Paranoia disfigures the Tea Party

Gideon Rachman_FT

Once you move beyond the central demand for limited government that holds the Tea Party together, you quickly discover a fog of conspiracy theories, much of it expressed in wild language and backed up with violent imagery. There are accusations of betrayal, lies and manipulation at the heart of government. Barack Obama is said to be a foreigner who is ineligible to be president. He is also a socialist or, perhaps, a fascist. The Federal Reserve is conspiring with foreigners to debase the currency. George Soros, the financier, is a “puppet-master”, intent on the overthrow of the US government. Sharia law is being practised in parts of Michigan.

These accusations are not simply made on the crazier fringes of the internet. The charges against Mr Soros were made in a two-part television special presented by Glenn Beck, the darling of Fox Television and the Tea Party. The stuff about Sharia law was aired by Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate for the Senate in Nevada.

When Gabrielle Giffords’ father was asked if his daughter had any enemies, he replied bluntly – “Yeah. The whole Tea Party.” 

Cuando la expresión se afila, y un partido político saca sus "dobermans" a pasear, pasan cosas inesperadas y desagradables. Evidentemente, el responsable único del tiroteo de Arizona es el que disparó. Pero el GOP debe reconocer que no le beneficia nada esa simplificación excesiva que ha permitido de sus ideas y de sus métodos.