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E.J. Dionne Jr. of Washington Post Muses: Can the left stage a Tea Party?
Washington Post ^ | 10/03/2011 | E.J. Dionne Jr.

Posted on 10/03/2011 7:46:05 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Why hasn’t there been a Tea Party on the left? And can President Obama and the American left develop a functional relationship?

That those two questions are not asked very often is a sign of how much of the nation’s political energy has been monopolized by the right from the beginning of Obama’s term. This has skewed media coverage of almost every issue, created the impression that the president is far more liberal than he is, and turned the nation’s agenda away from progressive reform.

A quiet left has also been very bad for political moderates. The entire political agenda has shifted far to the right because the Tea Party and extremely conservative ideas have earned so much attention. The political center doesn’t stand a chance unless there is a fair fight between the right and the left.

It’s not surprising that Obama’s election unleashed a conservative backlash. Ironically, disillusionment with George W. Bush’s presidency had pushed Republican politics right, not left. Given the public’s negative verdict on Bush, conservatives shrewdly argued that his failures were caused by his lack of fealty to conservative doctrine. He was cast as a big spender (even if a large chunk of the largess went to Iraq). He was called too liberal on immigration and a big-government guy for bailing out the banks, using federal power to reform the schools and championing a Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Conservative funders realized that pumping up the Tea Party movement was the most efficient way to build opposition to Obama’s initiatives. And the media became infatuated with the Tea Party in the summer of 2009, covering its disruptions of congressional town halls with an enthusiasm not visible this summer when many Republicans faced tough questions from their more progressive constituents.

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


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: coffeeparty; left; liberals; teaparty
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1 posted on 10/03/2011 7:46:12 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

No.

The Tea Party believes in The Constitution

The left does not.


2 posted on 10/03/2011 7:47:42 AM PDT by A_Former_Democrat
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To: SeekAndFind

Dionne doesn’t understand the Tea part, “Taxed Enough Already.” The left can’t have a Tea Party because they believe they are not taxed enough.


3 posted on 10/03/2011 7:48:16 AM PDT by NRA1995 (Obama's presidency is shovel-ready; let's bury it in 2012!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Problem is that the Tea Party is, by its nature, a spontaneous movement. If there were to be a left wing version, it would have already happened.


4 posted on 10/03/2011 7:48:49 AM PDT by rightwingcrazy
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To: SeekAndFind

No, because they are either Commies or Commie sympathizers. They adore government. They are the “King George” of modern America.


5 posted on 10/03/2011 7:49:43 AM PDT by Inwoodian
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To: SeekAndFind

If they try, it will no doubt come out looking like the Chicago Convention of 1968. And just as those events chased the public into the arms of Nixon, the reaction will drive the country further rightward.


6 posted on 10/03/2011 7:50:06 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: rightwingcrazy

The Collective Will would have already been given their marching orders from George Soros...oh wait, they have.


7 posted on 10/03/2011 7:50:47 AM PDT by Pecos (O.K., joke's over. Time to bring back the Constitution.)
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To: SeekAndFind

No more proof needed that the Left has no understanding of Tea Party, the original Boston tea party, the Constitution how it came to be, and the meaning of all three.


8 posted on 10/03/2011 7:51:05 AM PDT by Sir Napsalot (Pravda + Useful Idiots = CCCP; JournOList + Useful Idiots = DopeyChangey!)
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To: SeekAndFind

*****And the media became infatuated with the Tea Party in the summer of 2009*****

I missed that - Just D@mn!


9 posted on 10/03/2011 7:51:05 AM PDT by sodpoodle (God is ignoring me - because He is watching you.)
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To: SeekAndFind

No, they can’t.

The TEA Party is a respectful, constitutional based spontaneous reaction of like minded individuals who’s anger all boils down to a reasoably simple to understand concept. Government overreach.

The Left is a conglomeration of disrespectful, unconstitutional factions which have gathered together to gain political power as a voting bloc. When the enviros protest, the unions will stay home. When the race baiters protest, the gays stay home etc...


10 posted on 10/03/2011 7:51:45 AM PDT by Personal Responsibility (Cain 2012!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Dionne and the Left still do not understand the TEA Party and its nature. They’re projecting themselves yet again since everything they plan and do requires “Vanguard of the Proletariat” style astroturfing. That the TEA Party is a wholly grassroots phenomenon and has not relied upon top-down direction and organizing is completely foreign to them.


11 posted on 10/03/2011 7:52:04 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner (Sarah Palin has crossed the Rubicon!)
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To: SeekAndFind
E.J. Dionne Jr., wringing his panties in frustration, because the media's gone too conservative under Obama.

Reading that wasted 47 seconds of my life that I'll never get back.

12 posted on 10/03/2011 7:52:20 AM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: SeekAndFind

They can’t because they already have their protest groups down on Wall Street disrupting, getting arrested, and making asses out of themselves in front of the People while wasting taxpayer money putting up with their childish and selfish BS..

They have the communist party, labor unions, black panthers, you name it, already doing their bidding.

All that happens when the left gets involved is an eye opening of the people watching the anti American screed that spews out of them.

The do best when they shut up.


14 posted on 10/03/2011 7:53:11 AM PDT by dforest
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To: SeekAndFind

They can’t because they already have their protest groups down on Wall Street disrupting, getting arrested, and making asses out of themselves in front of the People while wasting taxpayer money putting up with their childish and selfish BS.

They have the communist party, labor unions, black panthers, you name it, already doing their bidding.

All that happens when the left gets involved is an eye opening of the people watching the anti American screed that spews out of them.

The do best when they shut up.


15 posted on 10/03/2011 7:53:34 AM PDT by dforest
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To: rightwingcrazy

Leftists’ ideology centers around top-down control.
They have no idea how a “movement” can work without elite leaders “organizing” the hoi polloi into vocal protest.


16 posted on 10/03/2011 7:54:01 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
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To: SeekAndFind

hey E.J., there is...700 of ‘em got arrested this weekend.


17 posted on 10/03/2011 7:54:19 AM PDT by stylin19a (obama..."Fredo-Smart")
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To: NRA1995
SOME FIXING...
The left can’t have a Tea Party because they believe they you and others are not taxed enough.
18 posted on 10/03/2011 7:55:44 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (u)
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To: SeekAndFind

No, the author has no grasp of the differences between the RNC and the DNC.

The RNC is a party of concensus. We have little in common, other than some core beliefs. We want small goverment, low taxes and freedoms to live our lives. We each have our favorite politician, but through exercises of ‘give and take’ we reach a consensus as to which candidate more closely approximates our individual taste.

The DNC is a party of personal promotion. Consider, the Homosexual Party, Automaker’s Unions, Environmentalists and Welfare recipients all want something from the goverment, each for selfish reasons. They cannot justify their own existance financially; they depend upon the Gov’t to forcibly take money from the taxpayer, and then give it to them or to champion their cause. They are parsites - those who consume off their host, and contribute little, if anything back to the good of the host.

So, we have the Tea Party; individuals from all walks of life, across all races, backgrounds, economic strata and lifestyles - spontaneously showing up and speaking with a loud voice; for the GOOD OF THE COUNTRY.

Whereas, the left cares only about what is in the individual’s best self-interests. They are fundamentally flawed, in that they have little or no regard as to what is good for the country; they are focused on their own selfish little world.


19 posted on 10/03/2011 7:56:15 AM PDT by Hodar ( Who needs laws; when this FEELS so right?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Ding-Dong, you ever seen a patriotic, flag-waving, America-Loving left-wing rally?


20 posted on 10/03/2011 7:56:28 AM PDT by TexasCajun (Fast & Furious , Solyndra & Light Squared would be enough to impeach any White President !!)
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