Posted on 02/19/2010 8:17:51 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
There has been quite a bit of talk lately about a growing political movement by newly-minted Constitutionalists called the “Tea Party movement”. It has been touted as a “grass roots rebellion” all over the conservative airwaves and news media, despite the huge names endorsing the ideas.
In an article by David Barstow, he describes the movement as being a separate mechanism away from the Republicans, and that it has a more “traditionally conservative” background.
“[A] significant undercurrent within the Tea Party movement that has less in common with the Republican Party than with the Patriot movement, a brand of politics historically associated with libertarians, militia groups, anti-immigration advocates and those who argue for the abolition of the Federal Reserve.”
Barstow’s article goes on to describe the aforementioned Constitutionalists as only recently coming to political awareness when they realized that “Washington was a threat”. Further, several of them mention the possible, if not probable, impending need for revolution, “Mrs. Stout said she felt as if she had been handed a road map to rebellion.” This theme of militias actually being called into action is widely apparent throughout Barstow’s article and in Tea Party ideals.
“In Indiana, Richard Behney, a Republican Senate candidate, told Tea Party supporters what he would do if the 2010 elections did not produce results to his liking: “I’m cleaning my guns and getting ready for the big show. And I’m serious about that, and I bet you are, too.”
What has essentially happened, however, is that the Tea Party movement has been touted so fervently by conservative media that it hardly qualifies as a grass roots movement. Last April, Fox News pushed for the Tea Parties so hard that it actually fabricated video footage in order to make a Tea Party seem larger.
Even further, the lead proponent of the Tea Parties at the Fox News Channel is none other than Glenn Beck. While Ron Paul is a favorite presidential candidate, Barstow’s article seems to imply that Sarah Palin is a lead choice for many of these Tea Party members. The connection then is the relationship of the Tea Party’s organizers, proponents, leaders and media supporters all being tied, in some way, to Fox News. That network, for years, has been the media outlet for Republican talking points–you know, the ones touting “anti-big government” rhetoric while simultaneously supporting the Patriot Act. Barstow addresses the assumption of the connection.
“Some Tea Party groups are essentially appendages of the local Republican Party. But most are not.”
While it has to be said that not all, or even most, Tea Party members of average citizenry believe that the Tea Party is a tool for conservatives in power, that is unfortunately the case. As the Tea Parties have finally come to realize that our democracy is bought and sold, manipulated by popular special interests with great hairlines and high cheekbones, they have unfortunately missed the fact that they are being led by such people.
Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, I believe it is fairly obvious, are two filthy politicians and charlatans of the highest order. For Christ’s sake, if the guys who make South Park can figure this out, you would think that grown, 40 or 50-year old adults could. Then again, these are the same people who, “voted twice and failed political science twice.”
Beck, Palin and the rest of the Fox crew are profiteers, gerrymandering a political movement that believes that an armed revolution is the way to stop Pfizer from contributing to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign fund. These are the same reactionary, excitable and scared people that are just too easy for big-time conservatives to prey on.
The bottom line is, a major tenant of this “classical conservatism” these Tea Party people have forgotten is that of gradual change. Talking about “justifying war” and “revolution” and “sometimes there’s no other choice” is talk of actionable violence (which, by the way, let’s not forget how stupid that is. They have tanks, you have a 1911 and a deer rifle). It doesn’t surprise me that these people don’t understand–they only just now joined the foray of political thought, and even then, they’re being dragged through the swamp instead of discovering it for themselves.
But the problem here is that there very well is a problem with our government. Everyone, from all sides, recognizes it. Seats in both houses and the Presidency are bought with campaign war chests provided by “special interests”. There are more lobbyists than members of the house and the senate, combined. Yet acting as a bunch of yokels by rounding up a posse and lighting a torch only makes it easier to identify just who’s going to come out on top.
As always, the path to governmental change is from the inside, out. It’s the same thing I always say to protesters trying to get something changed in Salem with cardboard signs here in Eugene. Pool your resources, canvass, get something signed, and get some money (the dudes who want medical marijuana do it). Go buy your own candidate, one that will pass laws or create some real change (even if it is ridiculous). Tea Party people, even if misguided, have a fundamental flaw in that they do not understand the situation at hand. Armed revolution will not come to this country, and spouting the problems of a populist, elitist government while simultaneously being led by those same people is completely asinine.
Until they understand that, they’re just sheep. Sheared for their wool, slaughtered for their meat.
Sounds quite like a troll.
Well, to my knowledge none of the people who started the Tea Party last summer have advocated armed revolution. I expect given the recent success they have had at the polls it is left that will be taking up arms, if they knew which end of the tube the round came out of.
If you are winning elections everywhere why would you take up arms?
Silly stuff this article.
Another out-of-touch liberal dumb@ss.
No they didn't. Fox should sue this airhead.
The Tea Party movement was named by Leftists who are trying to constrain and factionalize it against itself, in order to destroy it. Actual people who go to tea parties are angry conservatives, not political organizational ideologues. Liberals who try to insult tea party people into quitting by refusing to acknowledge constitutional principles are completely asinine, because they merely preach to their own - not tea party people.
And as for armed revolution, that is a Leftist concept - tea party people believe that we had our revolution in 1776, and for the right reasons. The only people who fear tea party guns are those who seek to overthrow that original revolution.
This masterpiece of political analysis came from something called “The Oregon Commentator?”.
I didn’t bother clicking the link, but still wonder whether this was taken from a blog (my guess) rather than the print medium.
The prose was too amateurish, the facts hopelessly out of date, the snarkiness merely dumb rather than wicked, for any editor to pay more than a penny a word for this drivel.
This junk just shows me that the unreconstructed Left is ALWAYS finding new ways to be clueless.
Doesn’t even remotely get the facts right.
Why bother?
I doubt that Tea Partyers are "newly-minted" Constitutionalists. They are long-time lovers of Constitutional govt. who have finally realized that no political party represents what they believe in. I hope they remain non-partisan. If they can invade and take over the Republican Party, that would be fine. But don't let the Pubbies exploit and manipulate them as they have done with conservatives for decades.
Yeah. You're probably right. So there's nothing to worry about. Just go back to killing your old and your infirm and everything will be fine.
Hard to believe this was written by an Oregonian.
Just another moonbat outraged that Fox News is allowed to exist.
Well, I just now made the mistake of actually clicking the link and found that indeed, it is a blog, but one that bills itself as “a conservative journal of opinion”.
Who’d ‘a guessed that?
It’s indistinguishable from a MSNBC rant, characterizing
Beck and Palin, as “two filthy politicians and....charlatans”.
The only thing that keeps me from thinking this guy is a Lefty troll/plant/agent provocateur is the presence on the site of an archive going back 7 years. But maybe this guy has evolved recently into a Lefty. I am not going to waste my time reading anything else from him, though.
I made it to “While Ron Paul is a favorite presidential candidate,” and that was enough for me.
This article is so wrong on so many different points that you would need to write something twice as wordy in order to counter it all.
Just another in a long line of people that are trying to put this movement into some sort of box or package that can be wrapped up, labeled and eventually shelved.
Let them keep fooling themselves about what is happening. I will keep counting the days till the next election....
The author does not know a tenet from a tennant, and so the rest of the blather is equally jibberish.
These people keep looking for “the” gotcha belief, leader, something ... anything to hang their nasty little narrative hats upon, and they’re flailing around with this or that subgroup in apparent conflict, when the straightforward, topline Constitutional issues are staring them right in the face.
They’ll never get it because they don’t want to get it, and they don’t want to get it because there is no negative spin that can be put upon it. They’ll keep manufacturing bogeymen until something sticks, or so they hope.
This Crap about Take -Up Arms...?
Have any of them SEEN These Folks at a TEA Party?
Most Have Walking Canes , walkers or an Oxygen Tank with in Reach.
I have seen several Pendants with Life-Alert stenciled on.
Crippled , Blind and Smell of Ben-Gay, average Age is about 60.
75% are Women and single cause their Husbands have Passed away.
These are Dangerous People.
Watch Them Very Close, those Walkers can Give You a Nasty Bruise!
Yea, das rite, Mt. Oregon Commentator man ... we all just sheep doin’ what we do cause we don’t know no better ...
The give away of where this nimrod is coming from; “They have tanks, you have a 1911 and a deer rifle).”
They? We ARE they.
Screw this moron.
This has to be written by an Oregonian who just sampled his latest indoor pot harvest. Anyone who writes: “Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, I believe it is fairly obvious, are two filthy politicians and charlatans of the highest order,” without substantiation, is a charlatan himself. And, this type of charge is a total fabrication that is characteristic of someone high on a drug.
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