| Parcbench, a website trying very hard to make conservative politics appealing to young voters, did no service to their cause by interviewing Republican Congressman Lee Terry earlier this week.
In between questions about who Terry would have supported between Dede Scozzafava and Doug Hoffman in a New York Congressional race earlier this month ("Scozzafava") and why Republicans fare so poorly in pop culture ("We're not that hip."), the interview also includes the following:
Parcbench: In some areas around the Country there is growing tension between the Tea Party and the GOP. Is there any conflict between the GOP and grassroot activists in Nebraska?
Congressman Terry: The answer to that is no. Our moderates are probably your New York City right wing. Nebraska's GOP is the party of the Tea Party....
Parcbench: [E]veryone's commented on the White House's War on Fox news. What are your thoughts on it?
Congressman Terry: It's extremely disturbing; using the presidency to shut down free speech. Amazing to me the hypocrisy that they stand up and talk about free speech but anyone who shows a different view gets squashed.
Everyone's going to have his or her own reaction to Terry's statement that Nebraska Republicans are "the party of the tea party." Since I generally perceive "tea parties" as shallow exercises driven by misplaced anger and unreasonable fears - offering no solutions for the problems we face as a country - I tend to agree that's a pretty accurate reflection of the Nebraska Republican Party.
However, giving the tea party folks the benefit of the doubt that they're not all special interest stooges, I could see them being quite offended by Terry's statement. After all, anyone who genuinely cared about restoring fiscal discipline and getting the federal deficit under control would find nothing to like in Lee Terry's 11 year record of supporting corporate welfare, skyrocketing debt, and tax cuts for the rich.
Terry's placed the burden of these irresponsible policies entirely on the backs of middle-class taxpayers and future generations, while the Nebraska Republican Party cheered every step along the way. They can pretend they've been reformed but it's just a politically convenient act for a party desperate to regain power. As independents and moderates have come to realize, "the party of the tea party" is a party to which hypocrites and right-wing fanatics are the only ones who are still invited.
As for Terry's accusation that the Obama White House is trying to "shut down free speech" and "squash" FOX News, it's evident he doesn't know what he's talking about. Of course, Obama's White House is going to have a somewhat chilly relationship with a so-called news organization dedicated to bringing down his presidency. The White House has criticized FOX News but taken no action against them. Obama even appeared on FOX News for an interview earlier this week.
In Nebraska, that's pretty much the equivalent of Lee Terry sitting down for an interview with the New Nebraska Network. The door's always open, Congressman. Just say the word. |
