No "I" in Tea Party? Think Again.

This sign captures the perfect futility of dealing with the Tea Party. At his press conference two weeks ago during which Obama vented his frustration with the Republicans for an unwillingness to fairly bargain, he said it was now time to “eat our peas.” (Notice he didn’t say “eat your peas.”)

What the phrase refers to simply is doing that thing that is necessary and good for us, even if we don’t like it.

You think there’s no “i” in Tea Party? Well actually, the sign demonstrates it’s all “I.” Obama, in basically digesting the budget agenda of the right and then bending-over-backward in concessions, almost can’t stop eating his peas. In throwing it back in Obama’s face, on the other hand, these people contradict the entire meaning of the phrase. While the phrase calls for stepping up, taking a hard swallow and acting in the interest of the larger body, these people aren’t just rejecting the process but saying their interests supercede the country’s collective health and popular will.