A Warning About The Tea Parties
A number of people I have spoken with are planning to attend a "tea party" tomorrow, so I thought it might be a good idea to write about this. They are not what they claim to be. They are not "spontaneous" or "grassroots." They are another corporate-funded campaign to trick people into supporting more cut taxes for the rich.
The idea is supposed to have started on February 19, when Rick Santelli of CNBC "spontaneously" complained about plans (click link for video) to help people avoid foreclosure, saying this is the government "subsidizing the loser's mortgages." Santelli called for organizing a "Chicago tea party" against helping people pay their mortgages. But investigators starting finding clues that the on-air rant was not spontaneous, and signs that the campaign was organized by the right-wing, corporate-funded Freedomworks . According to a March 2 New York Times story,
"Mr. Santelli's televised commentary appeared spontaneous to viewers. However, the Internet domain name ChicagoTeaParty.com was registered in August 2008 -- well before his commentary -- but not used until afterwards."
The events have been widely promoted by corporate-funded conservative PR professionals who specialize in "astroturf." This is a term for the use of money to create an appearance of widespread "grassroots" support. Currently the corporate-funded conservative lobbying groups Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity, are organizing the events and conservative media including talk radio and FOX News are widely promoting them. Support appears to be coming from Koch Industries, the largest privately-owned company in the country. According to the Think Progress blog post, Spontaneous Uprising? Corporate Lobbyists Helping To Orchestrate Radical Anti-Obama Tea Party Protests,
"This type of corporate 'astroturfing' is nothing new to either organization. While working to promote Social Security privatization, Freedom Works was caught planting one of its operatives as a "single mom" to ask questions to President Bush in a town hall on the subject. Last year, the Wall Street Journal exposed Freedom Works for similarly building "amateur-looking" websites to promote the lobbying interests of Dick Armey ...Americans for Prosperity is run by Tim Phillips, [a] former partner in the lobbying firm Century Strategies. The group is funded by Koch family foundations -- a family whose wealth is derived from the oil industry. Indeed Americans for Prosperity has coordinated pro-drilling 'grassroots' events around the country."
The "tea parties" are promoted as a "grassroots uprising" against "high taxes." Tea stands for "Taxes Enough Already." However, 95% of Americans will received a tax cut in the next year if the upcoming Obama budget passes. Only Americans with incomes above $250,000 will receive a small tax increase -- and even then their taxes will be much lower than almost any time in the last 80 or so years. This increase on the top incomes will help pay for some of the Republican-caused economic damage as well as reduce the budget deficits that the country has faced ever since the same income group received tax cuts after George W. Bush was elected. (This is similar to the tax increase in first Clinton budget that led to the great economy of the 1990s and large budget surpluses.)
The other complaint from tea party organizers is that President Obama is "spending too much." The increased spending in the stimulus package and upcoming budget funds education, unemployment checks, efforts to ward off foreclosures and other programs designed to help bring us out of the recession and provide jobs. These are programs that benefit regular people instead of big corporations and the rich.
So regular people who go to these corporate-organized tea parties are asking the government to undo their own tax cuts and reduce their own government services in order to keep taxes low for the very rich. I wonder if people have really thought this through?
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Interesting article. The teapartiers I know are protesting the government taking on trillions of dollars of new debt to fund new and current programs. As they see it, greater government spending will likely lead to higher taxes for everyone. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and maybe for the rest of our lives. We have to pay off the debt eventually (with interest) and we already have huge unfunded liabilities (Social Security, Medicare).
The current and perhaps future baby-booms may help us grow our way out of trouble. When you consider the nature of paying interest on debt, you have to realize it is grow or die anyway. That is the nature of America's fractional reserve system.
I doubt the super rich will suffer much. They have the resources to subvert the system and can usually outwit any legislation, although in some cases it takes awhile (i.e. Glass-Steagall).
I'm normally against deficit spending, but I recognize that in the case of a severe unemployment crisis, say about 20% unemployment like in the Great Depression, the government may need to create jobs just to maintain the peace. But "officially," unemployment is only about 8.5% (some wold argue it is 14%).
Here's the funny thing, back when Dubya was appointed Pres in 2000, all of us were told to get over it, so we did for a while. We cooled our criticisms for a while. 9-11 happened, we cooled them for even longer (if we didn't, we would be labelled as unpatriotic when all it really would have been was unrepublican). We waited till there was actually something to find fault in before we started to voice dissent. Of course, the Rethugs don't remember this, they just remember that we dissented. So what. We still gave it more than a few days after the inauguration. Heck, the hammer and sickle Obama logos were printed up a day after the election. The sloganeering began then as well.
I offer the same advice that Bush voters gave us in those days after the 2000 election...Get Over It!!!! Your guy didn't win...and who's to say that things wouldn't be exactly the same now anyway with him? It's going to take a while before this mess is cleaned up, stop throwing trash where we just swept up.
I watched MSN interview some of the tea bag protesters, i just hope that the ones they interviewed are not typical. Never had i seen a more hate filled group and obviously some of the most ignorant people i have ever seen on TV. These people protesting weren't protesting taxes they were just plain racists.
good luck if you wish to be part of that group.
I'm sure they interviewed any number of reasonable people, but left those remarks on the cutting room floor. MSNBC is both a profit-making institution, and one with a political axe to grind, and both causes would be served via the course I suggested. I'm sure FAUX News has a similar policy with respect to making liberal protesters look as bad as they possibly can. That's the way the farce which passes for t.v. "journalism" is conducted in our debased age.
wow you got racists out of a group of people who were opposed to the government using their hard earned money to bailout failed corrupt millionaire bankers. wow...just wow ..i just don't understand...why can't people just be people protesting their beliefs in hopes that the people who are in office hear them out. that it! simple and easy. no wayward reasons, no stereotyping of a group of people just to make a comment. its a shame because when i read everything here i feel most people do that. i come with a open mind to voice my opinion to question certain things that the people here might overlook. i don't just say 'hey these people are stubborn socialist white collar upper-middle class people who never would listen to another person because its their way or nothing" no i come in here to write my thoughts to put out some other views in hopes that maybe if there was some valid comments i would look into it. but now I've been labeled a racists...me a African American woman. thank you hchriste for you insightful comment.
Hello HChriste:
I have almost always exclusively voted for Democrats, but my perspective on life is changing now that I have a child. I did not vote for Bush either time and I did not vote for Obama. I did not like Bush, but I really do not like Obama. In fact, most politicians are corrupt, egotistical, and immoral. The Tea Party was about correcting what is wrong with government, and there is a lot wrong with government. Unlike what Mr. Johnson stated in his blog, these WERE NOT corporate organized. I know because I participated in one and the man MC'ing it was just an average citizen. No corporate banners or on mic plugs for anyone!!!!!!!!! I would even go so far as to say Mr. Johnson, MSNBC, CNN etc are propogating LIES!!!!!!!! Your comment about racism and ignorance being displayed at these events..... you are also being fed propaganda by Mr. Johnson, MSNBC, CNN etc. At the event I attended there was no violence, foul language, or rioting. Many of the people there were holding up signs with very knowledgeable insights. While I am white, I am married to a Puerto Rican. I sincerely feel I am not racist as is illustrated by the fact I am married to a hispanic man. Those people there were not racist, they just love their country and want the best for it as do I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go away tr0//! You claim to have not voted for bush, and then show in your every word that you either didn't vote for ANYONE, or DID vote for bush!
Not to mention the lie that you make when you state that the teabaggings were not corporate sponsored..... Are you citing the fact that several corporations sponsored them as evidence that they were not corporate sponsored? You might as well have all been out there with signs subtitled "paid for by Fox News"
I don't care who is in office whether democrat or republican they all raise taxes, neither one of the parties have been guiltless of that. Do your research I don't care which party is in there they are going to raise some taxes. Neither one of the parties can get away with not doing it, that is a fact. I believe as a whole we all can be duped by either party look what happened the last past 8 years, and nobody said a word, you took it. It is what it is.
Republican, democrat, independent it doesn't matter these people are expressing there feeling about big government and big spending. OUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN AND IS OUT OF CONTROL WITH SPENDING FOR TOO MANY YEARS!! I support the right of the people to protest and hope our lawmakers take notice as this is just the beginning of this movement.
You've nailed it!
I have to say one thing....In California it's not a Fox News, Neo-Con idea that made this so popular. The Govornator is a Repub and is getting torn up for his tax policies. At least here, it has nothing to do with Obama. In our area we now pay an 11% sales tax.....everyone is upset. So, the TEA party idea was very popular. My 2 cents.
Arnold? He isn't a real Republican..he's married to Maria Shriver..she's part Kennedy.
dave, when my money gets taken away from me, taxes, theft, ect. it makes me NOT WANT TO SPEND IT, OR HIRE NO ONE, I JUST SAVE IT, WHEN I BUILD A HOUSE ! GUESS WHAT HAPPENS? I HIRE CONTRACTOR, PLUMBING, ELECTRIC, FRAMERS, BRICK LAYERS. I PUT THESE PEOPLE TO WORK. THEY HAVE TO BUY THEIR EQUIPMENT, FROM STORES THAT HAVE IT . SEE ! THEN MANUFACTURES HAVE TO MAKE THE PRODUCTS THAT THE CONTRACTORS BOUGHT. I DONT KNOW ANYONE WHO SAYS PLEASE RAISE TAXES, I JUST LOVE PAYING HIGHER TAXES. TAXES AND FEES AND OTHER TAXES AND FEES YOU AND OTHERS HAVE NO IDEAL WHAT WE PAY. IF YOU PEOPLE RAN THE WORLD, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GROW THE ECONOMY. IT WOULD BE TO EXPENSIVE TO THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUY THE PRODUCT, BECAUSE THE BUILDER WOULD PASS THE COST DOWN TO THE CONSUMER. BECAUSE I DONT LIKE THE RICH. IF THEY ONLY WOULD DISAPEAR. LIFE WOULD BE SOOO GREAT. BUT WE ARE FIGHTING AN UPHILL BATTLE. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE DEM. REP. IND. WHATEVER THE BIG BANKERS AND THE VERY VERY ELITE CONTROL THE WORLD. YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK. TRUST ME. THANKS!
When you post in ALL CAPS, no one reads your post.
Now I gotta sit through days and days of T.V. news media covering this fake corperate protest, and no one has yet mentioned the info. you've covered here. Thanks for your info.!
Dave,
I really wish that someone would point out to these folks that:
Republicans got us into Iraq and that's extra money we spend that was not needed.
Most or maybe all of these folks have NOT lost their jobs and the economic downturn is
THEIR FAULT, if they voted for GWB.
Ah, I can predict the future so I knew voting for one person can make a war happen. Oh shoot ..I did it again lets get 4000 more in Afghanistan. Washington post March 28, 2009
'President Obama introduced his new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan yesterday with a threat assessment familiar from the Bush administration. "The terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks," he said, are continuing to devise plots designed to "kill as many of our people as they possibly can." '
ohhh the footprints they follow are so much the same....
In the case of bush, you couldn't have told before the first term, that's correct. However, since we were already IN two wars by the time of the second vote, you most CERTAINLY could tell.
As for Obama's plan for Af-Pak, not only is that a mistake, but it's one that he told us about BEFORE he got elected, so you most CERTAINLY could tell about that one too. However, since he was still better than the other guy, I made the right choice in voting for him.
Never underestimate the will of people to fight to the death against their own self interest.
Another thing they need to consider is if my employees were in that crowd and it got out they worked for me, I would not want that publicity and they would be gone..
Well done. Tea Bag Protests: Idiocy made simple.
A Republican friend of mine asked if I was going to attend one of these things. I said "Really, I don't have the time. BESIDES, I don't buy tea in bags. I have it flown in, in canisters from either Fauchon or Hediard in Paris, or Fortnum & Mason's in London, so why waste good, expensive tea on a stupid thing?" Besides, from the photos I've seen, most of the people attending these little gatherings look so working class.....I doubt that I would fit in. And Obama's tax breaks really benefit these people.......VERY strange!
Why shoot yourself in the foot?
As the character based on GOP voters Forrest Gump would say, "Thought?"
here's some previously omitted background on the neo-tea bag thing: check out andrea shea king (either google or twitter, for starters) she impresses me as holding very john birch like viewpoints, appears to be a major conspiracy theorist, and could easily be classified as an uber neoCON. more on the neo-tea bag phenomena: fed / coopted by media promoters, such as radio evangelists, faux news talking heads and out of power and discredited old-line neoCONS (newt is a salient example).
here's another noticeable dynamic: when stressed, people often harken back to the "good ole days", say like 1773. you know, when there was slavery, and foreign navies could board your merchant ship and impress your employees into laboring endlessly for them, when women had no rights to speak of - those good ole days - to name a few.
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