Heath Haussamen
Tea partiers have forced America to risk default with their insistence on dramatic spending cuts and opposition to tax increases. But their actions are based on a genuine concern that Washington’s spending has taken us to the brink.
Someone told me the other day that he hoped Congress would fail to approve an increase in the debt ceiling because we have to stop spending beyond our means. That sentiment is certainly expressed by many in the tea party.
It’s true, as President Barack Obama and others have pointed out, that Congress is simply being asked to OK the paying of bills it already approved the federal government accruing. But many believe Congress shouldn’t have approved that spending to being with, and it’s time to make a stand.
Caught in an interesting spot is U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M.
He’s part of the tea party caucus in Congress, and tea partiers are one of his core constituencies. He’s also tried to be a key player in Washington.
Our political leaders tend to walk fine lines. That’s what Pearce has been doing. Coming from his Southern New Mexico congressional district, politically he could have joined the 22 Republicans who voted against House Speaker John Boehner’s bill on Friday. But he voted for it. He later voted against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s bill.
Pearce was quoted by the Albuquerque Journal on Sunday as saying the sky wouldn’t fall if the debt ceiling isn’t increased this week. From the article:
“He said the fallout could trigger action in Washington that would be good, not bad, for the nation’s long-term health. Pearce said America could afford to pay Social Security, Medicare, national defense and the interest on its staggering debt until a resolution is reached.
“‘There would be some significant cutbacks (in government services), but we could continue to operate,’ he said.”
Pearce has never been one to oppose significant cuts in government services. And yet, after leaders in both parties announced Sunday that they had reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling, Pearce said this:
“I am pleased to hear that it looks like default will be avoided. Once the details of the agreement are available, I look forward to reviewing the plan to ensure that it provides the solutions to our debt problem that Americans so desperately need.”
So. Pearce thinks a failure to reach an agreement by Tuesday could be good because it would force dramatic cuts to avoid default. But he’s also glad that we’re not going to get to that point, assuming the bill is one he can support.
That’s the dangerous line many conservatives have been toeing. They want to force dramatic spending cuts; many of them see those cuts as critical to America’s future. They see an opportunity with the debt ceiling debate to force Washington to agree to those cuts. And they’ve risked what Pearce called in his Journal interview “the economic turmoil we face if the debt limit is reached.”
Risking much to save us from the brink
This is key to understanding the tea party. Tea partiers tend to come from a wide range of ideologies about social issues and the military. But they agree that Washington’s spending is dangerously out of control and must be reigned in before it’s too late.
They view that spending as taking us to the brink. So in pushing America to the edge of default, they’re taking a risk, but one they don’t view as more dangerous than Washington’s spending.
Many will say the tea party is wrong and their gamble was irresponsible. But, at least in my experience, the beliefs of many on-the-ground tea party members are genuine – and, in this case, they’ve forced Washington to move significantly to the right. In other words, they won the debate.
Our heroes in movies are people who risk much to save people from the brink. Is that what the tea party has done in this instance? I’ll let you decide. But with all the criticism the tea party has received for its unwillingness to compromise (I’m among those who have said Washington must compromise), I wanted to present an alternate view.
While the media portrays the tea party as nutty, and, certainly, every movement has its extremists, many tea partiers I’ve met in Southern New Mexico are genuinely concerned and are working to save their nation from a catastrophe they believe is coming.
Regardless of whether their beliefs are right or wrong, I believe they care about America as much as the rest of us do.