How tea parties echo '60s protests

The political commentariat doesn't know what to make of those thousands of Americans who've spontaneously thronged to tea parties and town-hall meetings to oppose the big-government programs of the Obama administration and Democratic Congress.

Some on the left attack them as fascists or racists, though evidence of that is sorely lacking. David Brooks in The New York Times compared them to the New Left campus radicals of the '70s, which comes closer but doesn't quite ring true.

I think the tea partiers bear an uncanny resemblance to the antiwar activists in the Vietnam War period.

Like the tea partiers, the antiwar folk didn't start off affiliated with one political party. They campaigned against an incumbent Democratic president and his political heir in 1968. Four years later, some supported Rep. Pete McCloskey's antiwar primary challenge to Richard Nixon. The tea partiers have plenty of corrosive things to say about the GOP politicians of the last decade, and at least some of them may support likeminded Democrats.

Exactly. I did a photographic comparison between the 2007 Anti-War protests in Washington by the Leftists (The GOE counterprotest) and the Taxpayer March on Washington on 9/12/2009.

One of the things I noticed apart from the lack of originality by the leftists with their signage was the lack of American flags, and the profusion of Che Guevara flags and t-shirts.

That, and the absolute mess the leftists created everywhere they walked. (By comparison, our side had policed all areas, used the trash containers and stacked the trash neatly to the side when they became full...)

I suspect in their case, they are deliberately trying to avoid recognizing that fact, and have tried multiple ways to apply slanderous or disparaging labels to us, the most offensive being “Teabaggers”.

Humorously, they are trying to get this idiotic movement going called “Coffee Parties”, which the Huffington Post characterizes as “a Tea Party alternative”.

I know I shouldn’t be surprised at this, coming from a part of the political spectrum for which history begins yesterday, and anything before that either doesn’t apply or exist, or serves only to be twisted to suit their political needs.

I’ll bet 100 bucks that the moron(s) who thought the “Coffee Party” concept up wouldn’t even be able to intelligently discuss the original Boston Tea Party’s causes, but...

Would be unable to even name the city it took place in. I can just see it now: Sir, do you know what city the “Boston Tea Party” took place in?

“Uhhhh....?”

Would be unable to even name the city it took place in. I can just see it now: Sir, do you know what city the “Boston Tea Party” took place in?

I agree that those who comprised the 60's radicals in no way at personal levels, or in mission statement resemble tea partiers. Conservative protest has it’s roots way back there in the ‘60’s as well.

Every 4th of July week from 1966-1974 at the Statler Hilton (now Park Plaza) I was in Boston with my folks at what was known as the Rally for God Family and Country.

We let off red, white, and blue balloons in the park right outside the hotel with the conservative message: "Victory in the sky on the 4th of July" -- a rallying cry calling for Victory in Vietnam/Southeast Asia. I counter-marched the 1969 anti-war Moratoriums in DC and participated in 3 Marches for Victory in Vietnam that followed in 1970 and 1971.

I’m on assignment in Boston as I write this post – from this same hotel in fact. Scott Brown delivered his victory speech in the Ballroom!

These are the tea partiers of today.

I respect Barone's grasp of political history and what Barone is saying is that there are "forces" not necessarily personalities that are carrying the debate today.

I don't see him comparing the tea partiers on a personal level at all to the anti-war protesters, but we are a movement which is harnessing "forces" present today which are much larger and cut across a wide demographic.

The anti-war crowd hijacked those forces and sentiments of that era. Every tea partier by contrast is doing his or her part and that aggregating "force" is propelling this present movement forward.

We are "out-Alinskying" them. You can’t freeze and polarize any one of us as an aggregated force, but we can pillory, polarize and destroy Pelosi, Reid, and Obama with great success.

And we are!

FReegards!

I can agree on your interpretation of Barone’s assessment, I just think he takes such a circuitous route that his point is largely lost.

In short, I think the statement by Matthew James is more accurate, that the people involved in the Tea Party movement are more like the Sons of Liberty.

I know that they had their OWN share of cranks and malcontents too (I have heard that Samuel Adams was regarded as one of the greatest malcontents there were) so I think we are in good company.

Also, the forces in this case (the Tea Party movement) are mostly positive and constructive forces, that if adopted will mean good things for this country.

When the radicals of the 60’s hijacked the Democrat party and marginalized or forced out many of the genuinely patriotic and serious politicians, they did untold damage to this country, and we reaped on November 5, 2009 what was sowed in the 1960’s.

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