The Tea Party Surrender

This editorial in the NYT summarizes the outcome of the effort by a fringe group in the House to defund the Affordable Care Act.  They held the government hostage to a threat that they would allow a default on US debt unless the government acceded to their demands.  The administration called their bluff and they were forced to return the hostage unharmed.  They are fanatics, however, and they are supported by like minded fanatics in the more backward parts of the nation.  They are also an industry with financial support from wealthy individuals and corporations that use them for their own purposes.  They are also supported by a vast propaganda network that keeps them misinformed and angry.  The Republican Party can't live with them and it can't live without them.  We will have to wait and see how this plays out.