Who are These Tea Party Protesters?
There sure were a lot of them in Washington DC last weekend. They rivaled the size of any of President Obama's largest crowds during the election and otherwise. (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1213056/Up-million-march-US-Capitol-protest-Obamas-spending-tea-party-demonstration.html)
But who are these TEA (stands for Taxed Enough Already) Party people? Do they represent Middle America or are they just a lunatic fringe? Or both? Are they mostly middle class, lower class, or upper crust? Are they bitter small town folks who cling to religion and guns (www.zombietime.com/zomblog/?p=11 ) or are they from the city? How many come from rural areas?
I would like to run an unscientific survey.
Here are my questions: How many are white? Black? Latino? Asian? How many are men, how many women? How many are gay or bisexual? I'm just asking.
What is the average age of the TEA protestors? Are they baby boomers or Gen-Xers?
What is their primary political affiliation: Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, or Green Party? Or are they starting a new party of their own? Just wondering.
What is their main religion: Christian, Muslim, Buddhism? Are there any atheists?
How many are pro-life? How many NRA members are there? Any environmentalists? Just curious.
Is this a grass-roots movement or Astroturf as the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has stated? (thinkprogress.org/2009/04/15/pelosi-astroturf/ ) Are these protests being orchestrated by Republicans to oppose the President and the Democrats? (jeffrey-feldman.typepad.com/.../tea-party-movement-planned-months-ago- by-gop-billionaires.html) Or are both true?
What are TEA baggers for?
I know what they are against: President Obama (whom they call a Socialist), Health Care Reform, taxes, big government, bail-outs, huge deficits, and the Democratic controlled Congress. But what are their solutions for our economic woes?
Every great revolution has a clearly stated agenda: The "Peace Movement" (www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/antiwar.html), "Civil Rights" (en.wikipedia.org/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_ (1955-1968),) "Women's Liberation" (scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/wlm/), "Gay Rights" (www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0761909.html), "Human Rights" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights), the "Pro-Life Movement" (www.nrlc.org/ ) and the GOP's "Contract With America" (www.house.gov/house/Contract/CONTRACT.html) express their goals in their titles.
I heard Glenn Beck tell Greta Van Susteren on her Fox News show (www.freedomslighthouse.com/glenn-beck-tells-greta-van-susteren-he.html) that he believes that most of the TEA Party protestors on 9/12/09 never demonstrated before.
To that I say to you TEA people, where have you been for the last half-century?
Where were you when Dr. Martin Luther King expressed his "dreams" for the civil rights movement in 1963? (www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMXaTktUfA) Where you there when women burned their bras (www.now.org/history/protests.html) and young men torched their draft cards in the 1960s to protest the Vietnam War? (www.picturehistory.com/product/id/16897) How about the ACT-UP AIDS marches of the 1980s? (dictionary.sensagent.com/protest/en-en/)
Surely some of you attended the anti-abortion rallies that followed the Roe V. Wade Supreme Court decision. (www.marchforlife.org/)
No? Were you sleeping on the couch? Well, welcome to the club. However, we are living in America where we have a right to protest our government. Congratulations on going out and having a peaceful demonstration last Saturday!
However, I must admit that some signs that were being carried bothered me: "We Come Unarmed, This Time!" (www.discourse.net/archives/2009/09/unarmed_this_time.html) Is that a veiled threat? Kind of sounds like the Weather Underground of the '60s to me. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Underground_Organization)
Another one read: "Bury Obama-Care With Kennedy." (rawstory.com/blog/tea-party-bury-obamacare-kennedy) Senator Ted Kennedy died only two weeks ago. The man devoted his entire life to creating Universal Health Care. That sign is just down right mean-spirited to me.
Who and where are your leaders? Rush Limbaugh has said you have none.
Can a movement get very far without inspirational leaders? Would the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 have passed without Martin Luther King? (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964) Would women have the right to vote without Susan B. Anthony? (www.susanbanthonyhouse.org/biography.shtml) Would there be so many women in Congress today without the Feminist Movement championed by Gloria Steinem? (www.feminist.com/gloriasteinem/) Would homosexuals be able to marry in so many states today if not for the work of Harvey Milk? (www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/milk01.html)
One more question: what do you mean when you say "we want our country back?" Who are the "we" and what do you want to go back to? The last eight years where we had a President who ignored polls and never listened to the will of the American public while serving only the wealthy few? (www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/washington/08tax.html) I'm just asking.
I am not totally unsympathetic to you TEA baggers. I was a Hillary Clinton supporter during the Democratic Primary and I witnessed first hand the unfair media treatment she received while Barack Obama was idolized by the press. (en.wikipedia.org/Hillary_Clinton_presidential_campaign,_2008) I feel your pain when the mainstream media refuses to fully cover your events. I am glad that you have Fox News.
I also disagree with the claims of racism made against you by some in the Democratic party including an ex-President (Carter). (www.foxnews.com/carter-racism-claim-draws-widespread-criticism/ - 16 hours ago -) I found it very disturbing when that untrue term was used against Bill Clinton and others during Hillary's campaign. (elections.foxnews.com/bill-clinton-blisters-over-racism-portrayal-in-radio- interview/ -) There may be a small number of lunatic fringe members in your movement that are racist but I'm sure it is not the majority.
As you can see, I have a lot of questions regarding this TEA party phenomenon. I am fascinated by it and I am calling on anyone reading this blog for help to give me some clarity. I'm just asking.
Timothy Karr: Does Astroturf Ever Die?
These fake grassroots groups have scored some amazing successes. Working together with lobbyists and a pack of sputtering media pundits, they've bullied Washington's timid leadership.
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Rubes being duped by power brokers who will abandon them as soon as they have outlived their usefulness. As a republican, I hope that is soon so we can begin to have some meaningful dissent on real issues of concern and find common ground on areas that need work.
A sa middle-class, politically moderate woman, who is a registered independent, (to express my disatisfaction with both sides of the aisle) I would like to respond. Not by sneering, which unfortunately is how some more patronizing folks have responded to this blog, but in a straightforward manner. I did attend a tea party, out of curiosity, and also out of worry from the spending policies of both Bush2 and Obama. If my financial concerns make me a crazed-right wing nut worthy of scathing mockery, then so be it. I worry about our debt, which our biggest debtor, China, has expressed concern about also.
The tea party I attended featured speakers who were also worried about mortgaging the future of our children, as well as concern about the big tax bill for the middle class which will eventually be due. I didn't get to hear "crazy gun-nuts" or racist's rants. The concerns that were addressed were fiscal.
I applaud you for speaking up and for attending the event. I sure HOPE that you're the norm and not the exception. I really hope the signs I see on the TV and in photos showing Obama as Hitler, etc. are a small minority.
I do have one question, though: Did you protest during the Bush (W) years at all?
I protested against the war, and I continue to protest against the war. I've written the White House (not sure if the read it) and told them I voted for Obama to get us out of the war, and that he won't get my vote if we're still in the middle east by the next election cycle.
Are you against health care reform? If so, why? I really would like to know as well.
Thanks!
I would also like to understand what the "tea baggers" really want. I believe many of them are just misinformed, undereducated and emotionally driven folks who would probably be very disappointed to find out how manipulated they have been by the likes of Dick Armey and Glenn Beck. As entertaining as it is to ridicule them when they try to explain their nonsensical views, its really sad to see. I have some relatives like that. So I feel the urge to "rescue" some of the clueless from this bewitchment.
Angry racist white protesters plus allowing them to carry laoded firearms equals probable cause to commit insane acts of violence, period. I hope the secret service and all other law enforcement are not taking this lightly; unfortunately, heinous acts of violence are very possible with the attitude/mob mentality that these teabaggers portray.
I was there Ms. Dowlin, and indeed there were a few nasty signs. But for every one of those bad ones, I saw hundreds of respectful, pertinent and purely political signs. Do not judge the nature of the 9/12 Tea Party rally by a few carefully composed photographs selected by an anonymous photographer with an ideological agenda.
Hey... I've been having fun all morning going on that stupid tea bagger website and crashing their little tea party. Just like they crashed all of those Town hall meetings
Go on there it's a blast!
these ppl have a leader all right.....
The fact that these appropriately named Tea-Baggers are trying to draw a link between themselves and the Boston Tea Party is sickening. Our forefathers were trying to protest the tyranny of an oppressive monarch. These Tea-Baggers are protesting a black President who has been in office for only 9 months. There are definite racist undertones to the protests but that is not the entire story.
While most people are seeing the rank-n-file mob of mostly white male conservatives marching in the streets, there are other dark forces at work. What we are seeing is corporate financed republicans, like Dick Armey, using scared, confused and potentially racist conservative common white folks to achieve the goal of defeating Obama in 2012. Most of the Tea-Baggers are pawns on a chess board being manipulated so the the republican party can rise to power once again. They are the sorest losers in the world and they lost to the "black guy." That is why the rethoric is so fierce. Sadly, their tactics seem to be working.
In August, Tea-Baggers and other corporate driven protesters were successful in crashing Town Hall meetings throughout the nation. They derailed the healthcare debate and turned it into a 3-ring Circus about death panels and socialism. Obama's poll numbers dropped and the Senate Republicans out-raised the Democrats. It doesn't matter what Obama does throughout the next 4 years this group of corporate Republicans will continue these tactics until they win.
Just take a look at the crowds, and as you pointed out their signs, and you have your answers.
Yes but.... most of the signs were devoid of any reality. A lot made no sense at all.
OR... is that the point?
All good questions.
I wish there were some good investigative journalists working this out with census data and election maps.
Particularly this question:
"Are they bitter small town folks who cling to religion and guns www.zombie
You must be denial if you think that people carrying signs saying:"THERE IS AN AFRICAN IN THE ZOO (with a picture of a lion) AND A LYIN' AFRICAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE," are not racist. To me that is pure racism. Surely, these people can not be serious that Obama's stimulus plan, containing tax cuts for 95% of the population, is oppressing them. Surely these people can't be serious about Obama's socialism because he continued efforts, started under George W. Bush, to rescue Big banks. Surely these people are not angry about Obama doing everything possible to salvage GM and Chrysler so that at least many auto workers, and businesses tied to the auto industry, would not be wiped out. Surely these people are not angry about health care reforms that are likely to benefit the majority of people; especially working class and the middle class people. No! President Carter who was around during the Civil Rights Movement, is right on the mark: The overwhelming impetus behind the teabaggers is racism. Do you really think that had Hillary Clinton been elected president people would be out there demanding her long form birth certificate to prove her legitimacy? Would people have made jokes by painting the white house loan filled with water mellons if McCain was the President. Jimmy Carter, as always, told the truth. Sometimes the truth about the deep seated racism in this country is hard to stomach; even by the so called progressive liberals.
Great piece. Where were they? I guess they were saving their powder to fight against what their saviour spoke most about. Caring for the sick and the poor.
Caring for the sick and poor should be done out of the goodness of one's heart and not by government mandate.
Unfortunately, most Americans don't have "good hearts" in that sense. In fact, I think I can safely assume that most people EVERYWHERE are greedy, selfish, and lacking and character, empathy, and understanding.
Just because you don't understand why it's important to build sidewalks, doesn't mean the rest of us should go without sidewalks. No: it means you have to give up on "believing" in everything your tax money gets spent on. Welcome to the real world: I wouldn't choose to spend a dime on adventurous wars of choice in the Middle East, myself, so we're in the same boat.
A "government mandate" would show we all have a little goodness in our hearts. Since we have a government of the people ,by the people, for the people. Right?
And if there aren't enough good-hearted people with lots of money, do we just let them doe in gutter?
I would have been there in support of the "teabaggers" if I could, but my work schedule would not permit. Personally, I consider myself a Libertarian. I agree with the liberals that the Bush administration was bad for our country, but it was added regulation that caused the problems we saw then and it is now Obama's growing regulations that will cause future problems of a different kind. With Bush it is true that corruption was a problem and many big business did benefit from kickbacks and bribes. With Obama, we could potentially have the lowest poverty rates in decades, but what happens when there are no more businesses producing the wealth that the poor are allowed to take because someone in Washington determines they need it? What if I decide to quit work because I see that I can claim disability and make the same amount of cash sitting at home? As the years pass, others will follow. Eventually the money will run out and the U.S. ,once a rich country, will slowly turn into something like Cuba.
I am in the NRA, but I am not just pro guns, I am also pro choice. I support gay and lesbian marriages. I believe that the legalization of many controlled substances would positively affect this country. I would like to see illegal immigrants granted amnesty with tax penalties. I want freedom for our people and we cannot truly be free until we are allowed to think for ourselves.
I sincerely thank you for your reasonably and civilly expressed view. I have some questions of my own.
You seem to express the Randian view that businesses will somehow cease to exist because they are taxed too much. Can you point to any such incident in the history of, say, humanity? Can you point to any major corporation in America that is so onerously taxed today that it cannot afford its CEO’s multimillion dollar salary? Can you name any corporation, ever, that has ceased operations due to the effective tax rates that Obama is proposing?
Do you seriously believe that if a business were to decide to cease functioning because of taxes the demand for that business would go away as well? Do you seriously believe that in the most entrepreneurial culture in the world, others would not step in to meet that demand, forming smaller businesses that are taxed at lower rates?
Do you not understand that this form of economic Libertarianism goes directly against the clear intent of the Founders? The Government is enjoined in the Constitution to promote the general welfare and to regulate commerce. When an elected government regulates commerce it’s called Democratic Socialism. Paine proposed the first progressive income tax, and stated clearly that he wanted it to keep people from getting too rich. Jefferson wanted to tax industry into near-extinction to keep the country agrarian. Washington called up the army to force people to pay taxes on their whiskey production.
You ask: “What if I decide to quit work because I see that I can claim disability and make the same amount of cash sitting at home?”
What if there were laws designed to make sure that you were actually disabled? What if you would not under even the best of circumstances “make the same amount of cash sitting at home”? What if that put a hard ceiling on your income potential for as long as you remain “disabled”? What if you got caught and prosecuted for fraud?
And finally: Why don’t you? I ask this sincerely; if you think you could get away with it, you could do it now, and make about 2/3 of what you’re making plus whatever you can make on the side, under the table of course so the IRS doesn’t catch you. What is it that stops you from doing it? Something more than money, perhaps?
The "machine" won't let me "fan" you twice, nessus. But I tried.
As a person who is on disability
It's was regulations that were removed that caused the problem. The top tax rate on corporate income has been lowered since the 1950's with disasterous results. Check out The Tom Hartman Show, you seem open minded I hope you stay that way.
Thanks for responding.
I didn't see whether you are an urban resident, a suburban resident or a rural resident. Also curious if you would say your local community leans towards the right or left in elections?
See Joan E. Dowlin's Profile
Fredrick, you seem to be an example of someone who thinks for himself and can't be defined (stereotyped) in the political spectrum. I believe most Americans are like you, conservative on some issues and liberal on others. I am a gay, pro-life Christian who believes in fiscal responsibility; but also is for peace; gun control; universal health care; equal rights for blacks, gays (including marriage), hispanics and women; medical marijuana; and immigration reform. What does that make me? I guess an American.
It is unfortunate that in the end our decision comes down to choosing one of two presidential candidates who share some, but not all of our beliefs. It makes me wish that one day Americans will be able to vote more on issues rather than politicians.
I'm also wondering who they are and what they really stand for. Mostly I just thought they were paid to go to these town halls and cause a ruckus, and in this economy, I wouldn't blame them for taking the job. But there's too many of them. Here are my questions:
You don't want health care reform? Why? What about our health care system is so great that reform must be resisted?
And, how exactly did you have your country before Obama? And how did Obama take it away from you? Because I just remember a runaway train named "Bush/Chen
What do the Teabaggers stand for? What is it that they want done? Because the original Boston Tea Party involved resisting usury, how do the teabaggers use the Boston Tea Party as inspiration, and does anyone in the Teabagging movement see the cognitive dissonance between not reforming our current health care system and the goals of the original Boston Tea Party?
Teabaggers: do you know what the Boston Teaparty was about? And how are you similar?
Hey Joan, have you never been to a protest or march for a left-wing cause? You see the same types but with a different philosophy. These folks are usually socially backwards, a little screwy, a little conspiratorial and not overly intellectual or critical thinkers.
I saw many a mean spriited sign during the Bush years from whacked out lefties. I am not saying that the Teabaggers should do the same--they should not. Especially since many call themselves "Christians" but don't seem to act the way Jesus did when he walked the earth.
These large gatherings are always a mish-mash of "cause" freaks. However, the one thing that I don't see at these right-wing protests that I have seen at left-wing ones is destruction of property. WTO in Seattle 1999 is the best example of that.
I'm sure you're right about some protesters for some left-wing causes, but I went to a few antiwar protests, and the people there were not at all as you describe.
One thing that I don't see at these right-wing protests that I have seen at the left-wing ones is diversity. Seems that the majoriy of the crowd is represented by "whites" and males. Why is that?
The FACT that the teabagger movement has no diversity is because no one of color would be asked to ride the free bus to Washington, and second they wouldn't. That's why it's old white men and young men with guns and posters. Where were you the last eight years is a question they can't answer. Old white men sit around all day listening to Fox and Limbaugh. That's why they are there. They see nothing wrong with carrying a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other. So why wonder why they are doing so? There's no answer to the Why except corporate control and funding.
See Joan E. Dowlin's Profile
Yes, I have been to some protests against the Vietnam War in the '60s. It was very peaceful and orderly. The violence I remember is the National Guard and Police coming down on demonstrators (think Kent State and the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention
So far the Tea Baggers have been non-violent and I hope it stays that way. What is WTO in Seattle by the way?
World Trade Organization protests. I don't know all the details, but the protesters were there to disrupt a meeting of many of the world's leading "capitalis
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