George Graham

GOP Resorts to Extortion

America spent about $2 billion on last year’s presidential election, but it might have been a waste of money. If the Tea Party extortionists get their way, the choice voters made would be thrown out the window.

In a take-it-or-leave-it offer, Republicans who control the House of Representatives are demanding the country accept the platform they presented during the elections.

You might recall that Mitt Romney wanted to repeal Obamacare and adopt a budget favoring the richest Americans at the expense of the rest of us – especially the poorest among us.

So what if voters resoundingly rejected Romney’s proposals and gave President Obama a second term?

The way the Republicans figure it, they can get their way even though their candidate didn’t get our votes.

They are threatening to shut down the government – and worse, to prevent payment of the nation’s debts – if the President does not agree to implement the exact same platform his opponent ran on – the one the voters said no to.

I bet the Founding Fathers never dreamed of such a bizarre possibility.

If it works, say goodbye to democracy in America, say hello to minority rule.

President Obama has no choice but to slam the door on this crazy deal.

That leaves the Tea Party-controlled GOP with two options – put up or shut up. And they’re not the kind who shut up. They’re the kind who would gleefully bring their country to its knees to prove a point.

As House Speaker John Boehner said, “we’re going to have a whale of a fight.” And it’s the kind of fight where nobody wins.

Perhaps, when the dust settles, Americans will decide they’ve had enough of those Tea Party troublemakers. If not, voters will have only themselves to blame for the America they inherit.

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com