Chronicles of American Politics: The Posters of the Chamomile Tea Party, 2010-2020

Norquist We Didn't Elect You, 2012

For the past twenty years, Republican lawmakers have taken Grover Norquist's pledge not to raise taxes under any circumstances. (Norquist founded Americans for Tax Reform.) This prevents any debate on tax hikes and locks in representatives’ votes even before discussions. Norquist’s pledge has its roots in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was called governmental "Instruction." People gave their elected officials instructions on how to vote. Even back then, it was controversial. And one of its most vocal opponents was English politician Edmund Burke. Here's what he said to the voters of his district when he ran for Parliament:

"What sort of reason is that, in which the determination precedes the discussion; in which one set of men deliberate, and another decides; and where those who form the conclusion are perhaps three hundred miles distant from those who hear the arguments…. Authoritative instructions; mandates issued, which the member is bound blindly and implicitly to obey, to vote and to argue for, though contrary to the clearest conviction of his judgment and conscience."

It’s interesting to read Burke’s statement considering what’s happening now in American politics. As those Norquist represents, special interests hold undue influence in our government. Constituents’ interests are only crucial to our representatives if they threaten their re-election. Our legislators do not have, as Burke suggested, “unbiased opinions.”

Read more about Burke and how his philosophy connects with Norquist's pledge in Garry Wills' article "Edmund Burke Against Grover Norquist" from the New York Review of Books

I'm Watching You : We're Watching You Too Mr. President, 2013

National security is an essential part of our lives. However, the line between security and personal privacy is fuzzy. And the American people deserve the right to discuss and debate the issue in the open.

Neely Tucker of the Washington Post reported on a Post/Pew poll in which 62% surveyed said it was more important for the government to investigate terrorism than to protect personal privacy. Yet, Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office, suggested an important context to this poll. "Poll results and opinions of the masses are, no matter how well-intentioned, not the point of constitutional protections. While it might be fine for your neighbors to let the government inspect their personal lives, it's not okay for your neighbors to say it's fine for officials to inspect you."

The revelation that under President Obama, US and British intelligence agencies were gathering data from nine American internet companies under a secret program called Prism was the inspiration for this poster.

The Matadors of the GOP, 2015

In 2015, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), with a mere two months experience in Congress, penned a letter to the leaders of Iran, cautioning them that President Obama did not have the constitutional authority to reach an accord on Iran's nuclear program. Forty-six additional GOP Senators signed this letter.

This brought our dysfunctional Congress to a new and dangerous low. And it may have been against the law. The Logan Act, enacted in 1799, is a federal law barring unauthorized citizens from corresponding with foreign governments that have a dispute with the United States. Both this, and then House Speaker John Boehner's invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress on the subject, was a way to undermine President Obama's influence in negotiations with Iran.

The irony of Cotton's letter was that negotiations with Iran were not unilateral between the United States and Iran. There were five other countries involved in this process. Obama would not have sole power to affect a solution to Iran's nuclear program.

In September 2015, presidential candidate Donald Trump stated, "It was amateur hour for those charged with striking this deal with Iran, demonstrating to the world, yet again, the total incompetence of our president and politicians." In October 2017, President Trump decertified the arms pact giving Congress 60 days to determine whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran. And in May 2018, Trump made good on his election promise by withdrawing the US from the pact.

Your 'Greed Economics' Doesn't Fit, 2015

One of the signature Republican proposals, since they took control of the House in 2010, has been tax cuts and reforming the tax code. In 2015, E.J. Dionne, columnist for The Washington Post, wrote that "Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI.) values his reputation as a serious policy analyst and a genial soul. But he's not above name-calling, and he insists that President Obama's budget is the product of 'envy economics.'" Ryan's plan cuts taxes to the wealthy while also cutting services to the poor and middle class. So, Dionne states, isn't it fair to call Ryan's economic plan "greed economics"?

In 2018, nothing changed, except the GOP holds, not just the House but also the Senate and the presidency. And in December 2017, Congress voted to enact its tax plan, and President Trump signed it. Similar to the GOP's 2015 proposal, the law will reduce taxes to the rich while cutting programs to many in the middle class and poor to pay for a loss in revenue. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a non-partisan research institute that focuses on fiscal responsibility in equitable ways, called this plan "irresponsible."

According to their analysis, "Despite looming fiscal pressures, congressional Republican leaders have abandoned their earlier pledges to pursue revenue-neutral tax reform. Instead, they're aggressively advancing a costly tax cut. Together, the bill's revenue loss and associated debt service costs would add $1.7 trillion to deficits and debt between 2018 and 2027, and would bring the debt to 97 percent of the GDP by 2027."

Part 1: Partisanship on Overdrive
Part 2: The Electorate
Part 3: Politicians and Our Political Process

Next:
Part 4: The Issues
Part 5: Post-Truth: The Contentious 2016 Election
Part 6: Post Election: Post-Truth Reaches New Heights
Part 7: Immigration, Obstruction, Redaction, Oh My!

Download a brief bibliography of topics covered in this exhibit.