Tea Party Wimps

The Tea Party was going to "take our country back," remember? And their followers (they are not really leaders, are they) got to Congress and tried to change the political landscape in fundamental ways. And, they got to Congress, many of them, by warning about the dangers of "socialized medicine" which was never a very accurate way to describe the Health Care reform law President Obama passed but which sure sounded ominous.
So, it was not surprising that when they had the chance, they went after one of the biggest targets in the budget, Medicare, and sought to change it into a voucher program. After all, Medicare actually is socialized medicine. What evidently did surprise them was the discovery that older Americans - indeed, all Americans - actually like socialized medicine and don't want the GOP messing with Medicare.
Now, the Tea Partyers are back-peddaling as fast as they can and have written to President Obama asking him to stop pointing out that the budget they passed would do what they intended it to do. This, they say, is scaring seniors. Of course it scares seniors. It should. But, what is at least mildly amusing, and not scary at all, is to see these brave devotees of Ayn Rand and Social Darwinism terrified at their sinking poll numbers and trying to seek cover. And it is wildly not mildly amusing to see them writing to the President they demonized to ask him to back off. What a bunch of wimps.
The whole episode brings to mind something Harry Truman said. "I am not giving them [the Republicans] hell. I am just telling them the truth and they think it's hell."