The Takeover
by digby
Glenn’s written a widely circulated piece this morning in which he rightly points out, as I and others have as well, that the Tea Party is not something new, it is just the far right of the Republican Party. It’s an amalgam of all the fringes, from John Birchers, to neo-confederates to the Christian Theocrats, all coming together with the help of some very wealthy benefactors. After decades of moving the party ever rightward, they are now finally reaching the fringe.
One thing to remember, however — while these people have been around forever, this is the first time they have become a truly powerful institutional force in the Republican party. They have moved smartly into the vacuum left by the Cheney failure and they have done it in a time of crisis, which gives them opportunities they wouldn’t normally have. They are more dangerous today than usual and if they win these seats this fall they cause some very serious trouble.
Oh, and by the way, never think there’s a real schism between the neocons and the Tea party. They are coming together very nicely around this:
The Washington Times today has a couple of items noting a new “Team B” report on the threat entitled Sharia: The Threat To America, released today by the Center for Security Policy, a think tank led by Washington Times columnist Frank Gaffney. Bill Gertz reports that “A panel of national security experts who worked under Republican and Democratic presidents is urging the Obama administration to abandon its stance that Islam is not linked to terrorism, arguing that radical Muslims are using Islamic law to subvert the United States.”
Frank Gaffney, director of the Center for Security Policy, said the Obama administration’s policy is based on an incorrect assumption. The Team B report seeks to expose flaws in anti-terror programs, including the policy of not referring to al Qaeda and similar groups as “Islamist” to avoid offending Muslims, he said. “What if it turns out that some of the people the Obama administration has been embracing are actually promoting the same totalitarian ideology and seditious agenda as al Qaeda, only they’re doing it from White House Iftar dinners?” said Mr. Gaffney, referring to the daily meal eaten by Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan.
The Times also gave space to three of the report’s authors, former CIA director James Woolsey, National Review’s Andrew McCarthy and former DIA director Harry Soyster, to promote their report.
Just don’t use the “T” word to describe these people.
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