Tea Party's Plot Verges on 'Treason,' Says Democrat

Robert Reich blasts the Party's aim of 'drowning' government

Democratic economist Robert Reich has written a stormbringer of an op-ed accusing the Tea Party of "treason." That's his word for the Party's stated aim of "drowning [government] in the bathtub," as Tea Party icon Grover Norquist puts it.

"Imagine a plot to undermine the government of the United States, to destroy much of its capacity to do the public's business, and to sow distrust among the population," Reich writes.

Imagine further that the plotters infiltrate Congress and state governments, reshape their districts to give them disproportionate influence in Washington, and use the media to spread big lies about the government. Finally, imagine they not only paralyze the government but are on the verge of dismantling pieces of it.

He says this scenario might sound far-fetched, but it's close to the Tea Party's aims and achievements. They've set out not only to change government, but to "eviscerate" it.

Sequestration is the first major milestone of this mission - "the first significant tea party victory," according to Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS). It will bring higher unemployment, for which Americans will blame the government, Reich writes. And the upshot is that more Americans will believe that government is inherently bad.

Via Business Insider.

Is dismantling government a form of 'treason'?

[willowglenrich]

yep!

[NTBFW]

How about an answer that applies to the article? Robert Riech? Give me a break

[marine1]

sounds more like what the democrats have been doing for the last 30 years.

[Realthinker]

Robert Reich has a reputation for intelligence he doesn't deserve. Of course he doesn't want to see the Democrat's socialist machine touched in any way; Reich is part of the problem. He doesn't have the solution.

[BossTweed]

@marine1 These aren't our Fathers Democrats. These Pelosians praise Occupiers and degrade and slander Patriots. We must submit. We didn't vote to stop them and now we are doomed to be Cuba or Greece. Look on the bright side. You no longer have to put much effort into parenting. The kids will just be tax slaves to Big Brother/Big Govt so won't need much talent or education. Read Orwelle's "1984" for more on the 'progressive" agenda.

[harold_lloyd]

@marine1
Is your amnesia acting up again? Please try again, and be more accurate.

[DrFunkenstein]

Yeah, I remember watching a class he taught on satellite on Dish Network back in 2004 where this idiot was talking about how Wall Street was fashioning bad loans as AAA rated loans and selling these derivatives to their own customers and that the real estate bubble would crash and ruin the economy of the entire planet while making the rich even richer and the poor poorer and homeless. What an IDIOT!

[cat2009]

Sounds like he's talking about democrats they have the bias media fast and furious benghazi cover up all the makings of a bunch of crooks

[frigginhell]

So we're going into sequestration and have no budget because of Benghazi? Do you read what you type?

[cat2009]

@frigginhell no my response was to that person saying what he did about tea party and the comparisons he made which the tea party didnt have anything to do with the sequestration and my referance to benghazi was to obamas handling of the white house which this article describes to a as to what the democrats do

[frigginhell]

Is that what you're doing? Because I could swear it appeared as if instead of addressing anything in the article you made an attempt to deflect the topic of conversation and just badmout democrats and bring out a couple of the tinfoil crowds conspiracies. I can see now that benghazi = tea party wanting to shut down government now that you explain it. They must be clairvoyant as they'e been trying to shut it down with absolute glee since the day a black democrat was elected president. Who would have figured they were able to predict the future and the attacks on Benghazi and were acting proactively. Well, I guess you would have. Why didn't you call the ambassador?

[NTBFW]

In most cases government hurts more than it helps. Especially now that has tried to get into areas it doesn't belong

[Sonny]

Absolutely NOT true at all...But if you think that the "private sector" should be the key element in charge and trusted...Then you are sadly mistaken....You don't have to "like" government but somebody has got to be the "referee" here...And I am one of the hundreds of millions who Do Not trust things to simply be left to "markets"..No Thanks!

[Concerned_Cit]

"That government which governs least, governs best."

[thumper11]

@Sonny ,
I believe you over-state your numbers by a hundred-Million, or so - even if you did manage to hijack the last election.

[Sonny]

@thumper11 There are over 300 million US Citizens currently living in the country. Most of us Do Not want to hand over our lives to the private sector. Now if you were paying attention to what I had written you would see that I did not say "100 million voters" I was talking about the American People in general. So if you are going to offer a comment. Please actually reference it to what I actually said!

[Sonny]

@thumper11 Lol And I guess those soles who voted you up also had some reading problems! Why am I not surprised? Lol!

[xyz]

Isn't that what Obama is doing- dismantling the country?

[harold_lloyd]

No, that's what the teabaggers and Foxhounds are doing.

[thumper11]

@harold_lloyd,
Your insults are uncalled-for, but they do serve to reveal you for what you are.

[xyz]

@harold_lloyd- Teabaggers and Foxhounds haven't done squat. Obama is the one destroying this country. It's his presidency. He's been in office for 5 years now and hasn't done one good thing. The man is totally worthless.

[thumper11]

@xyz,
I would venture to say that he is far worse that just "totally worthless".

[harold_lloyd]

@thumper11
I would venture to say that neither of you has much of a memory.

Bush43 got us into a war using deliberate deception. Why is that not an impeachable offense?

Bush41 thought we needed to raise taxes, and was defeated by the teabagger/Foxhound faction who pledged obeisance to Grover Norquist.

Reagan tried to run the country according to his fantasies, consulting his astrologer and telling people the deficits don't matter, but he's some sort of folk hero among the teabagger class.

[Ryuo]

It sounded to me like Reich was saying that dismantling the government by legal means could be treason. Here we go into 1984 again: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoughtcrime

[Ryuo]

...not that I would mind drowning the EPA and DOE and some of the others in the bathtub. I think it would take the Marianas Trench, though.

[Fishbone345]

@Ryuo Heh, that's some deep water there. I think you are right.

[lawnmowrman]

I'm not judging the article's accuracy. Let's say that it is accurate whether it is or not. Wouldn't it be better, assuming the article is accurate, for Tea Party candidates to be elected on the level of State instead of Federal for the purpose of calling for a Constitutional Convention. It is the one way that our government could be dismantled and replaced in a way that is completely legal. It's never been used unless you count the original constitution Articles of something

[Ryuo]

@lawnmowrman I don't think the Constitution needs to be changed, other than the Commerce Clause; all we need to do is repeal some of the thousands of laws, and eliminate millions of bureaucrats, that gum up the works. It is addition by subtraction.

People like Reich never answer questions like "why do we still have a Department of Education when it has spectacularly failed?" or "what good does the EPA do that the threat of civil suits does not do?"

[hertz_doughnut]

How can I respond to outright lies. Obama was responsible for sequestration. This article quoting, copying and pasting:
(Sequestration is the first major milestone of this mission - "the first significant tea party victory," ).
Nazis of the past and Liberal Fascists of the present live by the big lie.
What this article is telling me is that Obama is a member of the Tea Party.
Give me a break.

[MadAmerican]

This guy is a die hard Obama man. Why don't he just admit that the American people have had enough of taxes, government waste, and endless regulations and control over legal American citizens? I guess he is OK with all the lies, corruption, and the usual way of life in the political arena in the last 20 years. Why in the world would anyone be satsified with 16 trillion in debt, 11 million illegal aliens, free money to Muslim countries, gas at recoerd highs, unemployment out the roof, misuse of welfare and other government aid, giving weapons to our enemies, and a president that refuses to work with the congress and the senate who are the reflections of the voting publics wishes-not his! Is he also satsified with the president and his wife galavanting on a world wide jet set tour at tax payer expense when our country is suffering in so many areas? Is he satisfied that an overwhelming amount of naturel born Americans are recieving less benefits than immunized aliens? The bottom line is the Tea Party is gaining members in huge numbers because no one on Capitol Hill listens anymore nor do they have the natural born American's best interest at heart. It has become the most corrupt game in America and it won't be long till we may have to physically take it back. Obama and the politicians know this-that's why they want your guns.

[NTBFW]

Reich is a total liberal. Anytime we hear them griping we know we are doing something good.

[Republican5150]

here here sir...

[Zazziness]

@NTBFW That has to be the most mindless, divisive attitude I've seen yet.

[drpeeper]

When you hear the left whining about something- you know it's something good for the country.

[NTBFW]

@Zazziness I learned it from talking to liberals. What can I say?. On every issue we are 180 degrees apart. I mean honestly the other day you actually tried to convince me a boy was a girl. And you expect to be taken seriously? Please.

[ErnestPayne]

As usual Mr. Reich nailed it. Stand by for great gnashing of teeth by the teabaggers and others of their ilk with no concept of economics.

[NTBFW]

I still can't see how you can say things like that with a straight face. Lol.

[martydotcom]

I look forward to hearing crys of anguish from Tea party strong hold like Va where defense employment furloughs will hit 2.4% of the states total employment = 89,810 employees. Or Kentucky where federal spending as a % of state's GDP = 10%, or Alaska where it's 13.3% of GDP or ME &SC @ 7.6% Sparsely populated ME will have7k jobs furloughed, Alabama 26,600 furloughs. All these states are expected to be experiencing major recessions within 6 mos

[CATTLEPROD]

@martydotcom Every government employee who loses a paycheck and is forced to enter the real world, where you dont get a day off for flag day, is a good thing for AMERICA, and more importantly, my paycheck, that I EARNED. It was not robbed from someone and redistributed to me. Government employees do NOTHING for the overall health of the economy, except when they are laid off or furloughed.

[Roco]

@CATTLEPROD Such a broad statement to make. Sounds like you want the government to go the way of the dinosaur. So, if that happens, who will defend us because soldiers are government employees and that will not be around? Air traffic controllers are gone so airports will be shut down. I'm sure you feel that the border is secure enough (I do too). No more border patrol at all leaving a free run for any illegal alien. Get my point? Maybe you sure state a smaller government. Some government worker do more for the government than "NOTHING for the overall health of the economy, except when they are laid off or furloughed."

[martydotcom]

@CATTLEPROD Here's the outlook for OH $25.1 million in funding losses for primary and secondary education in Ohio, with about 34,000 fewer students and 100 fewer schools receiving federal dollars. A real stroke of Tea Party Genius!
The state would receive $6.86 million less in environmental protection money; about $455,000 less in Justice Assistance Grants supporting law enforcement, prosecution and crime prevention and education; and about $1.78 million less in funding for job search assistance, referral and placement, meaning about 57,100 fewer Ohioans would be able to receive such help.
About 5,040 fewer Ohio children would receive vaccines for diseases including measles, mumps, rubella and tetanus. And the state would lose about $823,000 to pay for meals for seniors. Make you feel like applauding depriving seniors and kids?
Sound like real logical cuts particularly police funding poor Y-to own and Clevelandvresidents

Like Roco said Your comments are simplistic and uniformed about the role do gov it's really scary. Knocking on wood, FBI CIA NSA.= no successful attacks since 911. We constantly under computer hacking attack (i suppose you 'd rather depend on Norton to protect our economy,. Hackers are continually attempting to assume control of banks, corps and municipalities. I guess you small gov Kool aid drinkers would want to dispense with the NIH, CDC, FDA ( you prefer drugs untested drugs from China and India). NASA of course must go etc. Not all gov is bad hence negotiated cuts not blanket cuts. You seem to rejoice at all these impending furloughed employees plights, but ignore the loss of spend that will occur which will effect our economy. I hope a year from now the topic won't be how large a government stimulus will be necessary to stimulate the economy

[No_Bama]

"Imagine further that the plotters infiltrate Congress and state governments, reshape their districts to give them disproportionate influence in Washington, and use the media to spread big lies about the government. Finally, imagine they not only paralyze the government but are on the verge of dismantling pieces of it."

He just discribed Obama's liberal agenda to a "T".

[No_Bama]

If democrats want to charge someone with treason, all they need do is look to their own party - Barack Hussein Obama.

[CBRdream21]

There is a glitch in the app that presented me with different options and then after I voted it showed that I had voted that it was treason, which I don't. This poll is one of the worst I've seen anyways, how about some reasonable options.

[Chromalord]

Its inevitable there will be a revolution in this country. There has to be, as the ratio of the have's to have-nots is ever widening, poverty level continues to rise, and this country becomes only serviceable by the wealthy. It won't happen at the hands of the tea-party as that "organization" is built upon mismanaged rage, fear, ignorance and contradiction.

[Keyjo]

We need a revolution.

[PoliticalSpice]

@Keyjo I favor a revolution, but I would like to see minimal violence. Malcom X said it would be by ballot or bullet, lets go as far as we can via the ballot and use as few bullets as possible...

[Keyjo]

@PoliticalSpice
Minimal violence of course. I don't want to see any good people hurt.
However, all Wall Street bankers, oil and insurance executives deserve, at the very least, a real good beat down!

[Knightkore]

@Keyjo No French Revolution? Come on.....modern guillotines.....

[WVMountYouNear]

There's not a proper answer in the poll AND this poll is too shallow to even consider.

"Dis-mantling government" is one of the things our forefathers knew "We The People" would wrestle with in the future when socialist powers attempted a take over, or take over our government. According to our forefathers, that's when the government SHOULD be dismantled and put back together in American fashion.~ That's why they wrote the 2nd Amendment in hopes that America's citizens would always have the intelligence to know when to fight and the courage to see it through.

[Zazziness]

Our founders were not worried about "socialists." In fact, forming a functioning, inter-related national entity which addressed mutual needs was exactly what they were doing.

[WVMountYouNear]

@Zazziness What were the British?

[PoliticalSpice]

@WVMountYouNear The British were colonialist.

[PoliticalSpice]

Pretty amazing considering that socialism did not even exist when our fore fathers established the constitution. You know the constitution they wrote was pretty good at setting limitations on the federal government, so why, if the were so concerned with socialism, did they faile to put in a couple of clauses or amendments to prevent our government from establishing it?

[WVMountYouNear]

@PoliticalSpice If I felt like arguing, I'd go around these circles with you, Spice. But I don't. You know as well as I that it's been some amendments and some Supreme Court socialist judges that are trying to AVERT the Constitution, of course in the name of "the will of the people", to ALLOW socialism... They have been trying to make America a Democracy rather than the Republic it was made to be.

But you already knew that, surely.

[UScentral]

Treason would be the act of working against the government. Even though I don't think much of the TP, their actions are being advanced by duly elected leaders. Smaller government isn't treason. It's a point of view.
I would, however be concerned if I was a republican as the TP is acting as republicans and reflecting poorly on that party.

[Real4WheelDrv]

Um, no, it's the other way around. Republicans/Conservatives...es pecially SOCIAL conservatives perverted the Tea Party for their own means, and the Tea Party didn't do enough to stop them.

[UScentral]

@Real4WheelDrv Tea party candidates run as republicans. And they're elected by republicans. That makes them republicans. You can quibble about who "perverted" whom, but for the most of us Americans it really doesn't matter.

[PoliticalSpice]

Actually I would argue that treason is working against the constitution. Working against govt may be treason, or may be working against treason, depending on whether govt is supporting or subverting the constitution.

[DavidRobertson]

"Imagine further that the plotters infiltrate Congress and state governments, reshape their districts to give them disproportionate influence in Washington, and use the media to spread big lies about the government. Finally, imagine they not only paralyze the government but are on the verge of dismantling pieces of it."

That is an excellent description of the socialist Democrats. Apparently, it is only OK when the liberals do it, but it's "treason" when practiced by conservatives.

I'll remember that.

[PoliticalSpice]

You are pretty confused about political labels. Democrats are not all liberals, and liberalism is a aform of capitalist democracy. What both liberals and democrats do have in common is that both support capitalism. Socialism is an economic system that opposes capitalism. The phrase socialist Democrats shows confusion and mixes up to concepts. Please try to learn what the words you use mean, not doing so makes you appear ignorant about both politics and economics.

[Ryuo]

The Politix.com story does not capture the essence of what Reich is saying. He ends with:

"I suggest the President forget about a 'grand bargain.' In fact, he should stop talking about the budget deficit and start talking about jobs and wages, and widening inequality – as he did in the campaign. And he should give up all hope of making a deal with the Tea Partiers who now run the Republican Party."

"Instead, the President should let the public see the Tea Partiers for who they are — a small, radical minority intent on dismantling the government of the United States. As long as they are allowed to dictate the terms of public debate they will continue to hold the rest of us hostage to their extremism."

That last, I think, is Newspeak for suspending civil liberties. Given that the Obama administration has been threatening liberals lately, I'd take it seriously.

[DyingBreed]

The founding fathers were very careful to define treason in the Constitution, and its clear this guy is not familiar with that fact (Article 3, Section 3). The American people could actually fight and overthrow the Government (if it is corrupt) without committing treason (See the Declaration of Independence, concerning not only the "right" but the "duty" of revolution).

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

Government is inherently bad. What's the controversy here?

[PNWest]

An oldie but a goodie - A day in the life of Joe Conservative:

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.

He prepares his morning breakfast: bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.

If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment checks because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the taxpayer funded roads.

He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans.

The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.

Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved conservatives have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

@PNWest - So many lies are contained in that post that I don't know where to begin.

[PNWest]

@Neo_NtheMatrix Begin where ever you like.

[PNWest]

@Neo_NtheMatrix After you get done with the first one here's another.....

Dear Red States Residents:

We're ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics, and we've decided we're leaving.

We in New York and Massachusetts intend to form our own country and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the rest of the Northeast.

We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of The Enlightened States of America (ESA).

To sum up briefly:

You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.

We get stem cell research and the best beaches.

We get Andrew Cuomo and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Todd Akin.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.

We get Intel and Microsoft. You get Walmart.

We get Harvard. You get Ol' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs.

You get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Ole Miss, Alabama, and LSU.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals than we lefties.

Sincerely,

The Citizens of the Enlightened States of America

[Zazziness]

You should be down on your knees thanking God you were fortunate enough to be born into this nation at this time. You clearly have no gratitude or appreciation for what's great about the U.S.

There is *always* government. It will either be elected officials, big business or the church. I know you've expressed the desire to live in a country ruled by your church. If it wouldn't make so many millions of other people miserable, I'd hope for you to get your wish so you'd finally understand why so many people resist it.

[Thunderchicken]

More fear mongering by a lackey for this administration.

[miketost]

obama promised change and that for the worse it has.In his first oversees trip to Egypt at the university of Cairo he spoke of America as a huge oil tanker that unlike a speed boat it could not change coarse instantly but it would take time.America is running out of time but for a former government official to say those opposed to this administration have us headed for civil unrest need to look into the mirror and take a good look at who is leading our nation down a very dangerous path.