Tea Party condemns "personal attacks" that center on Tea Party bad behavior

Dave Weigel

Organizers of this (Virginia Tea Party Patriots) convention woke up to an editorial in the Richmond Times-Dispatch calling on them to disinvite Saturday speaker Lou Dobbs, the former CNN host turned radio host, in the wake of a Nation story on undocumented workers employed to handle horses owned by his family. Steve Bannon, an organizer of this convention and director of a trilogy of Citizens United-Sponsored films, was disgusted.

"It's the politics of personal destruction," said Bannon, "and it keeps happening. Sarah Palin. Niki Haley. Bill O'Reilly. Rush Limbaugh and oxycontin. Christine O'Donnell, whatever you think of her. It's the same thing. I talked to Lou and I asked him, why go on Lawrence O'Donnell's show to talk about this? And he was adamant. He said there's nothing there. I'm not surprised."

Right. The politics of personal destruction for pointing out the hypocrisy of their members. I LOOOOOVE that Bannon actually cited Rush Limbaugh's drug use as an unfair attack. According to Bannon it's unfair to attack an anti-drug crusader for being a hypocritical drug addict who got off because of his fame, celebrity and connections.

It's unfair politics to hold moral crusader Bill O'Reilly accountable for a sexual harassment suit he settled and hushed up.

It's unfair politics to ask an anti-sex, anti-masturbation Christian crusader how she reconciles that with a first date on a Satanic altar.

So I have to ask:

Is it unfair to bring up the fact that a GOP House candidate from Ohio dresses up in Nazi paraphernalia? It would seem to be, as Rich Iott has complained that the campaign should stick to the issues, when his dressing up as a Nazi is precisely the issue.

Is it unfair to criticize New York Senate candidate Carl Paladino (he of the 10 year old daughter born out of wedlock, the product of an extra-marital affair) for saying: "I don't want (children) to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option. It isn't." and then insisting that he's not a homophobe?

Of course, it's hypocrisy, pure and simple. The Republicans run on it. As Eric Boehlert tweets: "Under Bush it was contemptible to 'root against America.' Guess that's off the table as gleeful cons toast unemployment numbers."

Are these the people you want in charge?