The linked post is an op-ed in the New York Times, and talks about how radical the REpublicans have become.  From the 40,000 foot position, the opinion is just one more part of the larger battle over control of the Republican Party which is now over run by extremists. This came about because fiscal conservatives and “small government” types thought they could leverage joining with the social conservatives to beat out the despied liberals. What’s the common denominator betwen fiscal conservatives and social conservatives? Conservatism, right?

Actually, no that’s wrong. Social conservatism leads to big government control over the personal lives of everyone, so while each may claim “conservative” in their identity, they are really opposing positions, and the GOP is in turmoil because of it.

Peter Wehner, who held key posts in the last three Republican presidential administrations, declares that they cannot: “This is not conservatism either in terms of disposition or governing philosophy. It is, rather, the product of intemperate minds and fairly radical and thoroughly unconservative tendencies.”

So why do Teabaggers hate the Affordable Care Act aka “ACA” aka “Obamacare”? That may seem like the wrong question given the attached op-ed, but I don’rt think it is.

Teabaggers are an astroturfed coalition of mostly social conservatives who buy into “small government” rhetoric without really examining the validity of that rhetoric. They hold a skepticism of the Government which is seen as that abusive entity which has crippled outright racism and other pseudo-moral extremism. But at the heart of it, they are rigid moral/social conservatives who believe their only way to victory is to bulldoze over everyone else. When you know you are right, the Rights of others just don’t count very much.

They hate the ACA because any perceived “win” by a progressive or non-social conservative is seen as their loss, and any “win” by the Government, which is that enemy which has taken away the rights to discriminate against gays, women and minorities can not be tolerated.

Some claim that the Teabaggers hate the ACA because Obama is an African American. While that may fuel the attitudes of some, I think they would hate it no matter who was President, because it is an illustration of Government really suceeding rather than failing.

via How Did Conservatives Get This Radical? – NYTimes.com.

Also published today, are reports that the ACA will cost less than previously anticipated. And the battle for the GOP continues… with the American People the real winners in the end.