What is the point of the tea party?

[Adrock-JD]

I don't pay much attention to any of it so I'm just asking here.

No. 1: Isn't the 'tea party' in reference to the Boston Tea Party way back when the colonists were complaining about taxation without representation?

No. 2: How does that translate to today? They got to vote. They lost. Is this just a temper tantrum disguised as a tea party?

Opinion: Republicans and Democrats share pretty much equal blame for the national debt/deficit we're in.

No. 3: If the tea party isn't offering us candidates other than Republicans or Democrats, what is the point?

Opinion: Why go back and forth between two corrupt (owned and operated by corporations) political parties? That doesn't fix anything it just moves the mess from left to right or vice versa.

 

[CoolBlue71]

This may help you, Adrock-JD; you should read the entire article.…


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002529-503544.html

Tea Party Supporters: Who They Are, and What They Believe

By Brian Montopoli
CBS News | April 14, 2010

They're white. They're older. And they're angry.

CBS News and the New York Times surveyed 1,580 adults, including 881 self-identified Tea Party supporters, to get a snapshot of the Tea Party movement. There is a lot of information to unpack; let's begin with the demographics.

Eighteen percent of Americans identify as Tea Party supporters. The vast majority of them -- 89 percent -- are white. Just one percent is black.

They tend to skew older: Three in four are 45 years old or older, including 29 percent who are 65 plus. They are also more likely to be men (59 percent) than women (41 percent).

You may find interesting what Jane Hamsher writes at Fire Dog Lake:
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/20...ceeds-at-hijacking-tea-parties-from-ron-paul/

 

[Adrock-JD]

Thanks. It's what I suspected it was, just under a new banner.

 

[Ambrocious]

Dissension isn't a bad thing and neither is free speech. Free speech and dissension needs to continue to bring about good change, on the contrary, it can be used for badness as well. This is why if we dissent, we need to do it with some good morals.

Dissension is the highest form of Patriotism. Thomas Jefferson

 

[NickCole]

From what I've read and heard, they don't mind paying taxes but are angry about being taxed to fund larger deficits every year for what they believe is A) ridiculously huge government and B) wasteful spending. And they are tired of both Republicans and Democrats promising to get spending under control and then increasing it once they're in office.

The "without representation" relates to feeling neither Republicans nor Democrats represent them even though their campaign promises do. Maybe the most revealing act in understanding who they are is that the candidate who collected the most votes when they polled who they'd support for President was Ron Paul.

Clearly this movement has attracted some kooky people, but I think just as clearly their core grievance is justified.

 

[Masago]

Ignorant sheep led by the drums of battle of their WarLord Mongers Palin, Bachman, Hannity, Beck, and Limbaugh(just to name a few)? Hehe that isn't very PC, and I'm supposed to be a "libbie". But to each their own. I don't agree with their tactics, but in America the 1st Ammendment isn't always convenient.

 

[CoolBlue71]

None of this is surprising to me …

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vrXJ5-EuoE[/ame]

 

[Adrock-JD]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_go_ot/us_clinton_heated_rhetoric

 

[MystikWizard]

The point of the Tea Party is for people to protest anything and everything that Obama does. If Obama does it, the Tea Partiers have to be Against It.

They don't know what they are even protesting other than they have to simply do what FOX tells them to do. These are people who:

1) Are easily susceptible to paranoia

2) Don't know enough about Socialism but feel they must protest it, because that is always what they were taught to do

3) Fear change and the country moving in a new direction

4) Of course, racists. And that is their true underlying motivation for having the amount of negative energy they have, while disguising that racism (or attempting to) with other talking points.


Most of them are just an ignorant group of Americans who feel some type of comradery with other like-minded Americans, and enjoy the social aspect of what it is that they do. It is unfortunate that these individuals are as energized as they are, while the Left, while mostly happy with the way things are going, are not energized and have become complacent.

 

[JB3]

The point of the Tea Party is for people to protest anything and everything that Obama does. If Obama does it, the Tea Partiers have to be Against It.

They don't know what they are even protesting other than they have to simply do what FOX tells them to do. These are people who:

1) Are easily susceptible to paranoia

2) Don't know enough about Socialism but feel they must protest it, because that is always what they were taught to do

3) Fear change and the country moving in a new direction

4) Of course, racists. And that is their true underlying motivation for having the amount of negative energy they have, while disguising that racism (or attempting to) with other talking points.


Most of them are just an ignorant group of Americans who feel some type of comradery with other like-minded Americans, and enjoy the social aspect of what it is that they do. It is unfortunate that these individuals are as energized as they are, while the Left, while mostly happy with the way things are going, are not energized and have become complacent.

You do understand that tea party people protest republicans too, don't you?

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

It's about "taxes and socialism and the government taking away our freedoms."

Which they only suddenly cared about 2 weeks after a black man became president.

 

[cityboy-stl]

and, where are you guys now there are two undeclared wars still going on (people are still dying)

You know I resent the implication that just because there is a Democratic president, Democrats think war is now OK. I find that insulting.

I was supportive of Bush going into Afghanistan but not Iraq. The Iraq war has done nothing to destroy Al Qaeda and has in fact made things worse. Bush went into Iraq this is just my opinion on a personal vendetta to "finish daddies war and kick out Saddam". If he would have gone after the terrorists in Afghanistan like he should have we might be in a much better position today. This was the Democratic position when Bush was in office as remember and still is.

Obama is doing what Bush should have done 8 years ago and is doing a better job. Unfortunately it may be too late. Both places are in a shambles now. But I do think some progress is being made against Al Qaeda. The perception is that the Iraq war is winding down and we're actually and finally going after the people who attacked us. That's why there's not as much anti-war protesting going on. Nevertheless I predict the protests will pick up again if the wars drag on too long, or we still fail to catch Bin Laden, or the ingratitude and corruption in the Afghan government continues or gets worse.

 

[Lostlover]

We've been through this before.

It's a bunch of elderly white hypocrite racists with too much time on their hands. I wish I could say the group has any core issue that I'd happily refute but they don't. They claim it's taxes that irk them. Well 95% of Americans recieved a tax cut.

So we know it's not that. I do believe it is race. They always hated black people. And, well with a black man in office they're talking about the demise of "their" country. Thank goodness time isn't on their side.

Unfortunately my home state of Arizona is overpopulated with these people. In the last week, they've thrown their support behind racial profiling (immigration bill signed by governor) and allowing weapons to be purchased without a background check.

I'm starting to know what an abused wife feels like. It doesn't feel good.

 

[Edward Twinkletoes]

The point of the Tea Party is for people to protest anything and everything that Obama does. If Obama does it, the Tea Partiers have to be Against It.

That's OK. They have that right.

And somebody needs to do it since Obama himself has so many drones.

Maybe if Democrats actually started caring about some kind of accountability from their own leaders we wouldn't need a party that just automatically opposes everything the president does just to balance things out.

 

[Edward Twinkletoes]

Corrected that for you Bush had just as many drones as Obama.

I never said he didn't. And in fact, I have rarely (if ever) had a nice thing to say about Bush. The point is that the Democrats are not distinguishing themselves. And certainly those who support them no matter what are not doing anything to change that.

The fact that the Republicans did the same thing doesn't make it right. Right now, the Democrats are in control and it's the responsibility of their supporters to expect accountability on the part of the people they elected. They're the only ones who can.

Unfortunately, the tea party is doing the right things for the wrong reasons. As long as they're serving an important function, they're fine with me.

 

[NickCole]

We've been through this before.

It's a bunch of elderly white hypocrite racists with too much time on their hands. I wish I could say the group has any core issue that I'd happily refute but they don't. They claim it's taxes that irk them. Well 95% of Americans recieved a tax cut.

Sending a tax "rebate" check as part of the stimulus is not a tax cut.

So we know it's not that. I do believe it is race. They always hated black people. And, well with a black man in office they're talking about the demise of "their" country. Thank goodness time isn't on their side.

Unfortunately my home state of Arizona is overpopulated with these people. In the last week, they've thrown their support behind racial profiling (immigration bill signed by governor) and allowing weapons to be purchased without a background check.

ObamaNation has major issues with race and has been visiting it on the rest of us. Using it as a weapon to silence opposition was bound to make race issues worse amongst themselves because it's a group that plays like pretending is the same as truth and eventually believes it.

I'm starting to know what an abused wife feels like. It doesn't feel good.

Being seduced by a pretender always ends up that way.

 

[Lostlover]

The point of the Tea Party is for people to protest anything and everything that Obama does. If Obama does it, the Tea Partiers have to be Against It.

They don't know what they are even protesting other than they have to simply do what FOX tells them to do. These are people who:

1) Are easily susceptible to paranoia

2) Don't know enough about Socialism but feel they must protest it, because that is always what they were taught to do

3) Fear change and the country moving in a new direction

4) Of course, racists. And that is their true underlying motivation for having the amount of negative energy they have, while disguising that racism (or attempting to) with other talking points.


Most of them are just an ignorant group of Americans who feel some type of comradery with other like-minded Americans, and enjoy the social aspect of what it is that they do. It is unfortunate that these individuals are as energized as they are, while the Left, while mostly happy with the way things are going, are not energized and have become complacent.

Watch what you say. A lot of older posters here are going to report you. It's Stockholm Syndrome for older gays.

They sympathize with these pathetic people.

There's only one solution to the teabagging trash that comes to these protests.

Every time I talk about Teabaggers I get grief. So I've concluded that AARP is funding this board or teabaggers actually post here.

 

[opinterph]

The point of the Tea Party is for people to protest anything and everything that Obama does. If Obama does it, the Tea Partiers have to be Against It.

Your conclusion does not seem to be supported in conjunction with broader reporting, such as the Tea Party supporters’ disapproval of Congress. According to the CBS/NYT poll, linked by CoolBlue71, Tea Party supporters report a higher dissatisfaction with Congress than the President. That seems to suggest that they are unhappy with the current government generally – rather than President Obama predominantly or exclusively.

88% disapprove of the job President Barack Obama is doing, and only 7% approve. 96% disapprove of how Congress is handling its job [and only 1% approve].

Most of them are just an ignorant group of Americans who feel some type of [camaraderie] with other like-minded Americans, and enjoy the social aspect of what it is that they do.

How do you know this? The CBS/NYT poll suggests they are actually more educated and more affluent than the average American.

 

[Joshua_me]

It's about "taxes and socialism and the government taking away our freedoms."

Which they only suddenly cared about 2 weeks after a black man became president.

^That's^ *exactly* what it is.....

 

[NickCole]

^That's^ *exactly* what it is.....

It's revealing, watching Obama supporters so consistently default into playing the race card as if just by saying it it's true.