Democracy and Power 114:  The Power Players

Who actually controls the force of government?   The politicians and interest groups control the American political process.  As stated, the politician seeks power.  Special interest groups – big business, small business, unions, education, seniors, and a multitude of others - seek favors: tax breaks, subsidies, exclusive legislation, etc.  Interest groups give enormous money to political campaigns, and receive gigantic benefits in return.

The Republican divide: K Street vs. Tea Partiers

Advocating for a smaller government, less taxes and more freedom, Dick Armey and Matt Kibbe of FreedomWorks wrote , “But let us be clear about one thing: The tea party movement is not seeking a junior partnership with the Republican Party, but a hostile takeover of it.”.

The battle for control of the Republican Party between the K Street lobbyists and the tea party activists has engaged.  Timothy P. Carney in the Washington Examiner explains.

K Street Republicans’ coffers are filled by the political action committees of defense contractors, drug companies, lobbying firms, and Wall Street banks. A Tea Party Republican is funded by the Club for Growth or the Senate Conservatives Fund, which is run by the Republican leadership’s least-favorite colleague, Jim DeMint.

Carney cites the Republican primary contest in Kentucky:

Before the May 18 Senate primary, secretary of state and McConnell acolyte Trey Grayson had raised a half million dollars from PACs —20 times the PAC haul of upstart Rand Paul. Paul got a check from outgoing curmudgeon Sen. Jim Bunning, but 18 Republican senators bankrolled Grayson’s campaign, plus the Republican Mainstreet Partnership and three top House Republicans.

Grayson pocketed political action committee cash from businesses that have sided more with Obama than with Republicans, such as $10,000 from drug maker Pfizer — a key champion of Obamacare. Other Grayson funders are a rogues’ gallery of subsidy sucklers and regulatory robber barons: bailout bandits like the American Bankers Association and the Managed Funds Association; Obamacare backers like the American Hospital Association and a dozen drug companies; ethanol baron Archer Daniels Midland; cap-and-trade profiteers like Duke Energy; and government contractors like the Chubb Corp. and Northrop Grumman.

A K Street lobbyist who had represented AIG during the bailouts hosted a fundraiser for Grayson, and at least a dozen lobbying firms and industry groups backed him with cash. And of course, Trent Lott was a Grayson donor.

Lott is the captain of the K Street team. He told a reporter last month his thoughts on the Tea Partiers: “We don’t need a lot of Jim DeMint disciples. As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them.”

Yes, FreedomWorks and tea party activists are seeking a hostile take over of the Republican Party. 

 However, it is much more.  Much more. This is a fight for freedom.  Freedom thrives when there is a small and constrained government dedicated to protecting people and their property from the force and fraud of others.  Predominately, this was the vision and intent of the makers of the American Constitution.

Millions of Americans sense the Constitution has been debased and personal freedom is diminishing.  Individually and in small groups, Americans are actively voicing their concerns about debt, deficits, taxes and DC corruption, which reduces every American’s freedom.

 The 20^th Century was the struggle against totalitarianism, and democratic and free countries defeated many commanding and controling governmental systems.  The first significant struggle of the 21^st Century is personal freedom versus an American governance system corrupted by special interest groups and power lusting politicians. 

The immediate contest is between special interest lobbyists lead by former Majority Leader Lott and tea party activists for freedom.  Will freedom seeking Americans defeat the nexus of power and money of lobbyist Lott?

 The Democracy and Power lesson: 114:  The Power Players

Interest groups give enormous amounts of money to political campaigns and receive gigantic benefits in return.

 Join FreedomWorks and the hostile take over of the Republican Party.  This is an epic struggle to restore freedom.