Eight Tea Party Morons Destroying America
State: Iowa
Elected: 2002
Core Beliefs: Immigration-reform foe. Argues measures like the Dream Act would offer citizenship mainly to drug mules. "For every one who's a valedictorian," King said, "there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds, and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."
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Ted Yoho
Image Credit: Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images State: Florida
Elected: 2012
Core Beliefs: Compares Republicans fighting to defund Obamacare to "Rosa Parks, Lech Walesa [and] Martin Luther King." Claims tanning-salon tax is bigoted against white people: "It's a racist tax." Says Bill of Rights ensures civilian access to military weaponry: "When you read the Second Amendment. . . the militia had the same equipment as the military to protect them against the tyrannical government." -
Louie Gohmert
Image Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call State: Texas
Elected: 2004
Core Beliefs: Warns that jihadists are sending pregnant women to the U.S. to have "terror babies" who will grow up American citizens. Opposes gay marriage because once "you say it's not a man and a woman anymore. . . why not, you know, somebody who has a love for an animal?" Believes the Obama administration ousted Qadaffi so "Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood could take over Libya." -
Steve Stockman
Image Credit: Evan Vucci/AP Photo State: Texas
Elected: 2012
Core Beliefs: A fierce defender of the petrochemical industry. Believes "the best thing about the Earth is if you poke holes in it, oil and gas come out." Said president's post-Sandy Hook gun-control push "reminds me of Saddam Hussein." Invited rodeo clown who dressed in a racist Obama outfit this summer to be an honored performer in Texas. -
Paul Broun
Image Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images State: Georgia
Elected: 2007
Core Beliefs: A physician who sits on the House science committee, Broun insists the Earth is 9,000 years old; says "all that stuff I was taught about evolution, embryology, Big Bang theory. . . is lies straight from the pit of hell." On House floor, referred to Civil War as the "Great War of Yankee Aggression." Seeking to join Senate in 2014. -
Kerry Bentivolio
Image Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call State: Michigan
Elected: 2012
Core Beliefs: Has talked of tasking staffers to investigate "chemtrail" conspiracy theory that aircraft are seeding the skies with government mind-controlling chemicals. Says writing a bill to impeach Obama "would be a dream come true." -
John Fleming
Image Credit: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call State: Louisiana
Elected: 2008
Core Beliefs: Denounced Planned Parenthood over plans to open an "$8 billion abortionplex," after reading an article in The Onion. Shrugs off danger of debt-ceiling breach: "I don't think we should run government based on economists' predictions." -
Michele Bachmann
Image Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images State: Minnesota
Elected: 2006
Core Beliefs: Says ending minimum wage would virtually "wipe out unemployment." Claims global warming is "all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax." In presidential debate, the vaccine-conspiracy theorist warned of danger posed to little girls "forced to have a government injection."