Yep, Larry King, the host who's heard it all, is starting to bristle at the ongoing right-wing freakout. And he gave the teabaggers more than enough rope to hang themselves.





Larry King & Teabaggers - part 2

Transcript





It's a great interview and I recommend watching the whole thing. But I think the section on Social Security is particularly important:

KING: Dana, are you a little concerned about tea partiers who use the word terrorism when talking about the president? LOESCH: I think perhaps that went -- that's maybe an adjective that is a little bit egregious. But there are things that they -- KING: A little bit? LOESCH: I mean they do -- I mean they do have some valid concerns, though. I mean, we just saw this health care legislation go through. And I've mentioned it before. it's -- it completely disregarded the original intent of the commerce clause and the welfare clause and the constitution. I mean for the first time ever in American history just to exist in this country you have to purchase the product now. You have to purchase the insurance. And they can try to make it -- KING: No. Wait a minute. We have -- we had to pay social security. That was a socialist concept. Republicans voted against it. LOESCH: I agree. KING: Would anyone turn away social security now? Would you do away with it? LOESCH: I would, yes. KING: You would? LOESCH: Yes, absolutely. KING: Would do you away with it, Wayne? ROOT: I'd certainly like to. At best, I do away with it because I could find better ways to spend and save my own $15,000 a year. KING: If you would put it up for a vote in America, what do you think the vote would be on social security in America? Referenda. ROOT: I think if you put it up for a vote, I think, a majority of people today would want to keep it. But they certainly would want to privatize a small portion of it. I personally think I could do better with my own $15,000 a year any day of the week and I'd like it to be mine. It's mine. So, I'd like to leave it to my kids and grandkids the way it stands now --



KING: That wasn't the purpose. When it began, the purpose was you are your brother's keeper, right? ROOT: But, Larry, you got to realize that money is not there. Do you realize they said it was going to be in a lock box. But there is nothing there in the lock box but a bunch of IOUs from a bankrupt government. So that money is being like -- LOESCH: And it was established as a temporary program. KING: Maybe tea partiers will turn it back.

Can you say third rail? Well, Marco Rubio grabbed that rail this weekend, and since this issue is popular among tea partiers, I'd expect it to keep coming up (and Democrats should be bringing it up). I wonder how John McCain feels about repealing Social Security?

How about Mitt Romney? He seems especially eager to win the favor of tea partiers. Enough so that Larry King couldn't even believe he was talking to a supposed adult last week when Romney appeared on the show. Again, the whole interview is worth checking out, but here's a sample:

KING: You've called the passage of health care reform "an unconscionable abuse of power." Unconscionable? ROMNEY: Well, I -- I think that the decision to take the nuclear option, as the president did, to not secure a single Republican vote in -- in contravention of his promise during the campaign that he would reach across party lines, he'd work on a bipartisan basis, that was very, very disappointing. KING: Well, if he's not -- if they're not going to vote for it, what was he supposed to do... ROMNEY: Well... KING: -- scratch it? ROMNEY: Well... KING: If he... ROMNEY: Well... KING: If he liked the plan, he ran on it. ROMNEY: Well, what he's supposed to do is have a plan which is bipartisan. We, after all, have a -- a reform plan in Massachusetts that I worked with Democrats on. We worked on a bipartisan basis. It's not perfect. It's a work in progress. But nonetheless, we worked together and, therefore, secured, I think, a better piece of legislation and more support in the community by virtue of doing so. But in addition to that, he said that he was going to eschew the politics of special interests. And yet by paying off the unions with a special deal for union members and then also giving special deals to senators like Senator Nelson and others we'll find as the light of day continues to... KING: The Nelson thing, he backed off, though. ROMNEY: Yes. Well, but others have come -- have come to light and will come to light in the ensuing days. I think what you'll find is that -- that the process is one which violated the -- the principles which he laid out during the campaign and, frankly, was a -- a power push by a single party. And it says that no longer do you need more than 51 votes in the Senate. A simple majority can accomplish whatever they want. And it's a -- it's a dramatic change in the way that democracy will work. KING: You also wrote that, "President Obama has betrayed his oath to the nation." Now, Governor, you -- you're pretty scare -- careful with language. That's -- are you saying he should be impeached? ROMNEY: Well, no, of course not. But in the... KING: Well... ROMNEY: -- in the following... KING: -- what's betraying an oath? ROMNEY: Well, the oath to the nation goes piece by piece, which is, one, he'd bring a new style of politics to Washington, and instead it's -- it's the Chicago politics of the past. He said he would work, as I indicated, on a bipartisan basis. He didn't. He instead put in place a -- a bill which has no support on the other side of the aisle.

Got that? Romney thinks that Obama has violated his oath of office -- you know, the oath to be bipartisan. I'd really like somebody to ask Mr. Grown-Up Republican how he feels about repealing Social Security.

Here's the thing. When you say something so ridiculous that Larry F-'n King sits up and takes notice, you've left the mainstream of American politics. And the teabaggers are pushing Republicans further and further into the wilderness.

So the Tea Party wants to repeal Social Security. What say you GOP?





Romney transcript