Michele Bachman, who else...
Tea Party is no friend of veterans
The first thing you will see when you go to teaparty.org is an image of soldiers in the upper-left corner. The slogan, “Tea Party Vets For God and Country” is emblazoned above the soldiers' images. Below the soldiers are the words "Support the Troops." Based on this, one might believe that the Tea Party is dedicated to meeting the needs of soldiers and veterans.
Why then is Tea Party heroine and newly elected U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) putting forward a plan that would freeze health care funding for the already underfunded Department of Veteran affairs? She is also proposing cutting $4.5 billion in disability to military veterans. Why on earth would a person who is the vanguard spokeswoman of the Tea Party work to cut care for wounded veterans while her party claims to support the troops? The truth is the Tea Party does not support us.
The Tea Party promotes the idea that it supports the troops and veterans because this creates an image that pulls on people's heartstrings. The Tea Party has created a “revolutionary” image; its very name evokes a historic event in the U.S. revolution. They speak of “freedom,” and that appeals to veterans who are trying to make sense of the Iraq and Afghan occupations, who are trying to understand why they are being deployed multiple times.
But what kind of “freedom” does the Tea Party really stand for?
The Tea Party poses itself as a grassroots people's movement that acts in the interests of “average Americans.” But in reality, the Tea Party acts in the interests of the super-rich and giant corporations.
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