The Know Nothing Party rises from the dead, one formerly-principled senator at a time

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), in his ongoing descent from elder statesmen to Tea Party darling, threw out some red-meat conservative rhetoric dissing France in a speech on the budget talks on the Senate floor Wednesday.

The choice is quite stark, in Hatch's view. Americans, he said, need to decide whether we want to become Europe with a "cradle-to-grave" entitlement system that will slow down economic growth or do we want to "remain America, a beacon of freedom for the world."

To drive his point home, Hatch ratcheted up the rhetoric another notch.

"[My constituents] do not wake up in the morn and say America would be much better if we we're more like France. ..."

Related articles

• Hatch: Romney would campaign for me if asked (thehill.com)
• Hatch Tries to Fix His Tea Party Problem (politicalwire.com)