Its been an interesting week-albeit a disappointing one in many ways. Some short notes on the week that American political see saw began its ride back down.
Issue #1:
I have read in three different forums now-disgruntled tea party fans who are quite upset at being called the term “tea bagger”. Since the term has a sexual connotation they are quite bent out of shape that someone might want to use that term as one of disdain for them and their movement. A specific quote disparaging use of the term pointed out: “We are supposed to be intellectuals not gutter mouths who can’t find acceptable English to replace vulgar overtures.”
It might fall on more receptive ears were it not for one thing: these people are disinclined to return the favor. The same people who are begging for civility on the one hand, are more than willing to go out on a Saturday with a several hundred of their compatriots and call the folks who disagree with them any assortment of names that are guaranteed to make non aficionados of right wing politics angry. In the past year I have been called, in no particular order: Nazi, Socialist, Statist ( whatever the hell that term means), liberal, communist, and unpatriotic. Not to mention the real irony of saying “let’s play nice” while carrying around any number of signs portraying opposition politicians as Hitler, The Joker, The Devil, and the other lesser nice things bordering on real racism.
But somehow, I am the bad guy for calling them a word play on the name of their movement.
Kind of makes it hard to accept that they are really serious about that term “civility”, don’t you think?
I hold the tea party movement in contempt for three reasons:
1) Its intellectually dishonest. Tea partiers state over and over again that they are “just plain folks who want to continue the American Dream of pursuing Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” And people who want health insurance reform because they are tired of getting the same raw deal don’t want to pursue the American dream? Give me a break.
Furthermore-their continued harping on the founding fathers-and their claim to a tie to the American Revolution is a real stretch. Especially when you read what the founding fathers actually said, vs what the tea party talking points tell them. It insults my intelligence. Especially when you see them “quoting” the Constitution and constitutional case law- but ignoring the parts that don’t fit their narrative or the context of the judicial opinions they cite.
2) As was pointed out earlier, their claims about being disgusted with both parties sound more than a little hollow. Where were the demonstrators in 2002 when the Congress was rolling back taxes at the same time it was ramping up spending? Where were the folks who claim it is their heartfelt desire for “a smaller federal government, fiscal conservatism, more states rights and greater individual liberties, ” when the same federal government was trampling on them through the auspices of the Patriot Act, the expanded wiretap authorities of the various anti-terrorism laws, a war started for no good reason via means outside of the designated constitutional path-a declaration of war-and has cost over 5000 good and true Americans their lives in a cause that accomplishes nothing for the nation? The simple truth is-they were not there and could not have been bothered to be there. It was only on January 20, 2009 that their anger was somehow kindled. And if its about more freedom-then why are these people somehow so hung up on what people do in their bedroom and with whom they do it with?
3) The real thing I don’t like about the teabaggers and their movement is that it is not a movement at all. It is a carefully planned and aggressive misuse of a genuine sentiment-real concern about the end effects of planned legislation ( like insurance reform)-for very narrow political purposes, namely to get friends of Dick Armey and their friends into the positions he wants for them. As was also pointed out by folks wiser than me, ” When your money floweth from the teat of the insurance industry, you are perhaps little more than a tool of corporate interests, either wittingly, or worse, not.”
The people behind the curtain think they can keep the wild eyed crazies within the movement in control-as I recall that’s what a lot of Communist Russians said in 1917 or Germans in 1932. Look how well those “movements” turned out. Not so well.
The anger these people are stoking is just right for a demagogue to jump into and ride on to a path to a real dictatorship if they are not careful. And these folks, many of whom are nice enough if you keep them away from Fox News and Glenn Beck long enough-have no idea of the anger they are stoking with their signs and slogans. The demagogues are out there-witness Sarah Palin-but they just haven’t hit on quite the right one yet. Trust me however-he’s out there, just waiting his chance. He’ll ( and it will be a he) be charming, well spoken, well groomed, well educated and will ride a wave of popular resentment.- Just like the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania avenue did. Or worse yet-more reasonable people will be so afraid of the emotional violence the tea partiers have set in motion that they themselves will do unreasonable things. The liberals they disparage so much have already had that happen to them-and watched some of the things they championed slide down into the pit of unreasonable being. The same thing will most probably be the fate of the tea partiers after a few more elections. I’ve already read of people who say there should be a “purity test’ to be a Republican. What’s up with that?
For the same reason the teabaggers do-fear and anger.
These people have no idea of the terrible forces they are playing with. Nor do I believe at this point-do they care.
And that is why- I cannot take their whining about the term: teabagger, very seriously.
We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, [A Tea Party member] is not the least bit interested in solving it. [They are] interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who’s to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about [government run healthcare, rationing, taxes,] and American values and character. And wave an photo of the President [looking like Hilter ]and you scream about patriotism and you tell them, [liberals] are to blame for their lot in life, and you go on television and you call them [socialists].