it does give me a better understanding of how you lot got into your current predicament (and I do not try to claim the UK is any better).
In short, my opinion is that one should vote one's conscience, admit when you are in the wrong and learn from your mistakes.
you appear to presume that "not voting" happens through laziness, when in fact, many do not vote because they understand the system enough to realise voting is a form of mind-capture.
how much TIME does picking a side & then supporting it, or dissing the opposition, or whining about what you picked and how it didn't work TAKE UP IN YOUR MIND? I don't vote, never have, and I don't believe the "system" as it stands supports free thinking or self-sufficiency - but neither do "societies" - all of whom pander to the people for participation - in amrka, 70% consumer led, this means you need to BUY SHIT in order to FIT - and "whoever dies with the most TOYS wins" on their fancy cars bumper stickers.
by not voting, and not buying the system as my own reality, I give my mind the space to discover my own reality, and find others of like mind. I like people who learn how to think creatively, outside the box we are all born into, outside the social conditioning that is so blatant IF YOU CHOOSE TO SEE IT. believe it or not, there is a thriving "sub" culture in amrka, and other nations I've lived in - but you need to re-cognise alternatives before you'll see there ARE other possibilities - not everyone that shuns the political circus of nations is "sitting on their arse,"
(thanks for bringing Carlin back Gully - he never loses relevance)
I learned it the other way 'round.
If you don't vote, you have no right to complain.
aye, and who or what did you "learn" that from? *clue*
From the guys that tried to explain to me what democracy is.
And, unless you want to abolish democracy, I find it still valid for rational, logical reasons.
I might want to add that they told us: if you dislike all the people/parties on the ballot, vote invalid to show you dislike the choices, but not the democratic system.
US has been doing this to the Euro Zone for the past couple of years...wonder why ZH did not pick that up?
Yes!
Damn, I hope Drudge links this :-))
With all the disgusting pornography on this site little wonder why most anyone will not link it.
No shoes, no shirt, no ser vice!
I bet you would like to see me walkin' through your line mister... :-O
I think what "TSA Thug" is trying to say is that your avatar is too old and not showing up on a screen in monochrome or being felt with white gloves.
TSA thug go get on Glenn Becks knob some more.
The only thing you might achieve is to get our pics banned.
If Tyler tells me to put my shirt on I'll go back to wavin' the black and gold.
I like your pic :)
It show your cuturally educated and you've got a fine nose for art.
but... CAN SHE COOK?!
Are you kidding? All she has to do is walk into the room to start everything cookin'
Discusting euro trash should stay off American internets with your perverted morality and lack of prudence.
you're just saying that because your wife and daughter split on you for their careers as streethookers :-)
2 FOR 1!
So you think the internet belongs to America? :)
Do you know how many porn sites are hosted in america?
I thought ZH is hosted outside of the US? Otherwise I would not swear here...
Got to share this: Friend told me he won't fly British anymore. He was seated next to a young lady, the stewardess tells him he has to change seat.
"It's policy, you see, that we don't seat "elder" gentlemen next to young women."......
I used to fly often between the UK & amrka - there's a valid reason for that policy, I can assure you.
and yes, not EVERY man is into touching up in public spaces - but to pretend it doesn't happen, or it's a rare, minor incident, or "she likes it really" - or whatever the storyline - is a tad disingenuous.
if you want to sit next to younger women, encourage older men to act respectfully, simple.
Dude, they're boobs, BFD. What are you, like 14?
Some of us actually work for a living would like to be able to have this up during work hours.
pods
You have a point.... I'll get out my flag (but I reserve the right to take my shirt off after hours ;~P
Much appreciated. Most HR departments are not as enlightened as many around here.
Apologies for the snarky comment as well, seems perusing ZH until the early am does not bode well for after the alarm goes off.
pods
PAY UP BITCHEZ!
We will pay once gold is trading at 15,000 and oil 2,000. HAHAH Screw you, foreign bondholder!
You'll be hearing it soon: "We need to give our defense contractors and the DOW 30 cheap gasoline, coal and labor because they create jobs! And drilling creates jobs for an efficient and vigorous nation! Work will set you free!"
The "Pure of heart and of soul" Tea Party will be our budding National Socialsts (hence the Spiegel fascination): they will advocate for full support of private cartels as "economically efficient" (with full payback under the table, of course) , giving them the right to name their price for wages, abolishing benefits and also giving them cheap access to our remaining natural ressources.
The Teabaggers are one hit wonders, self labeling as "patriots" emphasises how out of touch with reality these people are.
Financial terrorists running around capitol hill wearing suicide vests hoping someone interviews them. I still think they might be able to toss a spanner in the works. Extreme to irrationality.
The Dems need to wake up and smell the coffe and start playing tit for tat, there should be a price paid by the minority party when they balckmail the entire nation to further their own self serving agenda at all costs. The Dems should ram it down their throats every time they have even a single vote majority - raw political power is the only thing these clowns understand.
So, you're saying that MORE Progressive/Socialists have to start braying even louder for more Govt programs?? Seriously?
Feel free to volunteer to send more FRNs to D.C. and the IRS, just STOP VOLUNTEERING EVERYONE ELSE!
Seems like a reasonable interview.
When any interviewers puts forward the statement : "but leading economists prediect x.y.z" the immediate response should be "when have leading economists ever been correct in their predictions"?
Husk - green tick for just clicking post new comment.
Meckler: That is simply wrong. Government spending is never efficient.
Unless it's military spending for killing brown people. Then, and only then, does it make financial sense and become stimulative to the economy.
Note: That's completely untrue. Military spending destroys wealth, misallocates resources and is a drag on the economy and jobs.
SHENANIGANS!
Think of all the nifty infrastructure required to build and service aircraft carriers......Macro economic multiplier KA-CHING!
brown people on top of black gold
As long as the Tea Party doesn't try to make moral issues a base of support, it has a chance. Fiscal responsibility is critical, cutting defense is key, if the Tea Party tries to protect that sacred cow they will lose credibility. Cuts have to be across the board and deep.
don't forget their stance on reproductive rights.
and control over minds that don't agree with them.
the tea party is incapable of minding it's own business, in the end. ergo, they are dangerous.
That is almost 100% wrong. Impressive...because in this world of grey, it is challenging to be either that black or that white.
Tea Party = Less Gov't. Can't have less govvies if you keep making more rules and trying to control more aspects of people's lives.
Obviously it is a large crowd (and growing pretty fast)...and a large crowd in America means that some of those in the crowd have to be idiots. No different than your party.
T-Party is catering to the "Christian" right voters, and we all know where that leads - I note that Ronnie is their idol, and I remember the 80's well - even the Paul's are courting that demographic, so you can leave the Libertarian rhetoric at the door - compromised.
incremental loss of body sovereignty may not be important to YOU, but I pay attention to the words.
Agreed. But I pay attention to the words of those that I am associating with, not those that the MSM portrays as my associates. When I attend Tea Party rallies, (not some garbage "hosted" by someone trying to be elected), I see only signs requesting a smaller government, lower taxes, less intervention. I don't see signs talking any of the issues of the "Christian right" (of which I am not a member).
I realise there are many who are like you, but at the same time "political parties" move forward by incorporating others with differing points of view - IF any new party, T or otherwise, wants to step up and be very clear about their agenda, and IF that agenda is not linked to a religious belief system - THEN you'd even have my attention. . . but I'm not holding my breath, given this nationstate's full, true history.
That's an interesting comment. Again, I agree with you. And have many thoughts on the topic but they drive way off topic from this space. In general, the Tea Party should have disavowed the turn-coat Republicans that grafted themselves in for political gain. At the core of the movement (not the party), as a sub-tenet to small gov't, are beliefs on term-limits and part-time politicians. And I think the doubters/haters will "get it" in 2012. The Tea Party "Movement" will have a large impact on incumbants losing...on both sides of the aisle while the "party" has limited success. That's what happened in 2010, it was just mis-read as a repub mandate because of the large blue swing in 2006/2008.
Well, we have to start somewhere, maybe this is a start. We shall see.
Ok in Europe we have our own problems, but quite honestly, I think we are in a "less worse" position. The EUR currency is weak because it's not adapted to every EUrozone country. The dollar is weak because it's now worthless. Both currencies are tumbling, but for very different reasons.
The US media, the rating agencies (and even H. Clinton who gave us advices lol) bashed the PIIGS and so forth. Since the US is on the verge of collapse, this had to be expected, why should we get lessons from the country "managed so poorly" (quoting Woodrow Wilson). We cannot continue to be the target of the markets to protect Uncle Sam. See the interest rate of US bonds vs, let's say, Spain, Ireland or Greece. This is a joke, partially achieved thanks to the message that is hammered every day, about how very bad is Europe. We are in deep shit, but the US is in abysmal shit :) Europe, until now, never used the US disaster to distract us, it's just a legitimate counter-attack.
OBAMA is a disaster. Any way you shake it.
As to ridiculing the US, we are the super power. So who cares what the krauts or frogs think or say about us. When the Russians/Chinese start moving their armies west to get their Greek Islands or Austrian Alps that they converted for Euroland debt, guess who will be called on to save their chestnuts from the fire.
I don't ridicule the US. I ridicule your point of view. Your candidates for presidency have to be vetted for standards which are simply ludicrous.
WHO CARES WHAT POTUS THINKS ABOUT ABORTION, GAYS, RELIGION AND DRUGS? Answer: the Americans. Why? Answer this and you'll know why you gave Bush and Obama the presidency.
Don't know about the Russians, but the Chinese will just confiscate
half the US
Anyway all the latest wars were started by the US and friends
you are broke bitchez!!
"special economic zone" Chinese factory cities in broke amrkn states - just like amrkn military bases in other countries? little spaces designated with rules to suit those who make them - tell me, what IS a nation, or state, if the lines are so easily redrawn?
Imaginary.
This budget debate has also been a debate on Keynes and the idea that we can print and borrow our way to prosperity. The American public is clearing starting to reject that idea. Futher, the Austrian economics web site Mises.org reports a record number of hits and downloads of its lectures and free books. Americans are wising up.
So what if gd Germany has greater plurality of media and journalistic integrity than US? That's bc we the usa accidentally bestowed too strong of a republic on those damn germans the last time they tried to take over the world...
they will take over the world economically. along with China. Until...?
So I have to teach an history lesson again...
You, dear American Doughboy, pounced the first time on the "damn" Germans because they were "disturbing" your chums the Brits. At that time Germany had a representative quite democratic system. Democracy had not to be "spread" at that time. All quite democratic countries (exception: Russia) having a war, something your history books say it does not happen (often).
Your President & Senate allowed arms financing to the Brits, and shipping of arms were done in the cargo hold of passenger liners. One of them had an infortunate incounter with a torpedo and suddently you were able to send A MILLION soldiers to Europe. Think about it, the Prez saying "damn Europeans" and sending one of the greatest armies ever to cross an ocean? This was not a "contribution", this was more a "showing who will be the new master of the whole world".
That's why you need conspiracy theories: the reality of World Politics are simply too complex for a good Hollywood movie... World War One is simply not interesting, no Nazis in it. Study WWI and you'll understand the Logic of the British-American Empire (1815-existing). WWII was just the dumbed down sequel.
Now the Germans are faithful allies since two generations and you have nothing to say about it except "damn germans"...
We do need a credible third party to stop the status quo™...i'm not sure the Tea party is it.
I just cannot get behind a party that doesn't aim to create fairness for the haves not paying an equal share as the middle through loopholes that should be closed. Makes no sense to me. Limited govt', sure it's way too big and inefficient.
- stop corporatism and cronyism for the large corps, no-bids, exemptions & subsidies
- work down the debt
- work down military spending
- enforcement of laws on wall street with regulators or revamp Glass Steagall
- nationalise the financial sector
- single payer healthcare
- term limits for congress
- draw down foreign aid
talking points this morning on cnbc.........
we are finally on the road to fiscal sanity..........its a small step but a step in the right direction. etc etc
i say to this...........bullshit.............total bullshit........
WORD!
What this country needs is another muddled election with Disco Antonin anointing the wiener.......really can't complain about the results the last time that happened.....a guy whom 70% of Teabaggers continue to hold in the highest esteem....Things were going swimmingly until we went back to that burdensome system of "counting all the votes".....
BRING BACK THE ARCHITECTS OF THE LOST DECADE!
Ha ha. Funny. I would ask you to back that claim up, but it is pointless.
My bad.....overstated it by 13 points....
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/04/the-only-tea-party-stat-you-need-to...
But tell me....on whose behalf are you taking offense?
You were only off by ~23%. Good try. You are qualified to be an economist or to work for the MSM or to be in Congess! And you do see the humor in the fact that you went all hyperbole while "quoting" a blog entry by Rithotz commenting on a poll by CBS/NYT, right? When I triple back out the spin, I go from your 70% to the probably more accurate 30-35%.
And I am taking offense on my behalf. I support the tea parties (the original and the current populist movement). I do not hold a favorable opinion of W. Nor do the great majority of people that I know/speak with.
Credit for coming back with a citation/source, though. Thanks.
If John McCain calls me a hobbit one more time, like he did on Imus this morning (again), I'm writing him a stern letter telling him he's an addled-brained 'ol fuddy-duddy
john mccain is a traitor. during his stay at the hanoi hilton he received good treatment because of his cooperation with the enemy. just like his father who covered up the liberty ship attack, in 1967, by the israelis, these mccains are cheapy bought and cheaply sold. he is old now and so now he comes face to face soon , perhaps with his Maker, a small consolation for us in this nation of deadmen...........
HPD, normally find you insightful but this is a little over the top. I have to disagree with you. McCain can't raise one of his arms past a certain point because of what they did to him. Are you really telling us you know what went on in his extended stay at the HH? Links/resources please?
No fan here of the man, but let's be honest.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8aa_1221056449
this is just a small bit about it. i can go much further. like his trips to soviet russia while he was supposed to be incarcarated in the pow camp , etc..
all of the pow's in that place know about this guy.....for sure......
the son of a bitch, did get his silly ass shot down, no doubt. he did get insured seriously. however unlike many he was taken to a north vietnamese hospital and they did what they could for him etc........
in the final estimation, this bastard blabbed and his blabbing cost the lives of a lot of men..........
OK, I will take a look at that. Appreciate the source. Stay frosty and God bless.
thanks and i always stay frosty.............one thing is for sure. i will never pull a joe stack or a james von brunn or a thomas james ball even though one day, soon these men will take their places in history, as martyrs for the third american revolution......i must wait for now. so we wait..........the war is informational now, but one day soon perhaps, it will be something else. then and only then, will hpd take to the streets............
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/mccain_s_mob_connections_146.html
http://www.realchange.org/mccain.htm
mccain is also mobbed up, like most of them that are elected from arizona. goldwater was mobbed up. the mob (jewish mob) control arizona, nevada and california...
mccains mob connections reach all the way to canada....
he is aipac's boy because he is a cheapy bought off man who has no morals and no scruples and is a big opportunist etc........
so one can see if anyone cares to observe, that both sides are owned by the same people. no matter who you elect, you get the same policies more or less. is is any own wonder after all of these years of electoral activity, that nothing good ever happens for the amerikan people? the system is broken and it is totally corrupt..........
Perhaps Meckler should read the CBO monthly report http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/122xx/doc12212/06-21-Long-Term_Budget_Outlook.pdf
I don't understand some of the comments. I've never heard Meckler interviewed before but I thought his answers were fantastic and had a level of clarity that we could only hope for from our politicians. If this is what the Tea Party represents then maybe we do have some hope.
Have some of you become so cynical from being screwed by our leadership over and over that you can't appreciate when someone appears to be fighting for real fiscal principles?
i care not who is king, as long as i control the money systems..........mayer amschel rothschild.....late 1700's
now then, are you smelling the coffee , yet?
Coffee Beans
Do you really think we are in the same re-run of that playbook?
"I care not which country prints the money, or how much money is printed, as long as I can control EXACTLY HOW the minuscule amount of relative taxation is performed that legitimizes the 50000% levering up of said money money supply"
"Avoidance of the income tax is the only intellectual pursuit that yeilds reward" -Lord Maynard K.
"I am a founder of the Tea Party Caucus. I have had two jobs outside the home. LLM credetialed tax attorney for the IRS. Congresswoman" - Michelle Bachmann.
Michelle Bachmann is a self-described Evangelist who voted for the Patriot Act.
it's like the 80's all over again - any questions?
Question #1. How much of an evangelist would she be if her hubbies "consulting" organization be if not basically tax free?
Question #2: Re: 1980s. Didn't reagan take out hundreds of loop holes in the tax code, and wasn't he demonized by both parties for that?
* I am not an anarchist or anti-tax or anti american. but the tax code has 60,000 pages. 51% of the population gets money back from the government. 5% at the top pay 10% effective rates. Greenspan, Bernanke and timmay have been begging for tax code reform, and people wonder shat is wrong with the incentive model in this country?
not sure how your questions apply to my statement, but my answers would be:
1) I'm sure her evangelism scores power points with her followers, irrespective of her husband's tax dodging "business" - right wing women were all the rage in the 80's and MB has obviously read the footnotes.
2) Raygun was an Actor - hint - and whatever he "did" was scripted, as was the response(s). It's the same now, and was the same before him - but he was a particularly OBVIOUS figurehead-puppet. Anyone from Britain remember Spitting Image? "The President's Brain is Missing?" hilarious stuffs. . .
the tax code is deliberately obtuse, the IRS is the collection agency for the FED, and both have too much power, particularly as they're owned by foreign interests.
1) The bachmanns got thier start working for Jimmy Carter. So I am not sure they are as right wing as you want to characterize them.
2) Raygun was also a democrat, until he became a republican.
I think you are close to correct regarding the tax code. Is one of these self defeating balls of yarn that kitty cats play with. Its all cute and fun 'till it gets all unspooled and tangled up. Then the kitties stop playing with it and sleep alot, usually inside the mess. Nobody gets anymore enjoyment or creativity from it anymore. (spectators or participants)
On this issue I take the fed spokespeople at their word that they wants fixed more than anybody else. Its the politicians who don't.
Just too little too late, thats all.
[I don't understand some of the comments.]---bourbondave
Hi bourbondave.
I agree, most of his answers were sound. I must caution though, the Tea Party does not have leaders---that is, a head leader, principle, director, or spokesperson. The Tea Party is an ideological movement not a political party.
As a Tea Party member, I am disstressed to hear self-appointed leaders align their interests with today's Republican Party. I am also disappointed to read this interviewee lay the blame of today's economic disaster solely at the feet of our current President; this shows a shallow understanding of our nation's history, the US Constitution, the Fed's role, fiat currency, fract reserve banking, etc.
No one speaks for the Tea Party today. We have been spoken for in the founding documents of our nation. We only echo the great wisdom of our Founding Fathers. The Founders were our spokespersons.
sorry man, but the tea party was infiltrated from the start. do you know anything about dick armey? or this lunatic, michele backman or this silly woman from alaska, sarah palin. these necons have abducted the leadership and now they make the tea party go in a certain direction. everything is ok, as long it is in israel's best interest.......the stupid goyim cannot ever do anything without the yids making sure that everything is kosher from their perspective. now you may not believe this, but what i say is total and complete truth for this year of 2011 in zog amerika........
[sorry man, but the tea party was infiltrated from the start.]---High Plains Drifter
I'm afraid your understanding of the Tea Party is as wanting as your bigotry is obvious.
EDIT
And please, save your Jew-hating rants for staff meetings at Kamp FEMA.
whatever you say pal. just keep on believing ...........harde har har har.........
Bash them all and let The Lloyd sort them out.
I think our days are numbered as The super power. We are slowly turning into a banana republic. We cannot afford to have troops in 50 countries and defend the planet. We still have 28,000 troops in Korea. Come on, it has been 55 years. We just cannot afford to protect all. Others have to do it. We need to bring all troops back home and defend our country and borders from within.
I see a picture of Rome burning, and unless we make drastic changes soon, which I do not see coming, we will move down the path of other failed democracies. Nothing speaks louder then our dollar. It is being taken to the woodshed time and time again. We have much to do, and we do not have enough in Congress to take the heat.
Term limits anyone???
.
Our currency and country demise is deliberate. No alternative or threat to the UN & IMF controlling bodies will be left standing. There will be no pining away for the old days of sovereign nation states. The Borg are stripmining everything to be assimilated into the new iteration of their choosing.
We mentioned who gets served for dinner on the next budget meeting.
http://washingtontechnology.com/toplists/top-100-lists/2011.aspx
I had a call from a township supervisor who has a balanced local budget.
Thing are tense to say the least. Effective tax rates need to be looked at.
In another move to reduce headcount and costs, Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday that it has launched a voluntary layoff program to reduce headcount by 6,500 employees.
Republicans and Democrats are on the short list in our parts. People are waking up if you like to admit it or not.
Michigan has a Republican Gov now and the libtards at work were stunned.
Not exactly a boatload of crazy talk coming from someone on the "radical right."
Find me a public figure on the "radical left" that makes half as much sense.
What is this "European Ridicule heaped on the US" coming from? Are we in some kind of race to the bottom? The interview is actually quite good. The problems are serious and affect us all. The "Sudden Death" Scares are driven by CDS Pushers wanting to make a quick buck. Any solutions to today's problems will need years, one electoral cycle is not enough.
ZH is really turning into a political site he?
Must be US pre elections comming up....
No, this is simply the result from finance being more and more dependent from State Intervention. Starts with US Treasuries and goes on with handouts. When politics becomes the most important stimulator, more then technology, then the economy becomes political.
And so you stop discussing if a company will make profits and start to ask if they have the right political connections.
Isn't the tea party ran by a bunch of richy rich? Interesting......an organized rich party convincing poor people to ass fuck themselves and spread the gossip that we need no safety nets and they need tax breaks.
Palin? Are you serious? And then that michelle bitch; talks to god, lives on farm subsidies and whose husband runs a clinic to convert gays to straights.
LMAO.
That's not a party, it's a fucking disgrace.
All of it... hilarious, isn't it?
great post.
I hope no one confuses my ideas for supporting a complete welfare state. I'm for building a country that creates opportunities so people don't have to sit around and do nothing. You can't be sending trillions to other countries, tying to take over the rest of the world etc and then turn around and blame it all on poor people. Keep going at that rate and everyone of our cities will look like Detroit. The rich have their pet projects......and we aren't included in any of them. If anything we're in the way. If the tea party were a bunch of rednecks with no one worth billions pulling their strings and went to DC and actually physically threw the bums from both parties out into the street and broke out the rope I would be much more inclined to join. Now that would be a party.
BTW if the US was truly interested in our safety they'd pull out of the middle east and invade mexico.
The problem is parts of the Tea Party got co-opted by the Republicans. Remember this a movement with several sub-groups, many with differing allegiances. To simplify the movement as one single grou (or hell, even a single party) is misleading.
By the way, I talk to God as well, and as you can imagine I have some skepticism about the homosexual debate as well. I'm not expecting you to agree with me -- to each their own -- but from my stance, I personally think Bachmann is a waste of time because she's a sellout loon and a classic neo-con imperalist. Not because she's religious.
I appreciate you volunteering your religious beliefs as they relate to your political "side" - I have a question for you or anyone else who would like to thoughtfully reply:
If you bring religion into the governing of a nationstate, how do you propose to deal with those who do not share your beliefs? Will you be deporting them? If you enact laws that penalise those who don't share your religious beliefs, will you still continue to collect taxes from those you've ostracised? Will you be pushing for a theocracy, or applying religious doctrines to laws? Can you keep your particular version of "god" out of the laws enacted, including war doctrine?
These questions need answering if the TParty is aligning themselves with a single religion - and they've been dodged so far.
thanks!