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President Obama’s Use of “Teabagger” Term Sparks Media Debate
Mediaite.com ^ | 05/05/10 | Glynnis MacNicol

Posted on 05/05/2010 4:55:25 PM PDT by OldDeckHand

ABC News’ Jake Tapper took heat from “some liberal bloggers” when he contrasted President Obama’s call for civility in politics with Obama’s use of the term “tea-bagger” in a November interview for Jonathan Alter’s new book. At issue was Tapper’s failure to point out that the term was originally coined by the Tea Party movement, which he addressed in an update.

WaPo’s Dave Weigel, meanwhile, traces the movement’s attempt to frame the term as a slur. It’s time to correct the record once and for all.

Let me first address the criticism of Tapper’s story. The fact that the Tea Party movement coined the term has little relevance to Jake’s point. In comments to Mediaite yesterday, Dave Weigel summed up the civil way to deal with this:

I like to follow a policy of calling people what they want to be called — or at least don’t object to being called. This is why you don’t see me call people “teabaggers.”

(Excerpt) Read more at mediaite.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: andersoncooper; epithet; obama; slur; teaparty
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To: OldDeckHand
Oh my! Now the left has stooped to using the “T” word! How base, coarse and uncivil!
41 posted on 05/05/2010 6:18:52 PM PDT by NickFlooding (Canceling out liberal votes since 1972.)
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To: OldDeckHand

Obama knows what he is saying, he’s the faggot in chief.


42 posted on 05/05/2010 6:23:11 PM PDT by CodeToad
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To: longtermmemmory

well said Long!!!!, and for those of us who listened at his start, (only at his start....until his liberal commie spewing crap became 100% evident), it is hard to fathom ANYONE giving this man any kudos whatsoever.


43 posted on 05/05/2010 9:18:42 PM PDT by bobby.223
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To: OldDeckHand
He's quickly surpassing Nixon as the most shallow, abrasive and petty man to ever hold the office.The difference is Nixon was a great statesman. He created the schism between China and Russia (with Kissinger) which was a brilliant strategic chess-move that helped the US win the cold war.

He also ended the Vietnam war. His victory was trashed by the incoming Democrats in the post-Watergate Congress, and the feckless Gerald Ford.

Nixon may have been mean spirited and petty at times, but he was also thoughtful and powerful.

Obama isn't fit to clean Nixon's jockstrap.

44 posted on 05/05/2010 10:50:41 PM PDT by Jack Black ( Whatever is left of American patriotism is now identical with counter-revolution.)
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To: Jack Black
“Teabagger” is our “N” word.

Yes! Exactly. If any liberal says it they need to be called out immediately as racist scum (after all they keep reminding us the Tea Parties are code for White), ignorant mouth-breathing trolls. It's also good to get all hostile, screw up your eyes like you're going to pop, threaten to call the police, and report them to HR.

ON THE OTHER HAND - it is quite acceptable for us to use the term among ourselves. We do pronounce it differently though: "teabagga" as in "What's up my Teabagga?" "You my teabagga" and the ever popular "Teabagga please!".

45 posted on 05/05/2010 10:56:35 PM PDT by Jack Black ( Whatever is left of American patriotism is now identical with counter-revolution.)
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To: RegulatorCountry

I thought it traced back to Anderson Cooper using it on his CNN show with a smirk. Either way, I don’t recall hearing it before the lib media used it either. The fact that they have to concoct the excuse that it came from the tea partiers themselves shows that they know it’s poor behavior that exposes their bias and makes them look like jerks.


46 posted on 05/05/2010 11:06:37 PM PDT by Yardstick
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To: calex59
The first it was used was by a bunch of gay a**hats trying to put down the tea partiers.

By Anderson "Teabaggin'" Cooper, to be exact.

47 posted on 05/06/2010 5:29:55 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (FYBO: Islam is a religion of peace, and Muslims reserve the right to kill anyone who says otherwise.)
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To: Jack Black; OldDeckHand

We ought to as vociferously apply the double standard as they do with the “n word”.

“We can use it, but you can’t. And if you do, you’re a bigot.”


48 posted on 05/06/2010 5:32:49 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a (de)humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: Cyber Liberty

OK. But how do you prove it?


49 posted on 05/06/2010 5:36:39 AM PDT by Lee'sGhost (Johnny Rico picked the wrong girl!)
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To: RegulatorCountry
I’ve watched the whole tea party evolve, from a rant by a financial reporter on cable, to tax day protests, to the political and cultural force that it is today, in two short years.

As someone who is old enough to remember the original Boston Tea Party, take it from me. Tea Bags had not been invented in the late 1700's. All tea was made with loose tea. Tea bags have no relationship to the Tea Party.

50 posted on 05/06/2010 5:37:38 AM PDT by Retired COB (Still mad about Campaign Finance Reform)
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To: Lee'sGhost

The very first coast-to-coast Tea Party was April 15, 2009. That was the night Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer shared a laugh when Cooper called the demonstrators “teabaggers.” That was demonstrably the first time we were called that, so the term was not coined by Tea Partiers, but by Anderson Cooper.

Proof enough?


51 posted on 05/06/2010 9:02:33 AM PDT by Cyber Liberty (Build a man a fire; he'll be warm for a night. Set a man on fire; he'll be warm the rest of his life)
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To: Cyber Liberty

Not really. Doesn’t prove that TEA Partiers weren’t using it first, ignorant of its gay connotations.


52 posted on 05/06/2010 11:33:52 AM PDT by Lee'sGhost (Johnny Rico picked the wrong girl!)
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To: Lee'sGhost

Then there is no way to disprove the lying bastards. The smear of good people cannot bed stopped.


53 posted on 05/06/2010 3:02:45 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (Build a man a fire; he'll be warm for a night. Set a man on fire; he'll be warm the rest of his life)
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To: Lee'sGhost

Hold on a second...I’d have to see some proof that any Tea Partiers used the words “tea bagging” before 4/15/09, when Anderson Gay used it on CNN. Since this liberal writer says Tea Partiers coined the expression, it’s up to him to prove it, not up to me personally to disprove it.


54 posted on 05/06/2010 7:21:12 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (Build a man a fire; he'll be warm for a night. Set a man on fire; he'll be warm the rest of his life)
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