Tea Party Steam
Posted: Wednesday, September 15, 2010
by Tex Norman
There is some steam in the tea party movement. As I listen to their speeches, I hear some topic repeated often enough to believe that these positions motivate most members of the tea party movement.
GOVERNMENT IS THE PROBLEM
There is a widely held belief that government is mostly bad, and the best government is the one that governs least. This is far from a new idea, but it has gained a lot of traction with the Tea Partiers.
Populous dissatisfaction is triggered from time to time, and when enough people are dissatisfied enough they stop considering positions and political rationale. The frustrated are SO frustrated that they just want to vote out everyone currently in office. If you have held office that, in itself, is what disqualifies you from re-election. In many races the Tea Partiers are not just opposed to Democrats, the are against establishment Conservative Republicans. Ultra Conservative Republicans like John Boehner can be thrown out unless they keep their lisps super-glued to the collective Tea Party buttocks.
COMPROMISE EQUALS
A LACK OF PRINCIPALS AND CONVICTION
There are few republicans more inflexible towards the Obama White House than Jon Boehner, but when he said he would vote for middle class tax cuts IF that was the ONLY TAX CUT on the table the TEA PARTIERS raised Holy Heck. The Washington Post's follow up headline was:
Boehner blew it
With voter anger mounting, why compromise with Obama?
The Tea Partiers signal a dramatic shift to the Right. Inflexible conservative Republicans are too moderate now. This does not mean there is a civil war in the Republican Party. Christine O'Donnell's Win in Delaware has been followed by Mitt Ro mney calling for the GOP to rally behind O'Donnell, and then Romney made a $5,000 contribution to her campaign. That doesn't sound like a GOP civil war to me.
TAXATION IS THEFT
T.E.A. Taxed Enough Already
T.E.A. Total Economic Anarchy
Tea Party Signs seen on TV
Why would lower middle class people oppose tax cuts for themselves UNLESS we extend a $700 billion dollar tax cut for the top 3 percent? I don't understand why poor and middle class people blindly support corporations, insurance companies, and the super rich, but I must face the fact that they do.
I could argue that if you give tax cuts to the super rich they will NOT expand business, they will buy boats and summer mansions. I Can support this opinion, but so what! The tax haters hate taxes. Tax haters hate taxes and will not even entertain the possibility that this opinion could possibly be true.
RACISM
The Tea Partiers won't agree with me, but I firmly believe that at least part of the Tea Party anger is over having a Black President.
A survey by the University of Washington Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race & Sexuality found that members of the Tea Party are 25% more likely of being racially resentful that those who are not Tea Party supporters. In another poll conducted by the New York Times/CBS News survey found that white Tea Party supporters were more likely to believe that "the Obama administration favors blacks over whites" and that "too much has been made of the problems facing black people."
The matter almost doesn't matter. The hatred of government, taxes, and Obama is fueling the the Tea Partiers movement, and that is the way it is.
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Top-level comments on this article: (9 total)I agree with you about the racism, Tex. I think most of what comes out of the Tea Party movement is exactly what you say - a lot of hot air.Thanks Jennifer for reading and for your insight. There are people in my family claiming Not TO BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED but they sent me cartoons with Obama's White House growing watermelons on the lawn. I believe much of the anger is because the economy is not good, and fears are high, but the crazy anger is because racism has been folded into the mix.
I'm loving this article, Tex! You have touched on a subject many are running into closets about. Thanks for sharing your views. I appreciate it (smile)Thank you soo much for the comment. You have made my day. Peace be with you. tex
I admit it, I'm fascinated by the people of the Tea Party. For the most part, they are the people who I grew up with and my friends and neighbors, but suddenly there's this strange phenomenon where they just throw all reason out the window. It's like I say, "2 + 2 = 4" and they hear me saying something totally different. I guess that's fair, because when I hear them say they want to "take our country back" I hear them saying much more than they intended to say.The question I keep asking is where this is all taking us. Is our country always going to be polarized like this from now on? Is this the beginning of post-Christian America?I've got a lot of opinions on this, maybe someday I'll write them down. You've got a way with words, Tex, and I couldn't agree with you more.Thanks for the complement and the comments. This was hard to write since I broke my right arm and can only type using my left hand (and I'm right handed). But I'm off work for possibly 6 weeks so I have nothing else to do but type one letter at a time. This tea party matter is interesting and I'm trying yo understand it completely and fairly. The fair part will be hard for me since I am a flaming liberal. It is always good to hear from you.
Good article sir. Thanks for sharing it.thanks for reading and i checked you writing keep writing I'm working with a broken arm right now so it slows writing way down peace tex
Well said and discussed argument on a currently hot subject.Gracethanks for reading keep up with your own writing. peace be with you. tex
Something is fueling the movement that's for sure. They are certainly getting attention.Yes they are getting attention. I'm torn between a desire to ignore the group, and my fear that they may have the power to f-up this country if we fail to accept their threat to logic and compassion. Thanks so reading, and taking time to comment.
Do people really fall for this stuff? I fear for America.I fear for America too. Here is my hope:[Google tells me that about 18% of our population consider themselves Tea Party supporters. The population of the USA is about 307,006,550. This means there are about 55,261,179 TeaTaggers. But this also means that there are still 251,745,371 people WHO ARE NOT Tea Bag supporters. If the non-Tea Bagger Americans will just resist the nonsense we have less to fear. THANKS FOR READING AND FOR COMMENTING.
These teabaggers are what I deem," the vaguely angry" Republicans; they really haven't a bloody clue about what's going on and that's what SHOULD make them mad.Their party,'teabaggers' refers to taxes, specifically, a tax revolt, some 200 years ago and if you tell them that a family of four, today, who makes less than $50,000 a year pays NO Federal taxes, they'll look at you surprised because they simply know nothing or painfully very little about taxes, itself.This is the party of the non informed and they're mad as Hell about something or other, and they're almost sure about that.....PaulI am amazed by the blind faith in nonsense, and the joyful willingness to vote against their own self interests. Tea Bag supporters on Medicare often do not realize that Medicare is a government program dependent upon the existence of a Federal Government and a National Budget. Even the star of the sitcom "Coach" Mr. Craig T. Nelson said on Glen Beck's TV show, "I've been on welfare and food stamps...did anyone help me?" Mr. Nelson may be a good actor, but that doesn't keep him from being stupid. The anger is over a poor economy (WHICH CAN BE BLAIMED ON THE TAX CUTS AND LACK OF REGULATIONS UNDER THE REPUBLICANS) and on a general fear and/or hatred of having a Black President. I hope Lincoln was right about it not being possible to fool all the people all the time.What Mr.Nelson likely implied was that the negligible pittance, for a family, or for a child, afforded by food stamps and welfare, a week, compared to the actual, real food, energy, clothing and transportation expenses for a child, a family, was useless, an affront and no help, an insult beyond any compare.It makes one seem even lonelier to be given help, that doesn't approach help.It would have been better and less insulting 'assistance' if his Senator or Congressman had personally come to his door and urinated on his leg.That even our best governmental social efforts have abysmally failed; that was part of what he was complaining about, I am sure....Paul
I do believe the Tea Party has no coherent message. Sure, they want lower taxes, sure they want to 'throw the bums out', but what solutions do they offer? Until they offer a valid fix, they will continue to blow hot air. Well done.
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