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Ted Cruz

7 (6.5%)

Rick Santorum

16 (14.8%)

Michelle Bachmann

13 (12%)

Chris Christie

23 (21.3%)

Rand Paul

49 (45.4%)

Total Members Voted: 107

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Actually, a bunch of people in the Tea Party do want it. As the theory goes, it will set the stage for the US to "become great again" (truly, the three most terrifying words in the lexicon of American politicians) by destroying the world economy, from which we will obviously emerge on top.

Surely America would be the hardest hit, resulting in the world economy ballsing up, AND America no longer being one of the top economies?

It's hard to measure whom would be hardest hit with the nature of a globalized economy, but they do have a (very, very small) point in that America has a resilient economy. Being a service-economy would likely help matters as well, but in the end there's no telling who would lead the new economic order if the worst case scenario happens.

But for the Tea Party, it mostly comes down to trying to find a way to kill China without destroying the US.

America is one of the top economies?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

S&P ratings really aren't the best way to measure economic importance. You'll see that both China and Japan are also in the AA range, but the importance of their economies are clear to most people. Brazil, China, and India are all BBB, but they are vital as well. S&P ratings are just about trustworthiness indexes for investors. On the other hand, you can contribute little to the world and have a high rating, as we can see from Saudi Arabia. Hell, the US only lost AAA status because of the previous debt scares, and there was no actual default there.

[Il Palazzo]

America is one of the top economies?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

When comparing economies, one usually means GDP, not the credit rating:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Max White]

I counter your hurtful image presentation with an explanation. We still would be AAA, were it not for the same instigators of the current spectacle.

Hey just because you can explain why it ain't, don't make it not false. 

On the other hand, you can contribute little to the world and have a high rating, as we can see from Saudi Arabia. Hell, the US only lost AAA status because of the previous debt scares, and there was no actual default there.

Speaking of not actually contributing much and keeping rating, don't actually look too hard into those figures. 

It is just a fun little graph to throw some water onto the 'Merican way.

[misko27]

If I was already a politician looking to run for office I might think about it, but since I'm simply a teenager preparing to apply for college I'm completely against it.

As Against it as the Tea-Party is against making sense and good governance. So against it, in fact.

Actually, a bunch of people in the Tea Party do want it. As the theory goes, it will set the stage for the US to "become great again" (truly, the three most terrifying words in the lexicon of American politicians) by destroying the world economy, from which we will obviously emerge on top.

Surely America would be the hardest hit, resulting in the world economy ballsing up, AND America no longer being one of the top economies?

Ehh, It's really all conjecture. This would actually cause all Treasury bonds in the entire world to become more expensive, which would immediately wipe out Greece and put many other European nations into a massive debt crisis. Japan's Fragilely restarting economy would tank, and China would be left trying to hold up a falling roof like Samson. Since their Banking system is fragile at best, they would also probably take a bad hit.


Essentially the Great Depression.

America is one of the top economies?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And yet American bonds are the lowest in the worlds, and America/China have the largest economies. Actually American bonds are more then 3x as cheap if I'm reading my graph correctly, and were much cheaper even a few weeks ago. Figures.

All great powers must lose their mantle at some point. If this is our turn, who are we to resist fate?

It is my duty in life to either completely globalize the world into a single power, or force the US's Power to outlast my lifetime. That and live forever, that is also a plan.

[RedKing]

But there is still that little irrational voice shouting "LETS DEFAULT! DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB! DO WHAT YOU WANT COZ A PIRATE IS FREEEEEE!!!!", the voice that is entertaining to humor, but you don't let it out of its cage.

I think it's the allure of "being witness to history". One of those things you can tell to your grandchildren.

The thing is, as someone who has been witness to some fairly big moments in history, you start to realize that those moments are mostly sphincter-tightening terrifying.

Sure, you get some nice ones like the Moon landing or Sojourner landing successfully on Mars.

You get some mixed ones like the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Soviet Union (Yay democracy! And...uhh...oh fuck, anybody have any ideas what's going to happen now?)

And then you have the "OH HOLY FUCK IS THIS SHIT FOR REAL" moments like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Presidential assassinations (or attempted assassinations), the onset of pretty much every war ever, every natural disaster, etc.

[lue]

But there is still that little irrational voice shouting "LETS DEFAULT! DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB! DO WHAT YOU WANT COZ A PIRATE IS FREEEEEE!!!!", the voice that is entertaining to humor, but you don't let it out of its cage.

I think it's the allure of "being witness to history". One of those things you can tell to your grandchildren.

That's exactly the feeling I get. It would be interesting to see because it's never happened before (thus history), but I really would rather not see it at all.

[FearfulJesuit]

I think I want to see it to see what happens to the American party system.

I realize that that's a really, really bad reason.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I think I want to see it to see what happens to the American party system.

I realize that that's a really, really bad reason.

Funny you would mention that.

[FearfulJesuit]

I've got a sneaking suspicion the third party people want isn't my own brand of social-democratic, academic-run, Moldbug-venerating pseudofascism...

[Max White]

Funny you would mention that.

You guys do technically have a third party, or at least one that I know of. I'm sure there are other equally insignificant parties.

[FearfulJesuit]

Right now the two third parties that have the largest amount of support are the Constitution Party, which is just the Tea Party under its own banner, and the Libertarians, who are, well, libertarians. If you want a glorious liberal tomorrow, neither of them are very appealing.

Edit: Upon thinking a jiffy, I just realized that they are appealing, in a weird way- an extra left-wing party will just split Democratic votes and deliver results to the greater of the two major evils, while an extra right-wing party will split GOP votes and deliver results to the lesser. We'd need a couple constitutional amendments before third parties became viable- it's not just that they almost never get elected, it's that the American voting system creates very perverse incentives and results for voters when more than two parties join the fray.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Funny you would mention that.

You guys do technically have a third party, or at least one that I know of. I'm sure there are other equally insignificant parties.

The three minor parties of any significance are Green, Libertarian, and Constitution.

[Max White]

Upon thinking a jiffy, I just realized that they are appealing, in a weird way- an extra left-wing party will just split Democratic votes and deliver results to the greater of the two major evils, while an extra right-wing party will split GOP votes and deliver results to the lesser. We'd need a couple constitutional amendments before third parties became viable- it's not just that they almost never get elected, it's that the American voting system creates very perverse incentives and results for voters when more than two parties join the fray.

Well there is always the distant hope that your politicians will act against their own self serving interests and give you preferential voting...

Na, I'm joking. The nation would go bankrupt before that ever happened.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

That's not exactly true. Voting law reform isn't big in the US, so it gets little attention. Were it to become popular, it would be in the interests of politicians to go along with it, for what they lose from a more fair competition is less than what they lose from the threat of an actual incorruptible challenger championing it.

There needs to be a large popular push for it. You'll notice that wealth distribution is a big thing amongst politicians now, when it wasn't a few years ago. That is the result of Occupy Wall Street. A similar event would be a great boon to voting law reform.

[FearfulJesuit]

Funny you would mention that.

You guys do technically have a third party, or at least one that I know of. I'm sure there are other equally insignificant parties.

The three minor parties of any significance are Green, Libertarian, and Constitution.

Those of foreign origin should probably note just how insignificant these are, though: currently, among all seats in the legislative and executive branches of the American federal and state governments, of which there are 7,917, exactly one is held by a member of one of these parties: Fred Smith, Green Party state representative of Arkansas.