Legacy of Boston Tea Party Sullied by Sensationalist Politics (Tea Party Pooper Alert)

Occidental Weekly ^ | 2/3/2010 | Chloe Jenkins-Sleczkowski

[Fiji Hill]

Legacy of Boston Tea Party Sullied by Sensationalist Politics

By: Chloe Jenkins-Sleczkowski

Posted: 2/3/10

The past year has brought on an inreased exposure of tea - not Earl Grey. I am speaking of the Tea Party Movement, the grassroots and conservative-minded (dis-)organization that has been making headlines with its latest shenanigans to reclaim the country for the intellectually lazy.

Although some political diversity is a nice change, it does not need to be in the form of griping conservatives who are only making it harder on a president who has more than enough on his plate. The Tea Party Movement began roughly a year ago, starting with a number of protests staged against government bailouts, government regulations on big business and the health care overhaul. Most notably, beginning last February, members of the movement have staged scattered protests throughout the country in opposition of Obama's health care plan and various other proposals. Basically, if Obama proposed anything, they griped.

The Tea Party began merely as multiple protests across the country, and remains an unorganized confederacy of fractured groups, who call themselves "grassroots" and "populist." In most recent news, the Tea Partiers have claimed credit for Republican Senator Scott Brown's win in Massachusetts, labeled as a "surprise attack" because of his against-all-odds win over the democratic favorite Martha Coakley. "Surprise attacks" like this should cause Democrats and Republicans to consider the Tea Party a threat to party foundations.

Two hundred and thirty seven years ago, a group of American patriots protested unfair taxation by throwing shipments of tea into Boston Harbor. This event became a symbol for American liberty and independence. Hoping to garner support from followers who want to feel American, the Tea Party Movement stole an historic icon to make a badge for people to attach to. It has done this in order to enroll the support of lazy citizens who otherwise would not know or care about the ideals of the movement.

It sounds good to be a patriotic member of the "Tea Party." It's a catchy name with built-in recognition - a brilliant marketing scheme - but the two Parties have little in common. The revolutionary Tea Partiers stood up for their country's independence. Today's Tea Partiers want to use that independence and the very government our forefathers framed to deregulate big businesses and eliminate government control, to strip our country of the only tools that still fight for the people and fend off the excesses of special interests. How did "taxation without representation" turn into "whine whine whine?" Today's Tea Partiers are more likely to be sipping from porcelain cups than their Bostonian ancestors.

For a movement that Sarah Palin, the keynote speaker at the upcoming Tea Party Conference, calls "beautiful," and named for the Boston forefathers' liberating protest against British taxation, the Tea Party is surprisingly uncouth. They claim that their purpose is to return the government to its constitutional definitions (the Tea Party Mission Statement advocates "Fiscal Responsibility," "Constitutionally Limited Government" and "Free Markets"), but all they've been doing is making loud, obnoxious and huffy protests that keep catching the headlines. Obama wants to fix the health care system; they decide to cry about it because they disagree. Congress tries to rekindle the economy; the Tea Party goes up in arms about protecting their big businesses.

Opposition groups have always existed, but nowadays they're more voice than action. Two years ago, protesting the president was considered un-American. Now, being a good American includes the ideal of self-importance and overratedness, and then perpetuating the ideal that if you're loud enough, you can get your own way. They have turned politics into more of a shouting match than a tool to work for its citizens. The Tea Party Movement also prides itself on being without a distinguishable center. It consists of multiple independent movements without a unified plan, leader or center, whose focal points vary by state and city. Democrats and even some Republicans dismiss them as "Astroturf," a name referring to a fake grassroots organization that touts its localness but is, in fact, just loud and ineffective.

Despite the conservative Republican base of the Tea Party Movement, no one actually wants anything to do with them. Democrats scorn them and call them dirty names. Republicans criticize their disorganization. Even the man they call their poster boy, Ron Paul, has clarified that he does not want to be affiliated with them. The Tea Partiers are just an alienated faction that can't stand being on the outside, so it shouts from the loudspeakers to be heard. It doesn't matter what's being shouted, as long as it is loud and in the headlines. Rather than supplying a constructive oppositional voice, this movement only serves to derail any forward movement liberals hoped to have.

The Tea Party Movement just needs to get over itself. Instead of throwing a fit when they disagree with the administration's policy, opposition needs to sit itself down and think about what's truly best for our country. Shouting back and forth, admittedly a fault in both parties, will get nothing done. Instead, oppositional voices need to present a structured, sensible argument that leaves wiggle room for both sides. In our increasingly polarized and politicized world, everything is just about "objectionalism" and "obstructionalism." What happened to a good debate?

Chloe Jenkins-Sleczkowski is a senior ECLS major. She can be reached at cjenkins@oxy.edu.

[El Gran Salseron]

“”Surprise attacks” like this should cause Democrats and Republicans to consider the Tea Party a threat to party foundations.”

You better believe it. As the Tea Party gets stronger the dims and repubs will enter into a conspiracy to destroy the Tea Party such as the world has never seen. The conspiracy has already started on a small level.

[El Gran Salseron]

“How did “taxation without representation” turn into “whine whine whine?”

Well, because “taxation WITH representation” hasn’t worked out so well either.

[US Navy Vet]

Chloe Jenkins-Sleczkowski, the name alone here should tell everyone something.

[a fool in paradise]

Two years ago, protesting the president was considered un-American.

In Bush's America, it was "unAmerican to protest against the president."

In Obama's America, we have an unAmerican president who protests against this nation and all former protests while he bows to foreign leaders around the world.

[stinkerpot65]

A senior in college wrote this? The writing skills alone are an embarassment.

Chloe Jenkins-Sleczkowski

Hyphenated name = angry, uptight feminist.

Favorite feminist joke:

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Feminist.
Feminist, who?
SHUT UP!!!!!

[a fool in paradise]

There is more structure uniting the “lone nut” Islamic jihadists who are killing people inside the United States yet the DNC, NHS, and FBI are more “concerned” with conservative activists.

The power of government is being used for a partisan suppression of protected free speech.

[FrdmLvr]

All the sudden the left gets all patriotic and offended at what they perceive is our American history becoming "sullied". Didn't think they cared. Who knew?

BTW this was posted to FR by a fellow freeper patriot, in case anyone missed it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZfRaWAtBVg

[CSM]

Ooops, my bad. Of to re-education camp for me.

;-)

[a fool in paradise]

We are edging towards a world where a majority of the nation is receiving public assistance, public service paychecks (vs. private industry), or not paying a dime of income tax.

Those who get it done are being compelled to “pay more” because we aren’t “paying our fair share”.

Until everyone is even PAYING in, some clearly AREN’T paying their share. And those who illegally draw off of public funds they never paid into (under falsified identity, and then wire their paychecks back to the homeland) are double dipping.

[Eddie01]

Left my “opinion”. Thanks for the link.

[a fool in paradise]

The Tea Party Movement just needs to get over itself. Instead of throwing a fit when they disagree with the administration's policy, opposition needs to sit itself down and think about what's truly best for our country.

This is what Bill Clinton told the opposition in the 1990s "Sit down and shut up!"

Or as President Elect Obama said "I won." (when asked why he wasn't making bipartisan concessions to the Republicans)

[a fool in paradise]

Democrats and even some Republicans dismiss them as "Astroturf," a name referring to a fake grassroots organization that touts its localness but is, in fact, just loud and ineffective.

Astroturf = organizations like ACORN and Media Matters.

[Oldpuppymax]

Astounding, isn’t it! This girls parents are probably paying a fortune for her “education” and all they have to show for their cash outlay are the musings of a thoroughly misinformed, brainless dolt. And by the way, Chloe, two years ago it was considered PATRIOTIC to attack the president! Remember Hillary’s nonsensical rant??!! It’s only unpatriotic when a democrat invades the White House. But then facts have so little to do with leftist dogma!

[astyanax]

Someone earlier posted an article by this same dingbat.
It’s hard to forget such insipid writing. ;)

[LoneStarGI]

A-f!ck’n-men. This ‘little girl’ needs to come back in eight years or so after she’s actually been out in the real world and then see if she still holds on to these same ideas. It’s easy to regurgitate the un-debated lies and half-truths of liberal professors in their ivory towers, but things look a lot different when you watch 30-50% of each paycheck disappear down some government black hole, when you’re trying to pay a mortgage, car, child care, etc.

[martin_fierro]

Now, being a good American includes the ideal of self-importance and overratedness

I mean, you can't make this stuff up.

[Fiji Hill]

In Obama's OWN autobiography (which he may or may not have written himself): "I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist Professors and the structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets.We smoked cigarettes and wore leather jackets. At night, in the dorms, we discussed neocolonialism, Franz Fanon, Eurocentrism, and patriarchy. When we ground out our cigarettes in the hallway carpet or set our stereos so loud that the walls began to shake, we were resisting bourgeois society's stifling constraints." - Barack Hussein Obama

I believe it--I went to school there. His reference to grinding out cigarettes in the hallway carpet may indicate that he was in the same dorm where I stayed, which had wall-to-wall carpeting. The dorm also had a small library, which had a subscription to Human Events, and each week I would read it cover to cover.

[iopscusa]

My response at the school’s paper’s website:
I’m very disappointed about the antipathy of and the closed mindedness displayed here by a young college student. I thought higher liberal education was about comparison learning of different views, histories and political systems and that this would include one of the most interesting political party developments in decades or possibly since the Whigs dissolved in the mid 1800s, the Taxed Enough Already aka TEA Party. As much as every opposition group likes to disclaim, the TP is truly a grassroots political entity with a foundation based on the Founding Constitution of this country and has had an amazing first year as reflected in the amount of influence I believe the TP had at the TownHalls (where the only astroturfing was by the Union thugs) and the electoral victories in VA, NJ & MA elections. One of the early TP Leaders, Lloyd Marcus has a great take on the Tea Party, check it out, join the Patriots, recover some of the we in ‘We the People’, the Spirit of 1776. Read this article for more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/02/tea_party_movement_untamed.html

[SuziQ]

ROTFL! Sensationalist? Anyone who says this must not have the facts about the ORIGINAL Tea Party in Boston Harbor. The men who took part in it dressed like Indians, to somewhat disguise themselves, and had a grand old time dumping the tea into the harbor.

Of course, nowadays, they could be arrested for theft, or whatever, because the tea didn't belong to them. I don't see folks in the modern Tea Party doing those sorts of activities. They're mostly there to make the average voter aware of what exactly is going on with our government, because they won't necessarily hear it on their nightly news broadcasts.

Yeah, it's loosely organized, and it looks messy, but hey, that's what happens when citizens live in a country in which their right to speak out is protected by the Constitution. I don't see a thing wrong with it, but I guess the media thinks we all need to be led like sheep, so seeing so many of us roaming around loose is a scary thing. ;o)