Tea Party Turns Nasty: ‘It’s Our Country – Let’s Take It Back’ ["Extremists Come To The Fore"]

London Times ^ | February 05, 2010 | Tim Reid

[Steelfish]

February 6, 2010 Tea Party Turns Nasty: ‘It’s Our Country – Let’s Take It Back’

Sarah Palin is due to address the Tea Party Convention in Nashville tonight

Tim Reid in Nashville

They will proudly boast of how they have galvanised ordinary Americans against runaway government spending, but a dark underbelly of xenophobia has been exposed at the first national gathering of the Tea Party movement.

Here in the vast Gaylord resort in Nashville, where 600 members of the conservative grassroots phenomenon that exploded in revolt against President Obama’s economic policies have gathered, it would be advisable not to wear a T-shirt declaring “I am an illegal immigrant”.

The anti-Government, anti-Establishment movement, which has splintered in the past week with many boycotting this gathering, has billed itself as a revolution born of the widespread disgust at Washington and the way that the nation’s politicians are bankrupting America’s future.

With its raucous protests it has undeniably become a political force that threatens to hand Democrats a disastrous midterm election night in November. Voter anger against spending and debt, of which the Tea Partiers are in the vanguard, played a significant role in the recent loss of the late Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat and could conceivably lead to Democrats losing the House and Senate.

Yet the speech that opened the Nashville event yesterday, an address greeted with whoops and cheers from the mainly white audience, reflects a movement that also appears to have a less attractive side to it.

[Windflier]

Sarah is being paid how much money to adress this “Tea Party” crowd?

If you'd bothered to actually pay attention, you'd know that Sarah Palin is donating her speaking fee to charity.

But, you'd rather come in here and spit on one this nation's finest patriots for your own cockamamie reasons.

Your use of sneer quotes around the phrase, Tea Party, outs you as well.

[blondee123]

If you’re not for socialism, you’re an extremist! Well then, just call me a HUGE EXTREMIST!

[ADemocratNoMore]

bttt

[Enterprise]

I would love it if the Tea Party would adopt "This is My Country" as a theme song. Oh man, I can imagine the liberal heads exploding like a string of firecrackers.

"This is my country! Land of my birth!
This is my country! Grandest on earth!
I pledge thee my allegiance, America, the bold,
For this is my country to have and to hold."

I like the part of being the land of my birth - for those who have a birth certificate.

[STONEWALLS]

...I’ve yet to hear anybody on the Left explain why it was necessary to transform this great country by flooding it with third world people.