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Tea Party- please explain
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Anonymous
| The irritation you feel is probably that which some feel when they accuse Muslim groups of some sort of malfeasance for not 'taking a more active role' (or as active as they have themselves determined is acceptable) in condemning fringe radical fanatical extremism. Fair enough? It is an emotional irritation. At the same time, most of us don't accuse ALL Muslims of being radical extremists. But you are accusing ALL Tea Partiers of RACIST PREVALENCE If you are being irrational (your charge is irrational) why should the majority who are not racist spend time entertaining your charges in a rational way? I'm sure some do--but I for one don't think they're obligated to at the expense of a laugh. A laugh seems valid as well. |
Anonymous
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I'm not sure why you are using the term irritated. I didn't use it, and it's a bizarre term to describe what my reaction.
Nonetheless, you make some good points. The Muslim analog is not particularly apt, because, with Islam, there are several followings, sects, etc. So, by not prescribing to "fundamentalist" Islam, many mainstream groups already distance themselves. While not necessarily going so far as denouncing, they do mark formally where and how they differ from those groups. Also, Islam is a far larger religion than the Tea Party AND lacks central leadership. Lastly, the ratio of radical, fanatical, extremists:non radical, fanatical, extremists is lower than the ratio of racist tea partiers:non-racist tea partiers. Now, both ratios are low, but the Muslim ratio is far lower. I think you are mistaking my use of the term prevalent. I'm not saying EVERY tea partier has SOME racism in him/her. What I'm saying is that the racism is more than just on the fringe, more than just an extreme element. And it is not all explicit, blatant racism. Those in the tea party who do hold to racist beliefs are not card carrying members of the Klan, goosestepping down the streets with their arms raised in the Nazi salute. Far from it. From what I've seen, a lot of the "recruitment" for the Tea Party is predicated upon racial animus. This is far more implicit, far more subtle, far more subconscious. But the Tea Party has played on it to garner support primarily with whites who feel disillusioned or otherwise "left out" of the political process because of many recent developments. Now, as to your claim that I am being "irrational", I would point towards the evidence I have provided of the very racism I provide to demonstrate that I am not. I have linked to sites, articles, and websites that show how racism and racial animus is present within the Tea Party. Now, can completely rational people look at that and draw different conclusions? Absolutely. Are there counter-arguments that could be backed up with opposing evidence? I'm sure and am all ears to see them. Unfortunately, I haven't. And when a perfectly good opportunity popped up to offer it, this group made a t-shirt. Well done. Maybe you have some evidence, but, again, you haven't provided it. And, again, I'm not saying they are obligated to do anything. But if it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, and calls itself a duck, however ironically, I still say duck. |
Anonymous
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The Tea Party is somewhat akin to the millions of us who felt like our country had been hijacked by a president who came in by taking advantage of a series of accidents like a butterfly ballot and a runaway Supreme Court, and who then got us into a stupid war.
Only this time the problem is that the guy in the WH sinned by trying to get us out of the worst economic disaster of the past 3/4 of a century, tried to win a war we were already in, and then got hit with a major ecological disaster in the industry coddled by the guy we're not supposed to blame for all the shit he left behind. So this guy can't solve everything despite all the help he gets from Congress, and all he's done is passed a bill that presidents since Truman have wanted. Obviously he's turning our country into a socialist dictatorship. That's what the Tea Party is all about -- it's not the Boston Tea Party, it's Wonderland and Limbaugh and Beck are the Hatter and the Hare. |
Anonymous
| 00:04 here again. Please don't read that posting as a blanket defense of Obama, since I share the general liberal disappointment that he's been hobbled by a tendency to veer to the right whether or not that helped solve the problems facing us. |
Anonymous
Limbaugh is not a Tea Partier. Not sure about Beck. You collate all conservatives. Tea Partiers have taken on Republicans and Dems. Get your facts straight.... |
Anonymous
| Addendum--the above (Tea Party, Limbaugh, Beck) are not even all conservative (just suspecting that in your mind they are, and all to be lumped together....) |
Anonymous
I just couldn't pass up the chance to paint Rush and Glen as the Mad Hatter and March Hare; you parse me too rigorously. But yes, I do lump them together; the TP certainly cohabits with RL and GB in the Fox News tent. [Cute wordplay, no? -- a TP in a tent.] |
Anonymous
Oops, that's Glenn. |
Anonymous
| You're quite the minx! But in all honesty, they have nothing in common. I think that is partly why the Tea Party is so maligned--people don't take the trouble to examine their unique view, which is not Limbaughesque at all. |
Anonymous
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Actually, the Tea Party is endorsing primarily GOP candidates instead of running their own in a lot of upcoming elections.
http://www.slate.com/id/2259924 |
Anonymous
| That may be the best of all options to them--when choosing btwn two evils....; however, they are - at heart-populists and have gone after Republican candidates with zeal when in disagreement. Lumping them in with Rush Limbaugh is sloppy, lazy, reflects the kneejerk reactions of the one doing the lumping. This is a different political group than strictly Republican/democrat though I would agree they are conservative populists on the whole than liberal populists . There is a good ed in the Post today about the Tea Party. |
Anonymous
| FWIW, I posted the article, but was NOT the commenter who lumped in Limbaugh with them. I realize there are differences, but as we know, politics make strange bedfellows. And it seems a bit flimsy that a group supposedly founded upon this populist movement and over disgust with the two party system would essentially abandon that so quickly. It makes you wonder how deep those convictions were. |
Anonymous
| Limbaugh is 'not into' a third party. I don't assume all liberal listen to Rachel Maddow. It's just sloppy to assume that Limbaugh speaks for Tea Partiers. Tea Partiers are somewhat conservative populists as ready who would derail republican candidates as well as Democrat candidates (though a bit more likely to align with Republican). Make sense now? |
Anonymous
Jeez folks, how many lectures does it take to tell me my little Alice in Wonderland image was not entirely true to life? I get it, Rush is a different kind of right winger than the tea partiers. I'll remember to serve him lemonade, okay? Speaking or Maddow, check out her HS yearbook photo: 
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Anonymous
| The last two comments have completely lost me. What are we talking about? |