Contract From America

A combination of teabag groups, Founding Partners, and Coalition Partners has proposed a Contract From America (signed by the American People, which -- the last time I checked -- includes me). A study of the contract's sponsors (the "Founding Partners") shows that, however the 'baggers see themselves, corporate interests and the Republican party establishment (with a dash of wingnut weirdness tossed into the mix) are co-opting them. Ironically, what the 'baggers need most to avoid being co-opted are experienced community organizers who know how to keep the interests of the organization front and center.

Here's a summary of nine of the Contract's "Founding Partners":

The Freedom Works board includes former Republican majority leader Dick Armey and Bush pere cabinet member James Burnely.

Liberty Central board chair Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, is a former associate of Armey who has worked for the Heritage Foundation and the U. S. Chamber of Commerce.

The National Taxpayers Union board includes Republican Kenneth Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate. NTU president Duane Parde founded the corporate consulting firm Phoenix Strategies.

Americans for Tax Reform was founded in 1985 by alleged Jack Abramoff associate Grover Norquist at the request of President Ronald Reagan.

American Solutions is chaired by Newt Gingrich.

Let Freedom Ring founder Colin Hanna has advocated building a fence between the United States and Mexico, and in 2004 distributed videotapes to Pennsylvania pastors touting the personal faith of George Bush.

Fair Tax founder and chair Leo Linbeck is a construction executive and former director and chair of the Dallas Federal Reserve. Founder and finance chair Robert McNair owns the NFL Houston Texans and is an investor and utility executive.

Heartland Institute board chair Herbert J. Walberg is a Hoover Institution fellow.

The Next Right is "the place for wired activists to build a new Republican Party." It's founders include a McCain presidential campaign operative and a campaign director of the Republican National Committee.

The contract itself is a depressing thing, a Trojan Horse for corporate interests constructed around standard Republican fund raising boilerplate and the rotten timber of teabagger hot button issues. Lurking inside is the God of the Free Market, which is of course what got us into this economic morass. In essence, the contract proposes to solve the problem of corporate rapacity with the hair of the dog.

Reviewing the individual points makes one wonder just how naive and gullible these people are. It's pathetic, for example, that anyone actually expects Republicans to deliver a balanced budget amendment: They could have introduced one at any time between 2002 and 2006 and didn't. They didn't because a balanced budget would prevent them from paying off their corporate benefactors, and that's the last thing they want.

Then there's the requirement to establish in advance the constitutionality of any bill. Just how do they propose to do that and maintain an independent judicial branch? In our system -- the one established by the Founding Fathers (as distinct from the Founding Partners) -- federal judges determine constitutionality. Separating the judiciary from the legislative branch removes it from the political process, a bedrock principle of the Constitution. And yet, the same people who invoke the so-called original intent of the Constitution at every turn now want to eliminate its most fundamental tenet.

The list goes on. Of course, they want to end "runaway government spending" even though they hold sacred the biggest budget buster of all, the Department of Defense. Naturally, the Contract demands that Congress "defund, repeal, and replace" the Health Care Reform law with a reliance on the free market unrestricted by state boundaries. (I was under the impression that state sovereignty trumped all, but I guess not.) How all this will attain the same reforms as the new law when it never did in the past goes unexplained.

Read the rest if you dare. It's a motley collection of stale hot buttons all designed to manipulate right-win populism to return right-wing corporate interests to power. It's sad to think that it might actually work...

Corsets, corsets, corsets. At least it's Corset Friday...

Roaches, roaches, roaches. We don't have them in Seattle, and T. doesn't believe me when I tell her that in the south they are uncontrollable. Maybe now she will!...

Coyotes, coyotes, coyotes. It's not easy being a cat in the wilds of suburban Seattle...

Doves, doves, doves...

Taxes, taxes, taxes. And, patriotic American that he is, Projections says that's a good thing...

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, burning not so bright...

Ooh, ooh, oooohhh...

Peas, peas, peas; genius, genius, genius: