The Blood of the Tea Party

2010-07-13
By

I’ve never participated in a Tea Party rally. My natural habitat is a classroom or behind a keyboard. That said, I’ve had a lot of contact with Tea Party people, and, of course, I hear the angry charges from those doing their worst to discredit the movement. For what it’s worth, here are some personal experiences and observations:The first time I was contacted for a Tea Party event was by a Pittsburgh woman named Patti. She called last spring. I asked: Who’s behind this Tea Party business? Is the Republican Party running this?

I learned no one was ordering Patti but herself. A mother of three daughters, wife of a physician, and a Harvard MBA, Patti calmly explained that she was so concerned about her country that she got involved. “This is completely grassroots,” she assured me.

Indeed, at that moment, President Obama and the Democratic Congress had taken a record budget deficit from George W. Bush and exploded it in one fell swoop with an enormously destructive $800-billion “stimulus package.” Liberals attacking the Tea Party must understand that it was such extremist policies by their own politicians that sent the likes of Patti into the streets.

Not long after that conversation, I watched in awe as such unceasing fiscal insanity drove a huge swath of concerned citizens to Washington on September 12, 2009. In response to this massive “9/12” march, liberals were apoplectic. They exhibit an intense emotional attachment to Obama, lashing out at anyone who criticizes him. That reaction is particularly pronounced in their fits of rage at Tea Party people, who they denounce with ugly epithets: Nazi, racist, hate-monger.

The hysterics have only gotten worse. Smear groups like “CrashTheTeaParty.org” are infiltrating the Tea Party. The goal, according to Jason Levin, who spearheads the group, is to “act on behalf of the Tea Party in ways which exaggerate their least appealing qualities,” in order to “damage the public’s opinion of them.”

Alas, I don’t think the saboteurs and demonizers realize how this may backfire. Those within the Tea Party don’t seem to care about the nasty names. This is a movement with no single leader wedded to a political future or with politically sensitive ambitions. There’s no one face fearful of being maligned by the New York Times, NPR, and Keith Olbermann. Few movements are so huge and yet so anonymous.

Most significant, many Tea Party people, not to mention those who agree with them—even if they never attend rallies—are independents and Democrats. A recent Gallup poll found that 50 percent of “Tea Party identifiers” are Republicans while 43 percent are independents and 7 percent are Democrats. That’s a remarkably high number of non-Republicans.

Another telling survey was released by Rasmussen in March. It found that by an overwhelming margin, 62 percent to 12 percent, “Mainstream Americans” believe the Tea Party is “closer to their views” than Congress. By a margin of 68 percent to 16 percent, they deemed Tea Party members “better informed” than members of Congress.

Anecdotally, I find much of this confirmed. My first question to anyone who has attended a Tea Party rally is the breakdown of independents and Democrats. The reports I get are that there are many, upwards of one-third or more. I’m told this by people I trust, who are more interested in ascertaining truth than flailing about, hurling invectives at anyone who dares to disagree with Obama.

Speaking of whom, these numbers are a major threat to President Obama. Bear in mind that it was the huge swing group of independents and moderates who in November 2008 went for Obama by 52 to 44 percent (MSNBC exit poll data), and thereby elected the most left-wing presidential candidate in American history.

According to consistent polling by Zogby, independents now approve of Obama by only around 40 percent.

Thus, all of this adds up to an uncomfortable thought I pose to the Obama acolytes: If independents, moderates, and Democrats are a notable element of the Tea Party movement, or sympathize with it, do you really want to inflame them, especially as November 2010 approaches?

This is a multifaceted movement, but one thing seems certain: Those taking pleasure assailing Tea Partiers may enliven the very movement they endeavor to destroy. I’m reminded of a quote from an early Church father (Tertullian): “We multiply wherever we are mown down by you.” The “blood” of the faithful is “seed.”

Needless to say, I’m not equating the Tea Party with the early Church, even as I’ve found an undeniably strong (and hardly irrelevant) Christian element within the movement. Yet, there’s a parallel in that the persecution of the movement—by an aggressively secular, militant left, mind you—may backfire, big time.

And that’s surely not the intention of the anti-Tea Party crusaders.

— Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science and executive director of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. His coming book is “Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century.”

Tags: ,

503 views

  • Robert Stevens

    Tea Party, how about a Beer Party, that I would join. Anyone with half a brain knows what this tea party thing all about. It is simple ,really! The decent, hard working, tax paying, folks are tired of the “whinner and demanders” and the “sacred cows” who think the world owes them, using a corrupt government to steal from those same hard working decent folks to give to the same whinners and demanders. It is a survival reaction, those paying the bills are going broke , because what they produce is unlawfully, yes I said unlawfully, being stolen to support the deadbeats. It has to stop, otherwise, those that work will one say, “sorry we are not going to work anymore, we get nothing for it and all we are doing is killing ourselves, so…. we quit!
    This why the tea party(ies) existe. We think making people work for a living is ok, that the state of Arizona has every right to pass their own immigration law, because the feds are failing to do so. We obey the law and we think its ok to make others, who think the law does not apply to them, obey it too.
    We don’t pay any mind to the protester,( the immigration thing) and that the NAACP who wants the tea parties stopped, because they are likely to lose their “sacred cow status” and the lazy bastards may have to get a real job. They might just find out what all the regular people already know, its a great country because people have worked and worked hard to make it that way, and we will not stand by and let a bunch of lazy, worthless whinner and demanders destroy it!!

  • Jabberwocky

    The problem is that taxes has been going down for those at the top of the economic ladder for a long time. I understand that nobody wants to be taxed, and I’m all for a smaller government, but lets not overlook the fact that ultra-rich people have continued in the past decades to tilt the playing field to their advantage. They need to sacrifice some in this time of need as they can afford to be taxed the most. Much of their money sits stagnent in off shore bank accounts anyways. Lets inject the economy with some of that money. Money doesn’t dissapear, its just been accruing at the top of the totem pole.

  • Jabberwocky

    How can you vote my previous post down? You don’t think power corrupts? You don’t believe rich people have been unfairly manipulating the system to keep themselves rich? Are you that naive. Look at tax rates historically. Rich people can afford to pay more. You believe in Voodoo economics? Jesus Christ didn’t like rich people much either. Do I need to quote him?

    The gap between the haves and have nots has never been wider. Wages (when inflation adjusted) have been stagnant since 1973 while productivity has soared. Who should benefit from that? Everyone, or just the wealthiest amongst us. You think rich guys are inventing new technology and medicine, or scientist and doctors are while the rich people just capitalize on those advancements by throwing their money behind them.

    Bush started two wars while cutting taxes for the rich at the same time. You agree with that? You actually fucking agree with that? Look at taxes for the top 1% during WWII. Look it up. Fine, I’ll do it for you…

    “There is no historical evidence that tax cuts spur economic growth. The highest period of growth in U.S. history (1933-1973) also saw its highest tax rates on the rich: 70 to 91 percent. During this period, the general tax rate climbed as well, but it reached a plateau in 1969, and growth slowed down five years later. Almost all rich nations have higher general taxes than the U.S., and they are growing faster as well.”

    “During World War II (from 1940 to 1945), the size of the U.S. economy roughly doubled — the fastest period of growth in U.S. history. And during this era, the top tax rate soared to 91 percent, and the bottom rate to 18 percent — again, the highest in U.S. history. In 1944, federal taxes reached 21.7 percent of the GDP — again, the highest in U.S. history.”

    http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-taxgrowth.htm

    Keep giving more gifts to your slave masters you fucking idiots.

    Tax rich people more, a lot more, and do it now. What, you feel bad they won’t be able to afford their third yaught and fith home? Let me clue you into something. You will never be that rich, your kids won’t, and your grandkids won’t. Stop dreaming. I’m not talking about taxing millionaires more, I’m talking the multi-multi millionaires and billionaires. I’m done. There is no convincing you people.






Search

RSS Amy Alkon

RSS Donna Laframboise