- Although there may have been little news about ending the shutdown over the weekend, Tea Party Republicans managed to fill the empty space with plenty of crazy soundbites. For those of you who blissfully managed to stay away from the crazy, here's a small sample of what you missed.
- Ben Carson: "Obamacare is, really I think, the worst thing that's happened in this nation since slavery."
- Michele Bachmann: "Obamacare will ultimately be known as Deathcare."
- Glenn Beck: "[Obama] has the movies. He has the university system. He has television. He has the news. He has GE, Comcast, and NBC. And he still has a lower approval rating than Bush."
- Rand Paul: "Across the globe, Christians are under attack, almost as if we lived in the Middle Ages or under early pagan Roman rule."
- Ted Cruz: "This is the people's [World War II] memorial. Let me ask a simple question. Why is the federal government spending money to erect barricades to keep veterans out of this memorial?"
- Family Research Council President Tony Perkins: "He has used those barricades to defend memorials from our veterans. He has used barricades to try to keep our voices down in America."
- Sarah Palin: "You look around though and you see these barricades and you have to ask yourself, is this any way that a commander in chief would show his respect, his gratitude to our military? This is a matter of shutdown priorities."
- Steve King: "We can go indefinitely without hitting default. So I don't think it's really going to get, the continuing resolution is going to get into default, if we define these things correctly. And it troubles me a little bit that I see our House leadership use the language of default on the debt ceiling."
- Larry Klayman: "I call upon all of you to wage a second American nonviolent revolution, to use civil disobedience, and to demand that this president leave town, to get up, to put the Quran down, to get up off his knees, and to figuratively come out with his hands up."
- Michael Burke, Tea Party protester: "The three-pronged focus of Sunday's rally was 'veterans, impeachment, and the truckers.'"
Daily Meme: Crazy Soundbites While You Were Sleeping—Tea Party Edition
If you enjoyed this article, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. For over 30 years, The American Prospect has delivered independent reporting that exposes corporate power, investigates political corruption, and analyzes threats to our democracy. Unlike many media outlets, we’re not owned by billionaires or corporations—we’re powered by readers like you.
Today’s independent journalism faces unprecedented challenges. Your support makes our reporting possible and keeps our work free and accessible to all. Whether it’s $5 or $50, every contribution helps sustain our nonprofit newsroom.
Join our community of supporters and make a donation today to help keep independent journalism thriving.