Are your ratings that bad? Ed Schultz and 'sewer rats

As written about elsewhere on The Blaze, MSNBC personality Ed Schultz wrapped up his poorly-rated TV program “The Ed Show” Thursday night by declaring victory over the Tea Party.

"Good to have you with us tonight, folks. Thanks for watching. The Tea Party's mission to destroy this presidency and the economy--well, it`s failed for now...Tonight, they are the losers and the winners are the American people," Shultz said in reference to the GOP leadership caving in during the battle over extending the payroll-tax cuts.

However, before declaring victory for the American people on his television show, Shultz predicted on his radio program that GOP leadership would settle for nothing less than a stalemate with Democrats.

Why would anyone want a stalemate? Because, according to Schultz, Tea Party Republicans are like "sewer rats."

Shultz in his own words (via News Busters):

What these tea partiers are going to do right now, and I’m going to label them tonight as sewer rats. They have a sewer rat mentality. You know what sewer rats do? They go down in the hole and they don't come out. And they all hang out together. And they're comfortable in their environment. And that’s what these Tea Partiers are doing right now behind closed doors. They’re just sewer rats.

Listen to him explain why "sewer rats" seems like an appropriate description for the Tea Party:

However, he goes on to say much more that's not included in the video:

And when they leave Washington from being a sewer rat, they’re gonna go home and they’re gonna have that human interaction with people and they’re gonna feel power.

They’re going to talk with about three people that think the way they do, and say [in a nose-holding voice] ‘Well, that’s the way it is! We’re doing the right thing, and we’re going to beat this socialist/Marxist/communist pinko in the White House!

I’ll say no to government spending. I don’t give a damn about the unemployed! In fact, I went home and didn’t see one person that was unemployed.’ That’s how they think.

And perhaps because he was feeling a little cocksure from the brilliance of his political analysis, Schultz continued his verbal victory lap. He went on to reveal the results of a poll of his audience. Apparently, ninety-eight percent of the respondents believe House Speaker John Boehner is “the most ineffective Speaker in recent memory.”

Wait, what? Ed Schultz' audience thinks speaker is no good? Shocker.

Now there's nothing wrong with comparing a political movement to sewer rats. Depending on the how a certain group conducts itself, it could be a perfect analogy. As Schultz mentioned, rats climb into their holes, they stay together in their own groups, and they're comfortable in their environments--common elements of a political movement corrupted by groupthink.

However, Schultz forgot to mention two major characteristics of sewer rats: they spread filth and disease wherever they go and they're a pain in the neck to get rid of.

Therefore, if we take the three aforementioned descriptions of sewer rats that Shultz provides, and add "spreading filth" and "oain in the neck" to that list, we--wait. It doesn't really sound much like the Tea Party at all.

It sounds an awful lot like another group.

Tea Party rallies from across the country.

"Comfortable in their environment"? Check. Going "down in the hole"? Check. Spreading filth? Check.  All "hanging out together"? Check. "Pain in the neck to get rid of"? Check.

(h/t News Busters)