The looming sequestration, which threatens to cause hundreds of thousands of Government employees to lose their jobs and otherwise wreak all sorts of havoc on the slowly rebuilding economy, is the perfect litmus test for the Republican Party. Working with the other side, namely Democrats, is tantamount to betrayal of the worst sort. Republicans everywhere know what's at stake if this happens: you risk a primary challenge from a Tea Party-backed candidate which will be well-funded, probably better funded than you. In this environment, many Republicans are being forced to stick to the party line and roll the dice on sequestration, even in the face of mounting evidence of its disastrous effects.
Looking from the outside, many are astounded that people would choose to risk financial injury to the country for the sake of party. History tells us though, that people are willing to do all sorts of things when they are threatened. It appears that the Tea Party is using this historical truth as a political tactic, and it is paying big dividends.
President-elect of the Heritage Foundation, Former Senator Jim DeMint, recently gave an interesting speech on the future of the Tea Party Movement. Titled,
"Torquemada: The Inquisition and the Purification of Conservatism in America," the speech outlines lessons learned from the Spanish Inquisition and its current application within the current Tea Party Movement.
| | | "Torquemada understood that the purification of ideas is important for a society to thrive. That is where our movement is at currently. We are weeding out non-believers of modern conservatism. The Contract from America was our Alhambra Decree. Those that lack commitment to the values that coalesce the Tea Party movement will be stricken from our ranks. This political cleansing will reform the Republican Party into a political engine that will reshape how people think of and interact with government." |
The speech received a thunderous applause from the crowd in attendance, although for some the historical facts were a little foggy.
| | | "I never knew about Tacomada, but I am already a big fan of his way of doing things," said a self-identified Tea Party supporter in attendance. "Everyone has to be on the same page if things are going to work and he knew that. I work in Construction and if one guy is not doing what he is supposed to, the house we're building could come out like shit. That's why this country is going to hell. We need to take this country back, like Tacomada did, and cast away anyone that is not reading from the same sheet of music." |
Professor Karl Pinkus, History Professor and widely regarded as an expert on the Spanish Inquisition, had a different take.
"These people are out of their fucking minds. The Spanish Inquisition resulted in thousands of Jews being tortured and killed. It was not a political philosophy. It was a genocide."
When confronted with the history of the Inquisition in a conference call the next day, DeMint brushed off naysayers.
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