Tea Party Activists To Rep. Perriello: Move Closer To Where We're Protesting

In other fringe movement news, Tea Party activists are making new demands of one of their favorite targets, Representative Tom Perriello (D-Va.): he needs to move his district office somewhere more convenient for the people who choose to protest him constantly, because it's their chief means of funemployment.

From The Hill:

A Christian civil liberties organization on Thursday asked centrist Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello (D) to move his home district office to a location more favorable to protesters.

The Rutherford Institute, which was founded by conservative constitutional lawyer John W. Whitehead, penned a letter to the freshman Perriello citing the concerns of a local tea party group and the University of Virginia College Republicans that the location of his Charlottesville office interferes with their right to protest there.

"Unfortunately, it is your choice of office location that has hindered the ability of citizens to effectively communicate concerning issues of the utmost importance to you, Congress and the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia," wrote Whitehead.

Basically, what's going on here is that Perriello's office is in the Glass Building, in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia, which houses "several private businesses," all of which apparently share a common parking lot with limited space. And while Perriello's office has "hosted tea party protesters and other concerned constituents inside the office," they'll be considered trespassers if they start carrying on in the parking lot. It's a bit striking to hear that people who were once all het up to burn Periello in effigy are now whining about the inadequacies of the on-site parking lot, but everybody needs a handout, I guess! And in this case, Perriello needs to be more accomodating so that people can harangue him, forever.

Anyway, Perriello has signed a lease to occupy the office in the Glass Building until January 2011, so, suck it, I guess?

RELATED:
Right-wing activists demand that Rep. Periello move office to make protesting him easier. [ThinkProgress]

Comments

[Bobzmcishl]

02:35 PM on 12/14/2009

What "chutzpah" these teabaggers have. Every day they keep making a bigger joke of themselves. Obama's election really brought out of the closet the extreme fringe element in our society. And to think it all started with that nutcake Rick Santelli on CNBC who got pissed off that average American's were getting a handout from the government as opposed to Wall Street. The teabaggers would be rooting for Mr. Potter over George Bailey this Christmas season.

[Denni]

11:34 AM on 12/14/2009

And if he has any guts at all, he'll also make lunch for them (HIMSELF) and arrange for childcare! Maybe his staffers could babysit?

[hackerblaster]

11:31 AM on 12/14/2009

Move closer...we are right on the edge of the cliff.

[BigShotBob]

10:59 AM on 12/14/2009

Brilliant.

[Henry58]

02:53 PM on 12/13/2009

The original tea party wasn't in fact a protest against all taxation, but actually a protest against being taxed without representation. Are the tea-baggers claiming that they have been politically disenfranchised? No. They're upset at having lost the election.
Perhaps if they hadn't ignored their [so called] fiscal conservatism during Bushes reign and protested that he had put the Wars on the generational credit card then they might have an iota of credibility today.
As they would if they proposed paths out of the quagmire instead of being nothing but obstructionist zealots. All we get from them are childish unsubstantiated slanders that Obama is a Nazi, a Commie, a tyrant , a secret Muslim, a terrorist, etc.
And why is it that when Bush reigned, they would attack those who disagreed with his policies as being anti-American , of aiding and abetting the enemy, of demoralizing the troops. Now that their boy is out, what has happened to these arguments? I'm straining my ears and hear nothing but farting sounds.
The frightened ones that are fear mongering are probably concerned that Obama could use the provisions of the 'patriot' act against them, just as those not of the neoCon persuasion feared it would be used against them. Such idiocy. Such hypocrisy.

[StevieRae]

10:21 AM on 12/13/2009

As Frank Rich opined today in the NYT. There is a rage against the status quo and it goes across the political map. The missing element is coming to agreement on how that rage and demand for change can be marshalled into a coherent voice.

Truth is that if the fring drivers of the "Teabaggers" can be moved to the side, this movement could become that new and significant voice for change.

Let's see what develops.

[madame48]

01:34 PM on 12/14/2009

but what are they FOR? we hear about what they are against !! They lost.. BOOHOO, "MY America" where apparently no Democratic votes will be counted. I can carry my Uzi to the grocery store, there are no public schools-only christian schools and NO socialist libraries...or socialist firefighters either(they might be Dems)

[WillCooney]

05:59 AM on 12/13/2009

The teabaggers have given us a new way to define the word "inane." I appreciate that!

[FantasticFourFan]

10:22 PM on 12/12/2009

So what's the argument here, that none of them have an e-mail address, phone, or envelope? How is not being able to cause traffic problems interfering with their freedom to speak out?

[ladyvader]

08:10 PM on 12/12/2009

I wonder if teabaggers actually knew what the word meant, would they have called themselves that to begin with?

13 yo boys that play Halo know what teabagging is.

[Try the truth]

08:34 PM on 12/12/2009

Wait till they figure out what Going Rogue means, Yikes!

[ladyvader]

08:37 PM on 12/12/2009

hehehe

[tcny]

01:51 PM on 12/14/2009

I'm "going rogue" right now...

[keepemhonest]

07:43 PM on 12/12/2009

TO: OLJWoo

YOU WROTE: "Enough with the B!GOTRY (yes, it is) against your fellow citizens exercising their Constitutional rights of free speech and association. The lot of you ought to step back and consider the words used to demean people (e.g. teabagger) is really no different than the way people wrongfully demean other minority groups."

MY COMMENT TO YOU:
Enough of YOU telling US what OUR speech may consist of.

[keepemhonest]

07:51 PM on 12/12/2009

TO: OLJWoo

.... By the way

The Teabaggers are undereducated L I A R S who go around spreading FALSE PROPAGANDA put out by Corporations that fund them.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

08:23 PM on 12/12/2009

Well, at least you acknowledged that they are a minority. They are a tiny, tiny minority. However, unlike other minorities this is one that people choose to join.

[Leslib]

06:58 PM on 12/12/2009

So, the protesters are not happy that Perriello is in the Glass Building in Downtown Charlottesville, huh? And it's because of the parking lot??? I think not. You see I live in Charlottesville and I daresay that what really bothers these folks is that the Glass Building is right across the street from "Friendship Heights", aka the projects. Oh, yes, there are those scary dark skinned folks just hanging around the projects all day, so I'm sure the lilly white teabaggers wouldn't want to just walk up and down the streets there, would they? Fess up you bigots. I would bet you that if Perriello's office were anywhere else in Charlottesville you wouldn't be throwing such a hissy fit. You're bigots and you've just been called on it you losers.

[MJHammonds]

07:17 PM on 12/12/2009

I hope they do try to park in that lot. They will get towed for sure.

[Osusuki]

07:19 PM on 12/12/2009

Thank you so much for pointing out that small detail. I thought they were just the normal clueless loudmouths clinging to their guns and bibles with one hand and their pitchforks and torches with the other. This changes the focus considerably.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

08:24 PM on 12/12/2009

Yes, its good that we keep each other informed about these details.

[Leslib]

09:53 PM on 12/12/2009

My pleasure. Do you think having to stand on a public sidewalk would stop these fools? It's not just that they would have to stand on a sidewalk a few feet away from his office. Surely he could hear them from 50 feet away. It's just that his office is across the street from public housing and they don't want to go there. Literally.

[Lark817]

03:18 PM on 12/12/2009

I took a look at the district map and stats. I just wanted to know if the request to move his office was as unreasonable as it sounded. It is. The guy has a lot of area to represent and four offices in his district. From the Congressman's website:

Virginia’s 5th District is a large swath of Central and Southside Virginia, covering 9,000 square miles (approximately the size of New Jersey!) The district is comprised of 18 counties and 4 independent municipalities, forming a kind of triangle shape with the Blue Ridge Mountains at the northern end and the North Carolina border at the bottom. It is a largely rural district, with 64% of the population living in the countryside. The district is about three-fourths white and one-fourth African-American, with other demographic groups making up a small percent of the population. Historically, the major industries have been farming (especially tobacco) and manufacturing (especially textiles). Textiles peaked in 1973 and have been in decline ever since, with jobs being outsourced to countries with cheaper labor; at the same time, tobacco farmers have been hurt by a decline in smoking.

[bighat]

04:44 PM on 12/12/2009

Tobacco. Why has tobacco not been outlawed? With the money the U.S. spend each tobacco farger could receive a million dollars/acre and it would barely make a blip in the earmarks.

But on the other hand there are alot of taxes on tobacco. When I was in the army stationed overseas and there were no taxes on cigarettes they cost 50 cents/pack.

Is the reason tobacco is not outlawed because of the tobacco generates?

[iMissMollyIvins]

05:27 PM on 12/12/2009

Tobacco isn't outlawed or regulated by the FDA because BigTobacco pays lots and lots of money to members of Congress to keep it that way. It's the American Way!

[keepemhonest]

07:38 PM on 12/12/2009

the request is SILLY and shows the utter LAZINESS and bigoted nature of the Teabaggers ... they don't want to go to his current office because the projects are right across the street.

[proudliberal4truth]

03:10 PM on 12/12/2009

OLJWoo
You seem concerned that we are demeaning the teabaggers and somehow therefore, denying their right to protest. The tea party movement is filled with examples of signs and slogans that demean Barack Obama, demean liberals and progressives, demean people who support health care for all Americans, demean good faith efforts to right our economy, etc. Being demeaned is one consequence of taking a stand in our system of government. If the teabaggers don't want to be demeaned, they need to stop with their attacks on the Obama administration. No one though, should want to take away their right to express their opinions.

[bighat]

04:47 PM on 12/12/2009

Whwn anyone protests they are demeaning someone(or a group like congress) and more than likely it is the president..

Protesting Obama by teabaggers is no different than liberals demeaning Bush? Unless you think President Obama is unable to handle criticism?

[keepemhonest]

07:39 PM on 12/12/2009

"W" was not protested AGAINST until the "people" learned of the "Downing Street Memo", wiretapping of innocent Americans, private azzazzination squads (blackwater)....

[OLJW00]

07:35 PM on 12/12/2009

And it's not just the word teabagger but really the larger means by which regular Americans are savaged by people with any number of hey8fut dismissals and slurs.

I have to point out it is interesting to see your avatar of Dillon and yet so protective of "the man"....kinda funny I suppose when the shoe is on the other foot.

[keepemhonest]

07:44 PM on 12/12/2009

OLJWoo

the Teabaggers are undereducated L I A R S who go around spreading FALSE PROPAGANDA put out by Corporations that fund them.

[Try the truth]

08:26 PM on 12/12/2009

You mean like the signs you teabaggers carry at all your little rallies? You know the ones that dismiss our President. Or the ugly slurs you have printed on them? Who are you to talk?

[SionShankel]

03:09 PM on 12/12/2009

Dude lets work with the dictionary here and with what the tea baggers themselves have chosen to call themselves with the use of visual aids like tea bags hanging from their clothes.

First "bigotry" means to think you have the one true way and you are better than someone else... stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. So it applies to most religious folks and political extremists ... not to people like myself who are calling a group of people the name they give to themselves.

Now I know that research and culture ( other than their own) awareness is not valued in the extreme right...so you all didn't know the meaning of the word to the secular world. It was invented by John Waters is his delightfully queer films to describe a funny male sex act. So we are loving the irony seeing as the right extremist are gay haters too.

Its just a hysterical coincidence that the term now has two meanings that are not related and clash. I will continue to respect the rights of the teabaggers by calling them what they named themselves.

Now if I was to give them a new name like say "hypocritical white trash medicare/medicaid abusers who are all stupid and can't figure out how to get their gov't subsided mooter scooters into a private parking lot for some teabagging" ...then I could be called a rude, but still not quiet a bigot;)

[keepemhonest]

07:40 PM on 12/12/2009

good post

[OLJW00]

12:56 PM on 12/12/2009

Enough with the B!GOTRY (yes, it is) against your fellow citizens exercising their Constitutional rights of free speech and association.

The lot of you ought to step back and consider the words used to demean people (e.g. teabagger) is really no different than the way people wrongfully demean other minority groups.

[toddag]

01:14 PM on 12/12/2009

From Oxford Dictionary:

Teabagger: A person, who protests President Obama’s tax policies and stimulus package, often through local demonstrations known as “Tea Party” protests (in allusion to the Boston Tea Party of 1773)

Guess when they started, they should not have chosen signs that said things like: We're going to teabag Congress.

[davidariley]

02:17 PM on 12/12/2009

or, that they wanted to "teabag obama" - even if it was with a million teabags....that ended up in an office; http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/1-Million-Tea-Bags-but-No-Place-to-Dump.html

[OLJW00]

02:20 PM on 12/12/2009

Define it how you like but everyone knows what the term infers and how it is intended.

At least be adult enough to admit the truth...

And how about all the other negative terms launched against people in the movement? It really is beyond any sense of decency.

[LittleRedHenSez]

02:03 PM on 12/12/2009

I agree. That's why I switched to teabooger (thanks to a Huffpost poster). Actually, they demean themselves with their actions, words and signs.

[OLJW00]

02:23 PM on 12/12/2009

A few cherry-picked signs does not define the movement. Or would you like to apply the same standard to all protests including Progressive causes...cuz you really don't want to go there.

The movement is about telling the Gov't to stop spending money as in T.axed E.nough A.lready.

And by demeaning your fellow citizens for participating as they see fit in a free country is actually a larger breach of the public good.