Tom Harkin: House Republicans Have Morphed Into 'A Cult'

[kpete]

Source: Huffington Post

Tom Harkin: House Republicans Have Morphed Into 'A Cult'

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats attacked the "Cut, Cap and Balance" measure on Wednesday, calling the House-passed bill "devoid of substance" and "dead on arrival" in the Senate, where it will receive a vote later this week.

Senate Democrats contended the bill is evidence that Republicans, especially those in the House, are intent on changing Medicare and preserving tax breaks for the wealthy.

"The sad thing is America no longer has a two-party system," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said at a press conference Wednesday. "One of our two parties has morphed into kind of a cult driven by a singular fixation and obsession: preserving tax breaks for the wealthy at all costs."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/20/tom-harkin-house-republicans-cult-cut-cap-balance_n_904557.html

[aquart]

1. Duh!

[RedCloud]

57. Dung heap is more like it.

[Hissyspit]

2. Oh, please...

They were cultists BEFORE they got elected.

[Peregrine Took]

28. Yes but now they've formed a new super congressional cult -

a cult within a cult!

Tom H. knows what he is talking about!

[Hissyspit]

34. Yes, of course.

Was being flippant. Great that he said this. :thumbsup: No doubt that there has been morphing and mutating going on.

[No Elephants]

56. Morphing, mutating and hybriding aplenty!

[Enthusiast]

61. Good point.

No morphing necessary.

[RandomKoolzip]

3. Thank you for saying it, sir. Now what do we do about it?

[INdemo]

22. We can draft a real Democrat in the primary and get rid of that

Republican that claims to be a Democrat

[Downwinder]

25. Can we sic the ATF on them? Like Waco.

[AlbertCat]

32. Can we sic the ATF on them? Like Waco.

Well they are amassing weapons, but they aren't molesting children yet.... that I know of.

If you want a result like Waco... send the TX ATF.

[No Elephants]

45. As Ghandi no doubt averred, "Violence is always the solution."

[Downwinder]

52. Traditional US approach.

Ghost Dancers
Labor movement
Black Panthers
AIM

[Fearless]

4. Well they're only passing something the president likes, since that's what the GOS plan does too...

:wtf:

[emulatorloo]

13. Don't be ridiculous. "Cut, Cap and Balance" has been attacked by White House

Check your facts before you let your knee jerk next time.

[pnwmom]

31. Right, and you're only saying what the Rethugs like,

because that's the plan -- to get all the Dems to attack each other.

I have as much evidence for the statement above as you do for your post.

[Uncle Joe]

5. That makes a good name, the Republicult Party.

Thanks for the thread kpete.

[FailureToCommunicate]

16. Yup, "The Republicult Party,Why do they hate Americans?"

[FailureToCommunicate]

17. dupe, (slow update)

[No Elephants]

46. Meh. I still like Republicrats and Demlicans.

I'll leave it to people smarter than I to figure out which is which.

[Hawaii Hiker]

6. Senate republicans are a cult as well

who are obsessed with tax breaks for the top 2%, defunding Planned Parenthood, restricting abortion, banning gay marriage, and blocking all of President Obama's nominees/legislation....

How sad...Republicans once had some moderate and reasonable members in the senate; Nelson Rockefeller, Jacob Javits, Bob Packwood, Lincoln Chafee....Now, they're crazier than the family from the "Texas Chainsaw Masscare"....

[libodem]

7. Freaking Weird

Zealot Fascist cretins. Cult is RIGHT.

[applegrove]

8. Bill Maher said that the Republicans were a religion weeks ago on Real Time.

He was so right. But cult is a better word I think.

[Hubert Flottz]

9. More like a sleeper cell.

[fascisthunter]

10. The Fascist/Nazi Cult

[jwirr]

11. That is an extremely good call on that. Cult fits it to a T.

[craigmatic]

12. they worship free markets, ronald rasin, tax cuts, and culture wars. If only they'd all

go the jim jones route and drink the kool-aid already so we can bulid this country back up.

[NBachers]

44. I'd settle for the Heaven's Gate route

[No Elephants]

48. Apparently, Dems like a lot of those things as well.

[emulatorloo]

Thank you Senator Harkin n/t

[emulatorloo]

14. Delete du double post n/t

[savannah43]

15. At least the GOP is out in the open about it.

Unlike the Dems who mostly want the same thing but pretend to care about real people. I prefer the "in your face" attacks to the "sneaking behind my back" attacks.

[bluerum]

23. Good luck with that.

[No Elephants]

47. Ever read "1984" all the way to the end?

[AlbertCat]

36. I prefer the "in your face" attacks to the "sneaking behind my back" attacks.

With Dems, less people suffer. I prefer Dems.

[No Elephants]

54. I can understand and respect "I vote Dem because they are less bad than Pubs."

It's the insistence that there are vast differences between the two on almost every point and juncture that makes me shake my head. They seem to get closer together by the year (or month) anymore.

BTW, I think cuts in fuel subsidies to the poor, Medicare, Medicaid and OASDI will make people suffer, as do our many wars.

[mwb970]

55. I see vast differences between them.

Head, start shaking!

[47of74]

18. That's my Senator!

Harkin represents his state well, unlike Vander Plaats and Steve King!

[ThoughtCriminal]

19. A Dangerous Creepy Doomsday Cult

that panders to people who WANT the world to end.

Top 12 Movies signs that a cult is Evil:
http://thoughtcrimewave.blogspot.com/search?q=cult

[certainot]

20. cult of limbaugh

[Hand_With_Eyes]

21. Greed cult

Greed is worshiped by republicans.

[AlbertCat]

37. Greed is worshiped by republicans.

Bingo!


And they say they don't believe in cruel natural selection.... "You're on your own"

[lonestarnot]

24. And name a time when they were not the money fucking cult? My money is their money fuckers.

[baldguy]

26. Teabagger Republicans are to real Republicans

As a bonsai oak tree is to a real oak tree.

[AlbertCat]

38. As a bonsai oak tree is to a real oak tree.

Except a bonsai tree is a REAL oak.

[baldguy]

39. A tortured and stunted oak

[getting old in mke]

27. Checking the check marks

The Advanced Bonewits’ Cult Danger Evaluation Frame

http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html

Scoring pretty high on most scales.

[reformist2]

29. "No new taxes ever again" is unreasonable, and unconstitutional.

Legislators take oaths to protect the constitution and to use their own judgement when making decisions, they don't sign oaths that surrender their judgement to the thinking of one person or one small group of people. To be perfectly honest, I think a strong case could be made that the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and anyone who signs it is in violation of the US constitution.

How on earth can anyone signing on to the TPP defend it? No new taxes ever again? Even in a war, or national emergency??? It's insane. Every Democrat running for office should shame their Republican opponent for signing this totally unreasonable, ridiculous, and possibly treasonous document.

[TxVietVet]

42. I'm glad someone else sees it the same way I do.

These conservanazi thugs are beholden to idiots outside of their respective constituents. They swear oaths and are loyal to clowns like Goober Norquist, the worshiper of brain-dead ronnie raygun.
For the conservanazis, it's ideology over patriotism.

[No Elephants]

53. It's dumb, but I don't know that it is unconstitutional.

Bothing in the Constitution requires a belief in increasing taxes. It simply allows the feds to levy and collect taxes.

If a legislator's best judgment is that taxes should never be raised again, then that is the legislator's best judgment.

He or she is not going to jail if he or she changes her mind. Poppy didn't do time for breaking his pledge (though some maintain that his lips were read incorrectly: He actually said, "No nude Texans)."

BTW, I'm not in favor of Democrats using the tactic you suggest. They're known as the "tax and spend" Party as it is. I see no political advantage to be gained by reinforcing the idea that Democrats want to take your money while Republicans want to let you keep it.

Since government does less and less for voters anymore, some might think it smarter to vote for the Party that promises not to take any more of their wages than the feds already do.

[reformist2]

58. But taxes do need to go up - Democrats shouldn't be afraid to say so.

Indeed, to continue to shy away from this issue may lead to more victories, but will hamstring them when the time comes to actually vote on a tax increase, as we just saw a few months ago.

Democrats need to convince the voters they want to raise taxes on the rich and nobody else. If they can do that, they will win bigger than they have in decades.

[rpannier]

30. And Grover Nordquist wouldn't have it any other way nt

[Mosaic]

33. Devolution into a cult of greed and selfishness

The ultimate fate of capitalism/corporatism. We desperately need a social democracy to create the jobs that last a lifetime, provide all human benefits any civilized society should have, and every person entitled to their dignity, regardless of color, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Good to hear the truth once in a while from this congress.

[RKP5637]

35. IMO they've morphed into "The Terrorist Party!"

[progressoid]

40. That's my Senator!

I don't recognize Grassley as my senator.

[Lnyiri]

41. A problem deeper than cult

Senator Harkin has referred to House Republicans as a cult. However, as a psychologist, I see a deeper problem in the GOP. I perceive a deep psychological dysfunctionality permeating the GOP that makes it so difficult to deal with them. My explanation can be found at http://wp.me/pIIIJ-12 for those who might be interested.

[TomCADem]

43. Nice To See A Media Outlet Giving Air Time To A Dem Attacking Republicans

Normally, the only way you can get air time as a Democrat is if you attack other Democrats.

[No Elephants]

49. ? This is the kind of thing media eat up. War reporting or investigative reporting, on the other

hand, are way too serious.

All our network news is about at the level of Inside Edition anymore, only with politicians instead of the feud between Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. (Okay, I know that was so last decade, but I don't keep up with celebrity feuds as much as I used to....when I was 11.)

[No Elephants]

50. They've been a cult for a long time. Difference is, we used to call it being united, now

we're labeling it correctly. If anything, though, the right is in more disarray than it has been in my memory anyway, what with Libertarians, the Tea Party, neocons, paleocons.

Notice, though, there is a lot of resistance to Democrats not being united now. Democrats once used to take pride in Will Rogers' remark about not belonging to any organized Party.

Now, though, it seems that, unless you are all left or all center right (or pragmatic, or sensible, or whatever you want to call it), you are not really a Democrat anymore and are either a Republican or an unwitting tool of the Republicans.

It's getting like Invasion of the Body Snatchers on our side, too, anymore, even as their side is unraveling more than it has in a while.

Cautionary tale?

[dogmoma56]

51. here are some specifics...>>links>>

you dont know what is going on,.. these guys are Dominionists, the whole GOP has been infected>links

the Tax Cuts for the rich, trickle down economics, the New World Order, Globalism.. but who actually runs the GOP..??

these are all Dominionist Principals..!!

the Dominionists work in the Shadows. in 1934 a Nazi refugee Abraham Vereide started what is now the "C st Family", the Christian Fellowship, A.K.A.the Christian Mafia.. and have taken the Evangelical movement into the Dark Side. THEY ARE BY DEFINATION..the Anti-Christ, don't get me wrong, i am a Buddhist i don't believe in the 'Revelation's', but i did grow up in the Free Holyness Pentecostal church. when i was 6 our Sunday school taught us Revelation's. then Romans, Acts, then Revelation's again, but i have a IQ of 164.. so it didn't stick.

the Dominionists believe that God/Jesus only bless the Rich, Wealth and Power is proof of gods Favor of a man/corporation, so it is a sin to tax them. God Speaks directly to the rich/Powerful, the poor must "Submit" totally to their will, and become a slave to god. the poor/sick are being punished by god so it is a sin to help them, or not to torment them.

Trickle Down doesn't mean money, it means only gods blessings to those who followed gods greatest plan and made the rich richer. the New World Order is the Utopian Paradise created when all the worlds poor submit to gods great plan, and become slaves.. the GOP is Theocratic Cargo Cult of OCD psychotic narcissistic wealth/power hoarders.. in the 30's Depression FDR appointed Abraham Vereide to a Cabinet position to start programs for the poor to bring them out of poverty.. Vereide's plan was to start Dominionist evangelical "Revivals" all over the country, only the Poor who came and prayed thru and totally submitted to the Dominion of the rich and Gods great plan would get help. he was replaced ..he immediately began undermining the New Deal.. still the fundamental purpose of the GOP is to repeal the New Deal, because it is the work of Satan, communists and Socialists, all interchangeable.

this is back ground info

... this is one of the best..especially from Straus to making slaves
http://doggo.tripod.com/doggchrisdomin.html

this is very good
http://blog.buzzflash.com/hartmann/10016

this is older, more is known about them now that Jeff sharlets book is out
http://www.insider-magazine.com/ChristianMafia.htm

http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/TheDespoilingOfAmerica.htm


http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
the top 1% richest hold 42% of Americas Financial Wealth, 6 times that of the bottom 80% who hold only 7%.. so the top 20% hold 93% of Financial Wealth. that is why there is a Recession.. nearly all the available money has been looted by the rich. there isn't enough left to run an economy.


the GOP's agenda is really obvious.. it is simply Dominionism.. they don't care who they hurt, who dies in the process.. they are Elite Favorites of god who hates the poor under Divine orders to control the World.. no Quarter for unbelievers.

the best books on the subject, he lived with them..wonderful writer

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secret-Fundamentalism-Heart-American/dp/0060560053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298244911&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Street-Fundamentalist-Threat-American-Democracy/dp/0316091073/ref=pd_sim_b_1

the power the dark side has over the government is frightening, both parties

this really sounds conspiratorial and crazy, but read Sharlets book, cheap on Amazon. i have been researching this for a while. they count on people thinking it's tooo crazy to be true. they are organized and spread in secret cells. people who join are often unaware of what it is, and become indoctrinated. but it really explains all the weird stuff they do. they openly admire the Nazis and murderous dictators. it is always rationalized like.. 'yea, the genocide was unfortunate nut they were really well organized'. it was bad enough before leo strauss amped it up with Machiavellian.. economy of perpetual war, a government that lies and spins the horrible things they do. they have studded morally fallen religious leaders to learn how to spin all the criticism away and come out with opinion poles better than they were before they got caught with their pants down with a homosexual Crack whore.

[Enthusiast]

62. Nice post.

But geesh, how do they square their beliefs being 180º from Christ's central message? Their beliefs are more in line with Ayn Rand's.

[dogmoma56]

65. a significant number of these people are Psychopaths, their god is always #1, or mass hysteria.

[Kingofalldems]

59. Kick one time for the teabaggers

[Enthusiast]

60. It's about time someone "official" said it.

These ignorant fucks should be called out every day. I mean the M$M acts as if nuts like Louie Ghomert have a valid perspective. Since when?

[demigoddess]

63. In the US's future I see Nazis, only

instead of the National Socialist party , it will be called the National Conservative party. New name similar goals.

[swilton]

64. Tom

If you cleaned out your own house, this cult that you identify as House Republicans would not be a problem. Thanks for standing by and watching POTUS cut social security and medicare!

[marasinghe]

66. and Democrats have obligingly shape-shifted into being their sacrificial lambs.

win-win all round. except for the public. but two out of three ain't bad; is it?