What has happened to the so-called Grand Old Party? To borrow a bit of British slang, they’ve become a party of nutters. Establishment Republicans like Mitch McConnell are a dying breed. The ascendant members of the party are of the Tea Party ilk. This strain of conservative lawmaker has decided that idealogical purity is much more important than compromise. Their level of zealotry is virtually indistinguishable from the Muslim fundamentalists they so fiercely rail against.

The Tea Party as it is now is not just a band of libertarians that want the government out of their lives. It’s something much more malevolent than that. It has become an unholy mix of social fundamentalism and regulatory abolitionism. Of course that abhorrence for government oversight only goes so far. They are all too happy to make regulations that prohibit gays and lesbians from marrying. They are more than willing to enact laws telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. They are more than willing to have the government force poor people to take a drug test in order to get the aid that is going to keep the lights on. In essence, this new conservative Republican is not a proponent of individual rights. They are a proponent of their individual rights.

In years gone by, the extremists on either end of the spectrum were not allowed to make policy. They were useful during primary season, but were marginalized once it came down to actually running the country. This is no longer the case, as the recent debt ceiling crisis made abundantly clear. There is no debating these people, because debate involves two parties engaging one another. The Tea Party seeks only to obliterate it’s perceived opponent.

I once thought there is no way these people could come to power. They were just too over the top. The average American could never accept a group that swings so wildly to the right. Unfortunately, I was wrong. This country was so pissed about the economic meltdown, they simply punished the people who were in power. My fellow Americans allowed people like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin to woo them with tales of a President who wanted to take away everything they held dear. A black man with a foreign sounding name made a convenient bogeyman.

I have no interest in trying to win over the rank and file teabaggers. Logic and reason are foreign concepts to them. I just hope the average American sits back and thinks about what they are being told by the Bachmanns, Palins and Glenn Becks of the world. Do they want these people dictating what they can and cannot do? I sure as hell don’t.

I wrote an email to my U.S. Senator, Lamar Alexander, tonight. It was prompted by his criticism of the media discussing Sarah Palin’s infamous Crosshairs map. I’ll post any response I get.

Mr. Alexander,

I am a 34 year old Tennessean who can actually remember when you were governor of this wonderful state. I have generally supported your political career, and actually voted for you in 2004.

However, I am very troubled by your criticism of the media’s use of Sarah Palin’s crosshairs map. It is the media’s job to provide news and analysis, and the crosshairs map happened to be one of the first things I thought of when I heard about the shootings in Tucson. When the map first appeared, I found it at best distasteful, and at worst a dangerous addition to the national conversation. I believe anyone who uses violent imagery to back up a point shows a supreme lack of character. Needless to say, I find Palin lacking in that department.

This great land must regain a sense of civility in the national conversation. As my senator, I expect you to champion this much needed civility. This nation’s other leaders must also champion civil discourse and mutual respect.

I will be interested to see how you, Mr. Corker, my U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, and others work at changing the culture in politics.  I ask you to make Tennessee a leader in that department, because, quite frankly, it was not one in the most recent political season. Let’s move away from polarizing rhetoric meant to instill fear. Let’s get beyond Democrat and Republican.

I expect much from my elected leaders. I think that is my job in return for citizenship. I am expecting you and our other leaders to lead us in the right direction.

Respectfully,

Jonathan Sanders
Nashville, TN

AWESOME!

There is always a lot going on in the world. However, this decade has seemed particularly eventful. During times like these, public figures that are really annoying pop up every other day. Here is the top 5 that annoy me the most as of today.

1. Joe “You Lie” Wilson – This is the halfwit from South Carolina that thought he’d tell Obama what he thought about healthcare reform…in the middle of a nationally televised speech. The only problem is that he ended up further alienating the GOP. People like him never seem to understand that you can’t win people over by being a jerk.
2. Sarah Palin – Not since Paris Hilton has someone who’s done less, become more accidentally famous. She single-handedly derailed John McCain’s presidential campaign. While I was in the voting booth, it came down to the two VP candidates to help me decide where to place my vote. If Obama or McCain were to die, who would I want running the country? My vote then became quite clear.
3. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – This tyrant is going to end up serving indefinitely as Iran’s president, mark my words. He and his “Revolutionary Guards” are going to end up making a figure head out of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Iran’s population will then be worse off (if that’s possible).
4. Michael Moore – It’s not that I am completely in disagreement with some of his views. It’s just that his tactics laugh in the face of journalistic integrity. When you lie and falsify evidence in your documentaries, you become the same self-righteous fool you’re supposedly against.
5. Henry McMaster – Sorry South Carolina, but you all need to clean house. This guy thought he’d sue Craigslist over the adult sections of their website. The only problem is, shield laws keep Craigslist from any liability in the matter. Once Craigslist sued him to keep from being prosecuted, he dropped the charges and declared victory. I have no words.

I look forward to your comments.

This is great. It’s a clip from the Tonight Show where William Shatner reads Sarah Palin’s tweets as they were intended to be read.