Reporting From the Tea Bagger Hate-Fest in Sacramento

The hatred was palpable today on the State Capitol's steps. Hatred for taxes, hatred for government, hatred for state workers, hatred for teachers, hatred for Democrats, and hatred for all of the straw men that leap from the imaginations of talk radio jocks. But the most hated figure of all at today's "Tea Bag" anti-tax rally in Sacramento was President Barack Obama. One of the first placards I saw as I entered the Capitol grounds read: "Wake Up! Fresh Prince of Belair is Destroying Us -- Stop Drinking the Red Koolaid." A state police officer told me that he thought the crowd was "a couple thousand."

It was a sea of American flags of all shapes and sizes and many "Don't Tread On Me" yellow flags as well. The crowd was predictably very white, very Republican, and on the older side. I didn't see one African American (except for one of the musical performers on the stage who denounced Obama), and I didn't see any Latinos. George W. Bush could have been the focus of some of this rage because theoretically their hatred could just as well be aimed at him. But since he is a "good" Christian, white Republican Bush remained unscathed. I didn't see one sign that would indicate that it was anything other than a Republican hate rally.

Several placards called Obama the "Teleprompter in Chief" probably because Glenn Beck denounced the president for using one. The crowd chanted in unison: "No More Bail Outs! No More Stimulus! No More Taxes!" I was given an ice-cold coke from a vender who was handing them out for free and I strolled around for a good hour taking in the scene. There was one Jumbotron television or otherwise I couldn't see the stage because of the number of people packed into the Capitol grounds. It was a sizeable rally. Bigger than many of the anti-Iraq War protests I attended there. Obama's name or face was featured with sickles and hammers so much that his likeness became synonymous with something deeply un-American.

An elderly woman on a scooter -- I didn't ask her if Medicare paid for it -- had a sign affixed to her chair: "If I wanted Socialism, I'd Move to Europe." Many of the participants in today's Tea Bagging protest seemed to be as old as John McCain but there were a smattering of families with little kids and some tweens who were waving American flags.

Speakers from the local right-wing talk radio establishment led the crowd in chants: "Vote Them Out! Vote Them Out!" There were plenty of signs depicting Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as criminals, or the Three Stooges, or terrorists. One local talk radio speaker denounced Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano daring her to come and arrest this crowd. The straw man being that President Obama and the Democrats have somewhere denounced their tax revolt as being "un-American." In the land of Fox News and right-wing talk radio truth and falsehood blend together in an ideological muck that denounces Obama and the Democrats as "socialists," "fascists," "communists," and "terrorists" all at the same time. Speakers at the rally attacked labor unions and "card check" (a reference to the Employee Free Choice Act), which was ironic because most of the people in the crowd were clearly working class.

The Right has a monopoly on Sacramento's AM radio dial (1380 and 1530 where Rush Limbaugh started his career). So it was easy for them to pump up the volume and get people out. There's no progressive or even liberal information flowing on the public's AM airwaves in this region of California but somehow the Right always gets to play the "oppressed" victim. Ironically, after denouncing the "Liberal Media" and anyone else who suggested the Tea Bagging phenomenon was a product of cheerleading from Fox News and right-wing talk radio, a local AM jock confirmed to the crowd just that: "A lot of this is because of talk radio and Fox helped us defend ourselves!" This statement brought a huge cheer from the crowd. The right-wing talker also complimented channels 1380 and 1530 for bringing in people "from Rancho Cordova, Placerville, and El Dorado Hills." And he said the liberals want to impose the "fairness doctrine" that would undermine the good work of right-wing radio and urged people to go to "Talkback.com" to find out how they can save talk radio from the Democrats.

With the U.S. military base at Mather Field close by the veteran contingent loomed large. They were older vets though, mostly Vietnam, I only saw a few I thought were the age of the average Iraq or Afghanistan vet. There was a contingent of Republican state legislators and their staffers milling about who stood out because they were the only ones wearing suits and ties. Most of the people there were crusty-looking, grizzled biker types with American flag T-shirts and jeans, men with gray beards and baseball caps, women with big sunglasses and cheap jewelry. None of those people looked to me like they earn anywhere near $250,000 a year (like the AM jocks or Republican legislators do).

And therein lies the beauty of the whole Tea Bag "movement." Affluent people like Michelle Malkin and Grover Norquist and the army of radio "personalities" convince working people, most of who have a relative or are themselves on Medicare or Social Security, to denounce taxes on affluent people. Many of the people at the rally were from the eastern foothill communities that are pretty impoverished and would benefit from Obama's health care, economic, and education policies. The foreclosure rate alone east of Sacramento would lead one to think that far more people in this region could use some government help.

We will see if the Tea Bag phenomenon can be sustained or if it is just a one-time Republican gimmick. But remember, in 1994, Newt Gingrich took the House of Representatives with a similarly cornball gimmicky set of "principles" that channeled the same kind of blind right-wing hatred and anger. The lesson from today I think is that Congressional Democrats and the Obama Administration should work together to make the public AM radio airwaves more competitive so more diverse voices are heard. As long as the Republicans and the Right hold on to their monopoly on AM radio they'll be able to stage these kind of hate-fests easily and more often. I'd take the Tea Baggers seriously and move to use the FCC to open up the public airwaves and also use the Anti-Trust Division of the Justice Department to break up Rupert Murdoch's media empire along with the other media corporations that have become as dysfunctional to our democracy as the "too big to fail" financial corporations.

George W. Bush's entire eight years was nothing but a neo-liberal experiment in skewing government and every other public good toward serving the interests of profiteers and the rich. That was apparently fine with these rightwingers as long as the government money was flowing upwards into the hands of the rich and corporations. But as soon as a Democratic administration is elected to power everything's different now. The sky was the limit during the Bush spending binge on war and giveaways to Wall Street and lavish contracts for shoddy or nonexistent "government" services and corporate welfare and so on and on. But now with Democrats trying to put a little spare change in the pockets of the other 95 percent of the population who gained nothing from the Bush years all of a sudden the sky is falling! The Tea Baggers I encountered were very polite and well-mannered, even passive. They need cajoling to act out. They need their anger stoked. They need straw men to knock down and people to hate -- people like state workers and teachers and Democrats. I couldn't help but think that the whole damn thing is just one big constructed product of the propaganda from right-wing talk radio and their ideological soulmates at Fox News.

Comments

[KLMoore]

Thank you so much for this reporting! I could not have gone to any of the events - as a woman of color I was actually quite deeply frightened by the level of hatred, fear, racism, and incivility that felt poised to become physical violence (to add to the verbal violence), and since I look a good deal like Obama, I thought it best to stay home - but you gave a good accounting!

This all makes me think biologically or anthropologically about the way these people behave and this is what I came up with:

Republicans want everyone to be like snakes - roaming alone, mating occasionally to reporoduce the angry species, slithering on your belly, and occasionally consuming a fellow snake if you get hungry enough.

And yet they also want to have the comforts of a bonobo monkey like community, where everyone is civil and supports each other's right to pick all the fruit they want all day too. Defending each other against the other monkey groups and lions on the ground.

I think what Republicans REALLY want is a Veloceraptor-like or Alien-like (Aliens like in the sigorney weaver film) existance where you kill off all the weaker ones and eat them, then set out to destroy anyone or anything else alive!!

[Froliknfillie]

I really wish you had gone to the protest and you would know this man who calls himself a journaist is flat out lying. I am shocked and saddened to see how blatently he lies about this event because this is propoganda 100 percent. I was at this tax protest myself. About 1/3 of the crowd were whole families, strollers and all. Also, about 1/3 of the crowd were other than white—I was pleased to see so many Americans of all races and nationalities joining together to protest the corruption and greed in our government today--across the board—including criticizing the failed Republican party--. Poke around the net and read some other reports from a different source and you will hopefully get some of the truth. There were nearly 7000 people who showed up to voice their dissent, which is the highest form of patriotism. As is still their constitutional right, for now.

[roch20]

" I couldn't help but think that the whole damn thing is just one big constructed product of the propaganda from right-wing talk radio and their ideological soulmates at Fox News."

AMEN!!!!!

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

The Republicans controlled the agenda from Reagan's first term -- 1981 -- the middle class in America has suffered under Republican tax, economic, de-regulation, war policies, and social engineering. The broad middle class has turned on the Republicans because the middle class has been decimated by Republican "free market" policies -- the Tea Baggers didn't protest because the Tea Baggers were in power -- the war in Iraq is unpopular -- most Americans see it as a huge waste of money -- torture is not popular -- lower wages, stagnant wages, declining home values, lost 401ks, huge budget deficits and trade imbalances (especially with China) -- that's what the middle class has endured under Republican Rule. Now the Tea Baggers get angry -- it's a little late.

[joanno]

Older, white, racists...if this is the prime profile of this group, time will take care of them and their numbers are really quite small to begin with. As for the younger ones amoung them, they are probably clueless that the social security and medicare their parents get, the unemployment checks they would get if needed, federally insured bank accounts they may have are some examples of "socialism" they are so upset about. Our teacher in chief would help these folks by doing a lot more explaining of how everyday folks are being helped...the message cannot be made too often. Unless you have right wing radio/TV blasting out your message, there is a whole swath of the American public that it is simply very difficult to reach.

[HydeParkDusty]

Goodness gracious, I was afraid this nonsense would start, don't they know they are patsies.

[littledogs1]

I feel sorry for these people, all they have is hate and fear. The right is playing on their ignorance, they are ingnorant to the fact that they are being used by rich powerfull people who don't want Obama to push though his agenda because it means an end to the rich and powerfull running the whole show, who are they fighting for, not for the masses, for themselves, for deregulation, do the people at the rallies even realize that they just got a tax cut from Obama, and that he will not be raising anyones taxes, the tax cuts on the rich were always supposed to be temporary.

[johnie2xs]

Ron White, comedian on the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" puts it best; "You can't fix stupid!".

The general make up of the crowd, as you describe; ("The crowd was predictably very white, very Republican, and on the older side.") reminds me of a situation I had personally a few years ago.

As I was paying my tab, in a typical working man's bar in a suburb South West of Philadelphia where I was working at the time, there was an elderly gentleman railing at the TV, as images of Denzel Washington and Hallie Berry were being shown on the screen. The bulk of his statements consisted of "Ni**er this and Ni**er that. It was so loud and so repulsive,I had to say something.I couldn't just walk away. I gently tapped the man on the shoulder, surprising the gentleman, and asked him, "Do you know the best thing about your opinion?" He looked at me not knowing what to expect, but asked "What",anyway. I told him that, "The best thing about his opinion is that when he died, He'd take it with him.

The point is, that in reference to most of these people, that is the best we can hope for, after all like Ron White says, "You can't fix Stupid".

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

Aggrieved Nationalism is the stock and trade of right-wing talk radio - they think they own the American flag. they don't

[Wordstosay]

LET ME GET THIS OUT: THE LAST TEA PARTY SOME ANGLO-SAXON DRESSED IN NATIVE AMERICAN OUTFITS COMPLETE WITH MAKEUP AND TOM HAWKS WENT ON A BOAT AND THROW OVER BOARD TEA THAT WERE ABOUT TO BE TAXED...PROBLEMS - THIS WAS A SHAMEFUL ACT. IF OTHER ANGLO-SAXONS' WERE GOING TO A RETALIATION THE NATIVE AMERICANS WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND DEATH WOULD HAVE BEEN CERTAIN. THERE IS NOTING NOBLE ABOUT THAT TEA PARTY AND THE ONE ON APRIL 15. WE ALL HATE TAXES. IF THOSE THAT PARTICIPATED IN THIS EVENT OF SHAME WANTED TO MAKE THEIR POINT THEN ALL SHOULDIS NOT PAY THEIR TAXES AND THE MESSAGE WOULD HAVE BE MADE CLEAR TO THE UNITED STATES AND THEN I NEED TO HEAR HOW CAN WE PROTECT THIS NATION IF WE ARE UNABLE TO PAY THE SALARIES OF OUR SOLDIERS WHO ARE PLACING THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR KEEPING US SAFE...SO I AM SO CONFUSED ABOUT THIS EVENT AND SOME WHAT SHAMED THAT ALL THOSE THERE DO NOT REMEMBER THEIR AMERICAN HISTORY. OH HOW SHAMED I AM.

[wdw505]

"OH HOW SHAMED I AM." yes i understand your shame, due to your shift key being stuck. The movement is against the wild spending and against more taxes......not against any tax

[RTIII]

You are OBVIOUSLY uninformed about what these were really about. Go look at the pictures of all the signs people carried there.
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[KLMoore]

Well if these teabagging events were really against "more taxes" and not all taxes, than a huge majority of people at the rallies were grotesquely uniformed! Just look at the signs. I saw way more than one that said No Taxes.

[jackjava]

This was America at it's worst. Fox News should be off the air and charged with inciting riot conditions. I know one thing for sure, advertisers saw the demographics of this Fox generated audience and these people look like they live off the government, with Medicaid and Medicare and clearly subsidized housing.

The thing that Murdoch and shareholders of News Corp won't like is that ad rates will plummet for Fox News. Not many people in these crowds looked like they had any discretionary income. They hate their lives and they hate humainty, just like the Fox entertainers. What majo corporation wants to be associated with this kind of crap?

[Squibbanacci]

First off, FOX News is but one of many, many resources, such as the one you're reading right now, for news and information regarding current events. If you don't like FOX News, or any other news organization for that matter, don't watch it, or read or listen to it as the case may be. If you REALLY don't like it, boycott those companies that advertise with them and implore your friends to do the same. Frankly, I don't like FOX news, so, usually, I don't watch it, but I also know that posting a comment on a blog, that itself is essentially a comment, is not an effective way of protesting a gigantic corporation.

Secondly, why exactly was this "America at its worst"? This was simply a group of US citizens excercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights to expression and assembly. That is America at its best. It is the same as a democratic or republican national convention, or a concert, or a birthday party, or a group of people gathered in a park to play frisbee golf. It seems that the only reason feathers are getting ruffled in this case, at this location within the infinite ambiguity of cyberspace, is because this particular group of gatherings was a show of solidarity behind a premise that is at odds with the current Obama administration policies. Had the tea parties been protesting the Bush administration, the self-proclaimed conservatives would have bashed the protesting liberals with similiarly toothless cyber-ambiguity.

[RTIII]

No, maybe not worst - worst would be torture, etc, like what the Bush admin brought us - but absolutely not even close to best: this was a huge group of patsys being played by the fascists.
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[KLMoore]

It was America at its worst because of the level of hatred, fear-mongering and uninformed racist drivel that was all over the protests! Whether it was the guy who defended deceased novelist Rand's love for Selfishness as a policy or ideaology to live by, or the people whose signs depicted the president in all manner of foul, nasty, unpatriotic forms, these people were not embracing any sort of positivist or improvement oriented way of life!!!
Even at my most angry about the war in Iraq I would NEVER portray Bush on a sign in the ways these people portrayed Obama! Its just not right morally or ethically, and its not Christian (or humanist even if you are atheist)!!

At our American best, we help each other out and work towards helping everyone do better! At our worst, we indulge the worst elements of hatred and fear that were displayed at these events where no one is helped and everyone leaves feeling helpless and angry but without love for thier fellow Americans.

[born right]

Cavuto just said that there was "100 million people" at the Sacramento Tea Bagging Party. He also probably over inflates the size of his junk.

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

The Tea Baggers really have messed up their "history" -- they think an anti-tax protest in 1773 against a monarchy in England -- and against THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY!! -- is like what they're doing -- but what they're doing is SUPPORTING CORPORATIONS, NOT PROTESTING THEM -- the Boston Tea Party was aimed at what was then one of the biggest corporations on earth -- the East India Company. Where is the anti-corporate edge to the Tea Baggers? There is none -- they love Bush and the oil companies and Halliburton and all the rest -- strange bedfellows, all those Fox News corporate sponsors and overpaid gasbags like Sean $100 million contract Hannity -- and then there's working slobs who make about $30,000 a year out protesting in favor of being fleeced even more by the Republican Money bags! Give me a break.

[ConservMom]

I went to my local tea party in San Jose and you are making accusations without proof. I sure don't know of anyone who loves Bush and I wasn't sponsored by Fox or anyone else! Many unfounded accusations here by this author, and it makes you look very unfair here Joseph. We can't stand the corporate bailouts, in case you didn't see all the signs??

[wdw505]

they just want to be surprised later when it continues.­........th­ey don't want the truth

[RTIII]

Free advertising is sponsorship - make no mistake about it.
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[lovenews]

If you didn't like the corporate bail outs why didn't you station the protest outside Bush's front door?

[ArtLevine]

This a great, on-the-ground, thoughtful article. I'll be adding it to my piece on how the "tea parties" ignored tax ripoffs by overpaid CEOs:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/faux-populist-tea-parties_b_187543.html

[ConservMom]

Har! Har! We also ignored treasury Geithner's bailouts agree to pay contracted CEO's bonuses with taxpayers money. Barney Frank and Chris Dodd agree and sign bailout!

[ConservMom]

This article by this author is another example of what I don't want my tax money spent on. Funding a radio program! The capitalist system doesn't work for your views on radio and went out of business, so he wants to control free speech of other successful stations and wants government to pay for his side of things on stations. It would be the same as the government paying to keep and pay for the New York Times to stay in business and certian unsuccessful cable news staions such as msnbc, which the American people don't watch much, and have the lowest ratings and might go under also.
Leave the free market alone and no more taxes to pay for your agenda! Har, Har Har, pirates.

[CJ1]

Huh? Earth to cretan!...msnbc is one of the most popular news stations on the air...but only crackpot, sore-loser republicans care about that fox news crap. Soon, it'll only play in nursing homes, where all of these behind-the curtain fire-dancing neanderthaals will be hanging soon..."Look at me! I dunno the difference between socialism, fascism and communism! Cuz I'm aginst them liberal things called books!"

[wdw505]

did you see the kids at the rallies........

[ConservMom]

I found this EASILY on google search:

FNC has been the top rated cable news network for 86 consecutive months, finishing February as the third most watched basic cable network in primetime.

CNN was 15th and MSNBC was 23rd. In primetime (M-F), FNC averaged 2.8 million viewers (657,000 in the demo). CNN averaged 1.3 million total viewers (407,000 in the demo) and MSNBC averaged 1.1 million viewers (377,000 in the demo).

[RTIII]

ConservMom,

you're a tool of the wealthy. They want you to not notice the consolidation of media which puts it all in the hands of a VERY few, who then control what gets on the air - it's NOT fair competition of ideas for markets as you propose. IF you did your homework, looking at media ownership through all the shell corporations owned by others, owned by still others, and ferrett it all out - as at least two groups who publicize this on the internet in gory detail - you'd find that more than 90% of all media in this country - magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, etc - are owned by a mere FIVE people.

I can see that you are unlikely to take my word for it, so I'll leave it to you to do your homework on this. I know, because I have looked, that at least one of the groups doing the investigative leg work on this is ultra-conservative, so I have no doubt that if you take the time, you'll see I'm right.

Once you understand media ownership, you _might_ think about whose ideas you are actually hearing and what the word propaganda means.
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[Rondo]

Real men don't go to tea parties.

[wdw505]

cute

[ConservMom]

We are law abiding citizens at the tea parties and we pay taxes. We all paid our taxes and we did not stop paying taxes. But we are angry about what our taxes are being used to pay! Both the Republicans and Democrats are out of control spending our hard earned money and we've had enough! Huge budgets funding their progams, the pork, I don't want to bailout any company and to be honest, TARP is unconstitutional! These bailouts aren't working either if you've noticed. I don't want to pay for a bullet train from LA to Las Vegas. I don't want to pay for Hammas to come here and live. I am sick of supporting illegal immigrants with their care when this country allows our elderly to live in poverty on a broken program of social security. They paid into that their whole life! Where's the interest? Where's the living expense adjustment for them? Now you want MORE government programs. Let's fix the ones we have first, OK?

[wdw505]

let's dismantle the ones we have now

[CJ1]

You WANT social security? I thought you people think that is socialism????
Oh, I get it. You want SSI, another repub wants the bullet train (yes, he too was at a tea party), Bush and his buddies want their cheap immigrant labor...and somehow all you clever republicans (oxymoron) have found a way to blame it on Obama and the democrats. You repub conservatives could not find your ways out of a paper bag without the dems, could you? Cuz who would you blame for your screw ups and spending sprees? Do you scream like this when your credit card bill comes due, too?

[wdw505]

"Do you scream like this when your credit card bill comes due, too?" no i pay mine off each month........

[ConservMom]

I don't WANT your Rosevelt social security of over 40 years of failed policy, OK? We have been robbed into paying It, forced out of our paychecks. I don't want the lousy $800.00/mo which you must buy a second insurance policy for the lousy , cheap, medicare on top of it from that money? It's socialism, and stolen money from us and lousy reward for our elderly! Pirates! The elderly paid into that their whole life, OK? This is an example of your government PROGRAMS. Our elderly living in poverty! Believe me, millions never even LIVE to see a penny of what they paid into that crock pot and there should be more for the ones that do live to get some back... but there's not! Surprise, surprise!

[KLMoore]

"I am sick of supporting illegal immigrants with their care when this country allows our elderly to live in poverty on a broken program of social security. "

Lady, yes it is very very sad about the neglect we show to our elderly in America. A good friend of mind from Sri Lanka says its strange that we don't take care of the old as is quite typical in her country, and that the country doesn't support taking care of the old is even more strange.

However lady, this is in no way connected to illegal immigrants! Its these sort of random, ignorant connections that are so darned scary!

And lets be clear Mom: I am an urban planner and focused in my studies on food production: Not One Vegetable in your store would be there without immigrant (illegal or otherwise via some guest worker program) labor picking it!! The irony runs thick when you realize that republicans pushing against "illegal immigrant threats" are the same doofuses who voted in favor of the needs of their large agribusiness friends wishes - which were perfectly in line with the demands of capitalism - to allow in illegal immigrants who they could pay very little to pick our food so apples stay cheap!! .

[KLMoore]

.....Oh, and PS:
Each year, there's some outpouring of anger over "dangerous illegal immigrants." In the last few years, those angry voices were so loud, they actually cracked down at the Mexico border and didn't let as many people through. You know what happened?? Millions of dollars in fruit and vegetables rotted on the trees and on the ground all over the country and the price of produce went up. Then, they loosened up under stress from agribusiness and republicans and taxpayers angry their fruit&veggies were more expensive, and the next year, the fruit got picked! (and it sure wasn't legal Americans picking it.)

Know of what you speak before you stand firm on an issue. Otherwise you may find you are standing on sand.

[TheBlackCat]

Here's what I don't understand about the "every man for himself" mentality

That's how ANIMALS live. And not even all animals. Just the lonely ones that don't form large social groups.

I mean, why did we ever come out of the jungle and form civilizations if working together towards common goals that benefit society is inherently evil because it requires the cooperation and compromise of the group rather than everyone simply acting in their own best interest?

Yes, you DO give up some of your freedom when you form a society. For instance, I can't shoot my husband or dump asbestos into my local river or refuse to pay taxes.

In exchange, you get CIVILIZATION.

[RTIII]

GREAT POST.

Thank you.
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[KLMoore]

AMEN!

Republicans want everyone to be like snakes - roaming alone, slithering on your belly, and occasionally consuming a fellow snake if you get hungry enough.

And yet they also want to have the comforts of a bonobo monkey like community, where everyone is civil and supports each other's right to pick fruit all day too. Defending each other against the other monkey groups and lions on the ground.

I think what Republicans really want is a Veloceraptor-like or Alien-like (Aliens like in the signorney weaver film) existance where you kill off all the weaker ones and eat them, then set out to destroy and eat anyone or anything else alive!! Until finally there is nothing left and they die off too.