Susan Boyle: Teabaggers Get a Load of What a True Populist Phenomenon Looks Like

One of the problems with demonstrations in the modern era is that no matter how many people show up, if the media decides it's not going to cover something, the impact is minimal.

The teabagger demonstrations were rather small relative to the hype and free media time lavished on them by Fox News -- across the country there were an estimated 260,000 people in attendance, with the largest event around 7,000. By way of comparison, many demonstrations for immigration reform in the spring of 2006 had more than 300,000 people at a single event.

That probably wouldn't have been a problem for the teabaggers -- right-wing robber barons with professional PR outfits had a long reach into the media, and on an otherwise quiet day, there would have been significant coverage. But as Chris Cillizza notes, nobody factored in the Susan Boyle effect -- a genuine populist phenomenon.

The Scottish singer was in heavy rotation all day long on cable news, which couldn't have been less interested in cutting away to the teabaggers. Her incredibly moving performance was all anyone could talk about, and rightfully so. I must've watched the video 5 or 6 times myself. How can you not? Despite the petty, mean putdowns by the narcissistic judges (or perhaps because of them), it's impossible not to tear up as you watch her walk on to the stage and take her best shot at the unlikely dream she never gave up on. It's up to 12 million views now on YouTube, and not showing any signs of slowing down.

So bottom line -- nobody cares, Karl. For all your money and machinations, Susan Boyle left you sputtering in the dust, too. What she's got, right wing astrofurf operatives like Eric Odom, Brendan Steinhauser and Phil Kerpen abjectly failed to compete with.

Jane Hamsher is at firedoglake.com and on Twitter

Comments

[Dougv]

09:40 PM on 04/20/2009

It is like synchronicity. Everything came together, Britain’s Got Talent, the internet, the news media, and of course Susan Boyle and her choice to audition at BGT. It is like serendipity for Susan as well as all those that saw and listened to her. Some times timing comes together like divine intervention. I am enjoying all this hype, hoopla, analysis, reporting, Op-ed's, videos, comments, conversation, opinions and vision every one has for Susan. We want Susan to win, at least the vast majority of us who know what she has done, want her to win. I think humanity is living vicariously through Susan, and wants to see her victorious and yet humble. A rare attribute in this world of superficiality, super stars, huge egos that are not in line with the talk, and packaged plastic hollow celebrities. Susan may have been coached a little on how to present herself, but she has an innocence, and deep passion plus confidence in her singing. She just loves to sing. I can imagine the locals in Blackburn, Scotland enjoying Susan's singing. They knew her all her life and knew she loved to sing. Then she got the courage to audition on BGT. The folks of Blackburn knew she was destined for recognition but even they were taken by her rise to global fame. Like all of us in Humanity. We are better for it as well.

[Bennett Bartlett]

03:42 PM on 04/19/2009

Even larger than the immigration protests, were the anti-war gatherings before Bush II took us into Iraq.

[liveandlearn]

03:53 PM on 04/19/2009

the reason we don't hit the streets now is that when we did during the dictatorship of king george w, all we got is maltreated, shoved into "free speech zones", and ignored. at least code pink gets coverage, however unwilling.

[LBCityGirl]

12:54 PM on 04/19/2009

Less than a tenth of a percent participated in the tea parties! .081% of the population! They need to stop declaring they are speaking for the masses. Obama's ratings went up this week in the wake of the tea parties. haha!

[BOin08]

07:27 AM on 04/19/2009

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow jumed the shark with her teabag pig piling...her drunken stumble down fraternity row cost her the sober adult audience. Shame, too, because we counted on Rach for the insightful, thoughtful commentary that KO just couldn't deliver. Unfortunately, the tea bagging vulgarity showed us who she really is...just another shallow elitists too eager to poke fun at those different from herself. And after a promising start, her ratings are now falling faster than KO's chins. Stay away from the gutter , Rach, and bring your game back to the issues and solutions.

[LBCityGirl]

12:52 PM on 04/19/2009

I disagree, Rachel Maddow was genius and very entertaining with her teabag commentary.

[Articulator]

10:32 PM on 04/18/2009

The only people interested in the tea parties where at the parties, no need for any news coverage.

[kingmiller]

10:26 PM on 04/18/2009

Jane - finally a post in which we're in agreement. The Left has many faces.

[Chazmania]

08:01 PM on 04/18/2009

The aptly named Andy "borrow wits" called her "Ugly" in his article on this forum. Calling her ugly is to me an act of ugly. the kind you do not see easily in the mirror. Miss Boyl was surrounded and attacked by "snarks" till she sang and knocked people over. she actually is not the best singer in the world but has a beautiful voice and is a lovely person in her soul. so she performed it beautifully. that is the kind of beauty the GOP types cant relate to or understand. they operate out of nastiness and cruelty. even the judge's are all so smug. but at least they realized as one said the wake up call. what is valueable in life is becoming part of a new paradyne shift away from the shallow narcissistic social order that republicans have embraced and have forced and tried to sell us for years. they are becoming rapid because it no longer is working. people are moving away from there mindset. the reason people are moved by ms Boyl's performance is because any one with a hart that actually feels anything can relate to someone with the odds stacked against them meeting the challenge and succeeding. but not by undercutting another person as the GOP type does, but by her own merit and talent and real beauty...
Oh and by the way do these "tea baggers" people actually know what the term is in reference to?LOL

[JohnBryansFontaine]

12:52 PM on 04/18/2009

Susan Boyle is a full-scale nuclear attack against the premier value of the Mediology: Glamour. Her very existence is a Threat to Hollywood, FOX, and the entire MediaTrix, She is a True Revolutionary.

[Helzapoppin]

12:46 PM on 04/18/2009

It's so refreshing to hear honest, genuine vocal talent for a change. I've always said there is a big difference between being able to carry a tune, and being able to SING. Most contemporary pop stars have the basic tools to carry a tune, but the rest is just fluff and image marketing.

Susan Boyle is the unpretentious, undiluted, unprocessed real deal. And I'm very glad to know that she will inevitably gain more then enough success and recognition to make up for a lifetime of struggle.

[momoten]

12:18 PM on 04/18/2009

WOW !! Amazing voice !! Sign for her petition :
http://www.petition.fm/petitions/susanboyle/

[AnnfromCA]

09:42 AM on 04/18/2009

It's official. This the American Idol method of evaluating political effectivity. And here I thought that was a way to tease the left when we said that's the new way of thinking.

[Januarycarol]

11:57 AM on 04/18/2009

"effectivity?????"

[AnnfromCA]

01:42 PM on 04/18/2009

Your dictionary is your friend. :)

[A4D2N]

07:32 AM on 04/18/2009

Please ... do you have to politicize everything? Susan Boyles is an outstanding example of perseverence and talent which is clear and simple. Why use her to make such a dumb comparison to the past weeks event!

[dmac]

12:46 PM on 04/18/2009

I think the comparison is valid, taking it from the viewpoint of what people and the media (in that order, as much of the interest was generated virally) were paying attention to over the last week. As the support for Ms Boyle was, indeed, grassroot (from the people) and the tea bag demonstrations only claimed to be (limited participation, corporate/political/Fox instigation)....voila! we have this post.

[dessertsfirst]

09:42 PM on 04/17/2009

Susan is a beautiful soul, and has a soaring spirit. And she is a lovely person.

[Mij13]

07:25 AM on 04/18/2009

You forgot great personality.

[Januarycarol]

12:00 PM on 04/18/2009

And NOT "ugly." I'm tired of that word being tossed around so easily. Even tongue in cheek it comes off as cruel. What is the need to use it about someone who looks like, well, just about all of us?

[CherokeeGirl]

07:43 PM on 04/17/2009

I just got finished listing about 12 major tragic things that happen regularly these days, but you have reminded me of the good peppered in. From Sully Sullivan to Captain Phillips and now Susan.

We need our heros really really bad right now!!!

Susan came onto the world stage at just the right moment, when I was in dispair.

Thanks Susan! :)

[jazzycafe]

03:05 PM on 04/17/2009

Let's see - listening to a gorgeous singing voice and reading about a woman's inspiring story of how she came to this place she finds herself in.

What was that other choice? Oh yeah, reading about those pathetic ugly rallies, and seeing racist signs about our president.

[A4D2N]

07:49 AM on 04/18/2009

Did you attend one of the American Tea Party events? As you well know there will always be some over-the-top sign that gets attention from some "press" organizations. However, after attending the Cincinnati event I can tell you that the event was not racist, was not ugly and far from pathetic. Compare the American Tea Parties to what happened in Europe during the G20 if you want to put things in perspective. Cincinnati's was a message to both parties in this country concerning taking a wrong direction in federal fiscal responsibility. You can live in your cacoon all you want and lablel good people voicing their opinion pathetic, ugly and racist ... you are way off base.

[naschkatze]

11:17 AM on 04/18/2009

I followed as much as I could on-line, and I can tell you that I've never seen any more ad hominem attacks on the president.

[4akinderworld]

01:52 PM on 04/18/2009

What part of tax cuts (that they most likely already have seen in their paychecks) do these people dislike?
There was so little specificity in any of the comments I've read here or heard on TV - even from Fox - it makes it difficult to understand what the problem is, or why they waited till George Bush was out of office to complain. THAT's what leads us to believe the protests were racially or at best, class motivated.