WASHINGTON DC | As legislation to get rid of the debt ceiling advanced through the Senate this week, the leaders of both parties declared that no Tea Party is going to tell them what to do. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat, declared that "Tea Party overlords" would never be his boss. Meanwhile, from the Tea Party's perspective, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican, refused to be pressured into acting responsibly about the debt ceiling. Let's assume for a moment that some Tea Party members might be right about certain issues some of the time. Let's also assume that when Tea Party members say that Sen. McConnell should not have voted to remove the debt ceiling for a year, they may have some legitimate concerns. The Tea Party movement is composed of several factions with rather diverse viewpoints. But the movement does include several members who want the federal government to obey the Constitution. That obedience translates into less spending in certain budgetary areas, less taxation overall, fewer small business regulations and a general dislike of massive debt. So it comes as no surprise that some in the Tea Party movement firmly oppose the bipartisan crusade to pursue unlimited government borrowing. Perhaps it's not a stretch to say that when the Senate's leaders protest Tea Party criticism, what they're really saying is that they won't be cowed into thinking about constitutional policies, much less obeying them. McConnell basically said "bring it on" to Tea Party critics when he cast his decisive Wednesday that led to Senate passage of what most media call "a debt ceiling hike." That language is deceptive. To suspend the debt ceiling for a year means there isn't a ceiling. Let's be plain here. Furthermore, some are calling McConnell's stance against the Tea Party "his most defining moment in the 113th Congress." The Hill, a Beltway newspaper, observed. "It was a risky decision for McConnell, who is facing a difficult primary battle from businessman Matt Bevin, a conservative backed by Tea Party groups." McConnell is often called a supporter of the Senate as an institution. But the Senate as an institution means nothing unless it upholds the Constitution. The nation's Tea Party groups may not always want constitutional policies. But sometimes they do. And it appears that most of our legislative leaders are tone-deaf to sage advice about putting the good of the nation first when it comes to challenging the nation's escalating debt. Download your free Next News "Heroes & Villains" Poster here: http://bit.ly/KgbQD5 Donate USD: http://nnn.is/donate-dollars Donate BTC: http://nnn.is/donate-bitcoin LIVE: http://bit.ly/1eChpVo Facebook: http://on.fb.me/18RdIek Twitter: http://bit.ly/1eChqZD Sub: http://NNN.is/the_new_media Meet the Next News Team: http://bit.ly/18RdIen Hashtag: #N3 About: Next News Network's WHDT World News program airs daily at 6pm and 11pm Eastern on Comcast, DirecTV and Over-the-Air and Online at http://NNN.is/on-WHDT WHDT World News is available to 6 million viewers from South Beach to Sebastian, Florida and to 2 million viewers in Boston, Massachusetts via WHDN. WHDT broadcasts on RF channel 44 (virtual channel 9) from Palm City and is carried on cable TV channels 44 (SD) and 1044 (HD) by AT&T, on cable channels 17 (SD) and 438 (HD) in West Palm Beach by Comcast, on satellite channel 44 (SD) in West Palm Beach by DIRECTV, and on WHDN-Boston which broadcasts on RF channel 38 (virtual channel 6) from the Government Center district in downtown Boston. More about WHDT: http://bit.ly/18RdIuB #DC
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