Goofiness and humor sure - of course most of those tea party people don't seem very humorous, i mean Glen Beck is probably laughing when eh goes home, but other than that... There's a difference between grass and astroturf dude, so I don't think Moveon is really a very good analogy here.
Moveon isn't a for profit media conglomerate like Fox but given their size I'm not sure they can claim to be grassroots anymore. I'm on the Moveon mailist and I don't think their calls for bake sales or poster making parties can be considered grassroots when its directed from a central organization. Anyway besides who starts it why bother getting worked up about the tea parties? Frankly I think the amount of scorn being heaped on them by the likes of Maddow and Krugman are making them out to be more of a movement than they are.
Not anymore - but originally the whole thing was an e-mail listserv, not a manufactured event from the start which is what this is. Given how self-marginalizing they are you are probably right in that it is not a big deal. Unfortunately it seems also to be pretty much the only idea emanating from the right these days, so there's not really a lot else to talk about.
Apparently someone at Fox News has gotten the memo that the tea parties have been outed for what they are. The two or so times I've flipped the channel in that direction today, they have been almost pleadingly trying to rebrand the parties as nonpartisan, and even have fake members of absurd organizations like "Liberals for Tea Parties" appearing to try and counter the truth. It is all very reminiscent of the fake Hillary supporter organizations they helped promote in an attempt to sow discontent into the Democratic Party primaries once it was clear Obama had won. It is all so absurdly and crudely done, that I almost feel embarrassed for them and their ham-handed attempts at opinion manipulation.
Do you ever watch Fox News? I would guess that somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of their elective programming has been dedicated to these tea parties in the past week. I would suggest that that would be the reason for such a strong response. MSNBC and Fox News, particularly, seem to spend quite a bit of time watching each other in an attempt to find new sources for being scornful of the other channel. So if one of them supports something, like Fox chose to do with the tea parties, an abonormal amount of the programming on both channels tends to deal with that subject, either in promotion or scorn.
^ So Fox news is scornful of other channels and has decided to put on Tea Parties. The whole thing strikes me as silly and having Krugman and Maddow take them on is just giving them more attention than they deserve. My guess is there is nothing that Fox news and the Tea Party organizers would love more is for the NYT, MSNBC and others they consider their political opponents to get worked up over the tea parties.
I agree with that, but that's not what is happening. What is happening is that people are pointing out the absurdity of these events and making fun of them. That stings the current leadership (such as it is) of the Repub Party greatly.
Anyone can protest and anyone can offer an opinion about how ridiculous that protest is. That response is nonsensical, insulting, and bears no relation to my previous post. I distinctly confined that description to the current Repub leadership, not Republicans as a whole. I've long written here that I support the two party system and would love for the Dems to grow a pair and the Repubs to shuck off the control of the current leadership that does nothing but take advantage of the people who vote for them. It looks like the Dems are finally getting some cajones (6 years too late, but I'll take it), but the Repubs are still run by idiots of the first order who govern like they're on the 4th grade playground. Leave the Nazi stuff alone... you cheapen yourself and you cheapen our history.
When you see Jim Wright or Henry Cisneros or James Carville front groups organizing bake sales, let me know.
And I'm sure Cindy Sheehan loved and benefited from the notoriety when Fox News spent all their time and effort to demonize her. There is a sort of symbiosis between hater and hatee where both parties benefit by generating political balkanization.
The only thing that is disgusting is the spectacle of these ancient wrinkled hags leeching with one greedy tentacle and then using the other to make a mock show of protest in favor of self-reliance. Only the most heinous Boschian horrors in their rapidly approaching afterlives are fit for such foul burdens upon the public sensibility.
Seriously. It is hard not to laugh when groups of disenfranchised wingnuts get together to complain about: 1) Government spending. (where were you the last eight years?!!?!) 2) Taxes. (I would wager greater than 99% of those protesting are getting tax breaks) 3) Socialism and representation. (There is no other way to say it - these just make wingnuts look r****ded. Completely and shockingly dumb.)
I have to agree there is quite a backlash going on. The spark seems to be the entirely spontaneous and completely uncontrived uprising of the tea partiers. Too bad Glenn can't be there. I'm sure I speak for many here in asking for a detailed summary of this historic event as soon as you are able. You will be our Theodore White. I think things are really snowballing.
First, let me apologize for abandoning the thread. I got a chance for a surprise extended Easter weekend holiday and I made a choice -- sun/fun or abuse on the board. Guess which I chose? I won't be able to go through each of the posts to respond because I'm swamped getting all clients happy. However, as requested (perhaps facetiously) by Rashmon, I will provide a report on the activities Wednesday at the Alamo rally. I will be with a group of ex-newsies (retired or recently laid off) who are all Democrats. Local reports indicate the crowd will be about 10,000, but that is sheer guesswork -- I think it may be bigger. Again, I believe the tea parties have nothing to do with parties but everything to do with people who are very concerned with profligate spending both now and in years past. True, my merry band of octogenarians are all Republicans except for my mom, who is a life-long Yarborough Democrat who refused to vote for Obama or McCain. I was considering a poll but there is not enough time now to print 10,000 questionnaires, organize the teams and make sure the questions are not skewed one way or the other. I will be randomly polling people, but I don't think many of you will believe me unless I provide results you want to hear, regardless of what political stance, right or left, to which you normally subscribe.
