Tea Party Republicans: “Outhouse” Politics Trumps National Interest

By Brigitte L. Nacos

Last weekend, the Montana Republican Party held its state convention in Missoula. According to the local newspaper, there was “an outhouse labeled 'Obama Presidential Library' parked outside Missoula’s Hilton Garden Inn, where the convention took place.” According to the Missoulian, “The outhouse was painted to look as though it had been riddled by bullets. Inside, a fake birth certificate for Barack Hussein Obama made reference to the disproven controversy over the president’s origins. It was stamped ‘Bull––.’ A graffito advised 'For a Good Time call 800-Michelle (crossed out), Hillary (crossed out) and Pelosi (circled in red.)'”

If this sort of venom surprises you, I bet you haven’t sampled the hate speech that is common on the discussion boards and in comments sections of Tea Party, birther, and Obama-is-a-Muslim web sites and social network pages.

Here are a few of many, many examples:

"Obozo and his thugs will try to take over more of our nation. I can only hope this nation of once free people will wake up to Obozo's radical agenda before it is too late. We have to continue to fight the good fight or he will turn us into a socialist nation. My friends and I did not fight for this country to end up as Obozo plans. IMPEACH OBOZO!!!!!!!!!"

“If we secure the Whitehouse from the usurping criminal that is there, we will automatically secure the borders.”

"I am convinced the American people would demand impeachment if the media did not cover so much for Obama. to let that Muslim piece of manure free is [sic] so Obama can exit Afghanistan as a winner by appeasing the Taliban. All he cares about is retaining power"

“Obama has presided over an almost total infiltration of our federal government by Muslim terrorists. We must sweep out Obama and all Dems. We must clean house of all these people, or be destroyed from within, which is precisely what they want.”

There is good reason why we should not ignore the hate mongers and their e-messages. Tea Party ideology and demagoguery as well as an assortment of conspiracy theories considering Obama an illegitimate president and existential threat to America as we know it, have become the dominant forces in the GOP’s now mainstream conservatism. Whether congressional leaders or back benchers, presidential contender Mitt Romney or incumbents and challengers in races for local, state and federal offices, they all cater to right-wing activists, the advocacy organizations that guide them, and the multi-billionaires and –millionaires that fund them.