Posted on 06/23/2011 7:12:23 PM PDT by randita
Can liberals start their own tea party? By Rachel Weiner
Van Jones is hoping to rival the tea party movement. (Carlos Osorio - AP Photo) At last weekend’s Netroots Nation gathering in Minneapolis, liberal activists expressed frustration that they lacked the political power or media focus given to the conservative tea-party movement. Former White House environmental official Van Jones is hoping to change that with a new political effort dubbed “The American Dream Movement.”
Organizers are hoping to emulate the the success of the tea party, which became a significant force in the 2010 midterms, uniting like-minded people across the country who were previously uninvolved in politics or participating locally but not at the national level.
They hope to motivate unemployed veterans, struggling homeowners and other alienated Americans who are angry at Republicans’ desire to drastically cut government spending in Washington and collective bargaining rights for state employees in places like Wisconsin. And to lure those people simply struggling to find a job while worried about their unemployment benefits ending.
“We think we can do what the tea party did,” Jones said in an interview with The Fix. “They stepped forward under a common banner, and everybody took them seriously. Polls suggest there are more people out there who have a different view of the economy, but who have not stepped forward yet under a common banner.”
Jones is a former Obama environmental adviser who resigned from the White House in 2009 amid controversy over his past activism. But he’s lauded in liberal circles for his charisma and organizing abilities.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Time to invest in some popcorn equities.
Sounds like they are going to re-brand ACORN.
Yes, but in their case TEA would equal Tax Everyone Again.
It would have to be the Latte Party with Skim Milk and a Double Shot...
I thought the libtards had the Coffee Party?
Isn’t this like the fourth or fifth try?
The tea parties sprouted without organization.
The liberal version has Van Jones playing the role of manure. All they’ll sprout is maggots and maybe a magic mushroom or two.
Trouble is, the people he’s looking to energize roll over in the sack about 10 AM, burn a hooter, break wind and fall back asleep ‘til dusk.
Makes it difficult to populate a grass roots movement when no one shows up.
Don't forget he's also a racist. And a communist.
It’s *really* hard to “grow” Astroturf.
Still, it will likely be hard to get liberals and supporters of more progressive economic policy to rally in the same way. Tea-party activists tend to be wealthy and well-educated; Jones is hoping to reach unemployed veterans, struggling homeowners, and other groups who likely have less time to organize and grow more politically active.
Liberal tea party: “We want taxation without representation! More taxes! More! MORE!!!!”
And Air America will be their media arm - good luck with that
It sure is.
They already have a movement. It’s call the Communist Party USA.
“The American Dream Movement”? For liberals the American dream is to get on the government dole and to use the power of government to steal the wealth of everyone with more money than them.
There was a liberal that called Hannity today to say that he believed that the government should seize ALL the wealth of the “rich” and give it to everyone else. What are they going to do next year? He is typical of so many liberals because they cannot conceive of the fact that you can only steal everything a person owns once.
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