Be careful what you wish for Tea Party...

An excellent op-ed piece in today's New York Times makes an ominous point about the riots in England:

"The American right today is obsessed with cutting government spending. In many ways, Mr. Cameron’s austerity program is the Tea Party’s dream come true. But Britain is now grappling with the consequences of those cuts, which have led to the neglect and exclusion of many vulnerable, disaffected young people who are acting out violently and irresponsibly — driven by rage rather than an explicit political agenda."

"...driven by rage rather than an explicit political agenda" sounds a lot like someone that would say "get your government hands off my Medicare".

Politics that works?

President Obama's favorite conservative talks about British politics today:

"If the quintessential American pol is standing in his sandbox screaming affirmations to http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmembers of his own tribe, the quintessential British pol is standing across a table arguing face to face with his opponents.

British leaders and pundits know their counterparts better. They are less likely to get away with distortions and factual howlers. They are less likely to believe the other party is homogenously evil. They are more likely to learn from a wide range of people. When they do hate, their hatreds are more likely to be personal and less likely to take on the tenor of a holy war."

Hmm, maybe they're on to something over there. They certainly are entertaining. That's why Robin Williams once described them as "Congress with a two-drink minimum."