The tea party's exaggerated importance

Politico ^ | 04/22/2010 | JONATHAN MARTIN & BEN SMITH

[Egregious Philbin]

2009 was the year when many journalists concluded they were slow to recognize the anti-government, anti-Obama rage that gave birth to the tea party movement.

2010 is the year when news organizations have decided to prove they get it.

And get it. And get it some more.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36185.html#ixzz0lw2p6LOQ

[SoFloFreeper]

aw, ain’t that sweet? TPs are exagerrated.

[Jim Robinson]

They’re going to find out how exaggerated we are in November.

Just vote them OUT!

Rebellion is brewing!!

[84rules]

In fact, there is a word for what poll after poll depicts as a group of largely white, middle-class, middle-aged voters who are aggrieved: Republicans.

Apparently, the idiots that wrote this piece don't know the true demographics of the Tea Parties. Why was this article even posted?

[EyeGuy]

A fundamental truth that this propagandizer is missing is that the Tea Party movement is analogous to an iceberg; we are only seeing the tip of something vastly larger.

Unlike the professional shit-disturberrs on the Left, most conservatives lead busy and productive lives and cannot regularly attend Tea Party gatherings.

[Siena Dreaming]

Yesterday a few stories started coming out from Dems who said the Tea Parties are being covered too much in the MSM (in other words the coverage is drawing in too many who want to join).

Expect to see more stories like this that say the Parties are over-rated. Dems don't like the coverage in the run-up to Nov.

[throwback]

Yeah, the only thing of more exaggerated importance than the TP movement is Left wing journalists and bloggers.

[Oldpuppymax]

Now isn’t THIS surprising....a lib “news” service considers the Tea Parties overrated. Well knock me over with a feather.

[Paperdoll]

Anti-Socialism is what should have been written. Socialism is suicide!

[jmaroneps37]

Hey ash holes! ask my puke Democrat in the 13th NY if the Staten island TEA Party’s influence is exaggerated. I guess he vote against Obamacare because he thought it was the best thing for the country - right?

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Yes and no.

Yes, the Tea Parties are being exagerrated in the sense that they really, truly, are not a new movement that just suddenly swept the country like a storm. The Tea Parties really represent the reinvigourisation of conservative activism that was similarly present in 1994 and 1976-1980, but which went moribund during the Bush years.

However, only an idiot would actually believe the MSM (and make no mistake, Politico is just a blog-arm of the MSM) line that the Tea Parties are much ado about nothing.

[dforest]

The more the lefties piss and moan and try to minimize the tea parties, the bigger they get.

We keep it up until the left is crushed.

[Carley]

Politico, wholly owned by the maoist.

[wayoverontheright]

There's now a republican governor in Virginia and New Jersey, and a republican Senator from Massachusetts, none of whom would be where they are without the groundswell fostered by the tea partiers. The two authors of this article are in denial.

The premise of the article is that the tea party's power is being overrated by the media, when the truth is the media tried to avoid reporting on them until they could no longer ignore them.

The tea parties are composed of private sector people who have had an epiphany, they finally realize that they can sleepwalk no more while being attacked, vilified, and openly declared as the enemy by government. The private sector is under seige, Obama just crystallized the fear and anger that was already there.

[hans56]

I was at the DC ralley on 4/15. There were alot more than 10,000 under the Washington Monument. I heard numbers from 25,000 to 50,000.
I would guess you need to decide the number like a doctor who asks you how much you drink.
Take the answer and multiply it by 5

[SnuffaBolshevik]

Ed Rendell said 1500.

He’s crazy (or scared). I was there and I’ll bet it was 10K minimum.

[BradtotheBone]

Where’s the “BARF ALERT” ???

[Egregious Philbin]

There's now a republican governor in Virginia and New Jersey, and a republican Senator from Massachusetts, none of whom would be where they are without the groundswell fostered by the tea partiers. The two authors of this article are in denial.

I think Tea Party influence definitely played a part in getting them to the finish line, but were not the primary reason they were elected. I do agree with a few of the articles premises, this one in particular. I recall the "success" of MoveOn to motivate people against Bush, and in the end, you see how effective that was?

The majority is still out of touch and apolitical - even if exaggerated, 30% have never heard of the Tea Party!?

[kevkrom]

Politico once again carrying water for the powers that be.

Whatever the daily scattershot narrative of the left is, you’ll be sure to find it in Politico. First it was that they Tea Party was just fringe. Then, they were racists. Next, they were a simmering kettle of barely-contained violence. Now, they’re nothing more than a over-hyped sect of Republicans.

What’s tomorrow’s spin going to be?

[DoughtyOne]

They sure are.  And I get a real hoot out of the supposed support figures for Il Douche' Jr.  We'll see how the November elections go.

Rebellion is definitely brewing.