By FITSNews || What a phenomenon this acephalous, amorphous “Tea Party” movement has become!
With Republicans (a.k.a. Democrats) tripping over themselves to co-opt it and Democrats (a.k.a. Socialists) tripping over themselves to discredit it, the “Tea Party” has emerged as one of the most potent political forces in America – despite its lack of central organization.
So who are the Tea Partiers?
Well, they’re everyday Americans who are pissed off at the direction their country is taking, people who – like fictitious TV anchorman Howard Beale from the movie Network – are “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.” They’re also doing what the U.S. Constitution gives them the right to do, namely petition their government for a redress of their (pocketbook-focused) grievances.
Oh, and they vote … in droves.
“Right on, rock on,” we say.
The two most recent presidential administrations and Congresses of both parties have plunged this country off a fiscal cliff, with bailouts galore, trillion dollar deficits and – most recently – a $2.5 trillion socialized medicine proposal that represents the greatest expansion of government in decades.
“Enough is enough,” the Tea Partiers say, and they’re right.
Of course not everybody is pleased with the strength of the movement, including an Oregon middle school teacher named Jason Levin who created a website called “Crash The Tea Party” that encourages liberals to infiltrate local organizations and work to “dismantle and demolish” the movement, which he refers to as a “loose affiliation of racists, homophobes and morons.”
“Whenever possible, we will act on behalf of the Tea Party in ways which exaggerate their least appealing qualities (misspelled protest signs, wild claims in TV interviews, etc.) to further distance them from mainstream America and damage the public’s opinion of them,” Levin’s website explains. “We will also use the inside information that we have gained in order to disrupt and derail their plans.”
Nice, huh?
He’s like Janeane Garofalo, in other words, only prettier we’re guessing.
Anyway, judging by a recent Rasmussen Reports poll that had Tea Party hero Ron Paul in a dead heat with U.S. President Barack Obama, looks like Levin and his Tea Party crashers needs to get busy.
WEB EXTRA
Crash The Tea Party
By Crooner April 15, 2010 at 3:05 pm
This movement ends when it merges with the GOP.
By Skidmarks April 15, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Dr. Paul is an enigma. He is for personal freedom, yet he is also for repealing the 17th Amendment which provides for the election of U.S. Senators by popular vote and was a contributing editor to the John Birch Society publications.
Anyway, the Tea Baggers aren’t a political party and can’t nominate anyone. Dr. Paul will never get the Republican nomination because of his opposition to the Iraq War and the insane sending of Dubyah Bush.
At the recent Boston ‘Bagger Bash, the crowd was wetting their Depends over a Romney-Palin ticket. You betcha.
By OhNoNotAgain April 15, 2010 at 11:05 pm
I don’t know about repealing the 17th Amendment, but I’d repeal the one that stopped the vice president from being the second most popular guy in the country.
I think the possibility of Al Gore being a tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate might have slowed down George W. Bush’s excesses a tad. Might have kept Dick Cheney out of the White House, at least for a while.
I don’t think having John McCain as being President of the Senate would have slowed much of Obama down, but you never know.
But just think of all the possibilities.
By madcock April 16, 2010 at 12:23 am
The tea partiers are mad as hell at Obama for his $300 billion dollars in tax cuts, and want to make sure that all this big goverment is stopped except for their Social Security and Medicare.
What a group. Hats off to super lobbyist and whore Dick Armey for creating this group and raising the money from Big Oil to pay to keep it going.
As PT Barnum said, “there’s a sucker born every minute.”
By Liberty For Me April 16, 2010 at 12:40 am
Anyone that does not understand how the 17th amendment is totally against the spirit of the constitution is not a very deep thinker
By WorkingTommyC April 16, 2010 at 10:14 am
I did not spot any infiltrators.
The closest thing I saw was a middle aged man with a sullen, frustrated expression holding a couple of small signs crowded with words and stating to the effect that “yes, Virginia, there IS global warming!”
By WorkingTommyC April 16, 2010 at 11:29 am
LFM:
I agree: the 17th Amendment is like a “–NOT!” tagged on at the end of a sentence promising states’ rights.
By Joe April 16, 2010 at 2:42 pm
“The tea partiers are mad as hell at Obama for his $300 billion dollars in tax cuts”
Now that, friends, is hysterical. These the tax “cuts” you’re talking about?
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/91669-healthcare-law-socks-middle-class-with-a-39-billion-tax-increase
By DeepThought April 16, 2010 at 3:15 pm
:Anyone that does not understand how the 17th amendment is totally against the spirit of the constitution is not a very deep thinker:
Anyone who does not understand that the Constitution contains several methods for it to be amended, so that, if people believe a different principle rather than the founding fathers principles becomes more important, that can be instituted.
Not only is this a constitutional amendment, but it is one that went the hard route — two thirds of the states had to ratify it first because the U.S. Senate consistently blocked it there first.
What gets me is that the Tea Party crowd are so insistent in the Declaration of Independence’s strong assertion that the people have a right to “alter or abolish” their government, yet somehow think that is limited to a revolution that involves a strong invocation of the Second Amendment, if you get the drift.
The Declaration was necessary because the colonies had taken the extreme step of violence to make that change. But the Declaration doesn’t say that’s the way to do it. Indeed, the switch from the Articles of Confederation in which states were absolutely sovereign to the Constitution with its federal system is proof enough that change can be had without resorting to violence.
By theodore "t-bag" bagwell April 16, 2010 at 4:17 pm
hey pretty,
the tea parties are mainstream republican/RNC/foxnews rallies. whatever initial intent they had, they are now owned by the RNC, foxnews and their shills like sarah palin and glenn beck who use them as marketing tools to pimp their books and tv shows. instead of a platform advocating the removal of ALL incumbents, the tea parties are rallies for the GOP and their politicians. the only thing the tea partiers are mad about is democratic control of govt. the second the GOP wins back the house (if it happens), these tea parties will cease to exist because they will have served their purpose, electing mainstream republicans, not overhauling a corrupt system. and the only things holding the tea parties together, the only unifying forces are a quitter and shameless self promoting fraud like sarah palin and an anger over the white house being turned black.
By lando April 17, 2010 at 8:27 am
Yo theo,
I’ve got a Gadsden flag flapping in the breeze outside my house. I voted for Allen Keyes in 1996. I’m no racist—but keep trying. You guys trying to smear the Tea Party supporters are beginning to look more and more desperate as the midterms approach…
By madcock April 17, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Joe, how laughable your response is.
First of all some right-wing blogger calling closing loopholes a tax increase is a question of semantics.
But even if a reasonable person called closing these loopholes a $39 billion tax increase, and even if one disregarded the new tax credits in the bill that more than offset the increase, it is simply a matter of math. $300 billion in tax cuts already in place is greater than $39 billion in tax increases.
$261 billion dollars greater, as a matter of fact.
You need to find some better Fox News talking points. Or go back to first grade arithmetic class.
By Joe April 18, 2010 at 9:52 pm
madcock says
“You need to find some better Fox News talking points. Or go back to first grade arithmetic class.”
You get that from Media Matters or the Huffington Post?
By Another Comment April 19, 2010 at 9:37 am
Madcock scores, Joe comes back with stupid response that doesn’t address a single thing brought up in the discussion..Madcock wins!
By Elmer April 19, 2010 at 9:48 am
Wonderful news for Dr. Paul. Even with the mainstream media firmly against him as well as the Republicans trying to keep him away from voters, Paul is still gaining momentum.
Imagine his polling if given decent media coverage and prime time to really debate the issues?
By the Space Boogey April 19, 2010 at 11:51 am
Tea Party is an excuse for “Back Stabbers,” and “Betrayal.”
These are the great grand-kids of those former Dixo-crats, that jumped ship when the black man was given rights.
G.O.P. appointed African-American boogey to head things up, and Voila: the ‘Tea Party’ emerged.
Racism shows no loyalty. It’s like the mafia, there is just ONE Rule: “don’t RATT Me OUt!!’
By Jack April 19, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Have to admit the tea party is very Aryan, but so is the entire Republican Party; so I am not convinced they are all racist. I’m sure that is a big part of the movement in SC, but probably not in other parts of the country. I do largely agree with Theo however, that the Tea Party is really nothing more than a GOP created and funded get out the vote program.
The program is designed to whip up anger among people who are going to vote Republican and get them out to vote on election day. Consequently it is no surprise Ron Paul is popular at the rallies. He is extremely popular with the Republican base, so its obvious he would be extremely popular amongst tea partiers, as they are indistinguishable from the Republican base. That is why the are called the base. They are not the entire party, but these are the people the Republican party can rely on to vote for them no matter what. The only issue is making sure they get to the polls in record numbers on election day, and that’s what the GOP founded and funded Tea Party program is all about.