The Lockdown Backlash May Be the New Tea Bagger Movement

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

At first it was just random resistance from rural or Mountain West areas hardly affected initially by the coronavirus pandemic. But now it’s spreading to places near COVID-19 hot spots where some people think restrictive measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus have gone too far, or are willing to take their chances (and force others to do the same) with deadly infection in order to keep their businesses, their jobs, or their “freedumb” as they understand it.

By now it’s clear that there is an organized national effort to fight extended lockdown orders. It has already helped generate loud public protests in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. And it’s probably going to spread nearly as rapidly as the coronavirus itself in the rich soil of anti-government subcultures where it’s widely accepted that “tyrants” are exploiting the emergency to impose their godless socialist views on freedom-loving but fearful Americans.

The protests often look spontaneous, as my colleague Adam K. Raymond noted:

On Wednesday, opponents of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order in Michigan held a car-bound protest dubbed “Operation Gridlock …”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/the-lockdown-backlash-may-be-the-new-tea-party-movement/ar-BB12Jqzn?ocid=msn360

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Body Bagger movement. Astroturfed by DeVos. . . . nt

[FirstLight]

3. great name... :(

make it a trending hashtag!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Anyone can do it. I don't write tweets or follow. I look at selected ones linked to

Anyone can take credit that wants it. If it gets out there and it comes back to me through other tweets or posts or articles or other links, then I'll be gratified.

[Celerity]

15. +100000

[crickets]

31. +1000000

[Bernardo de La Paz]

39. Exponential Growth. Hmmm, where have I seen that recently.

[onecaliberal]

38. That will certainly be the result.

[Brother Mythos]

41. Yes, it certainly does look like they've evolved from Tea-Baggers into Body Baggers.

Excellent observation! And, they don't even believe in evolution.

[D_Master81]

2. My Facebook feed is starting to fill up with it

A lot of people here in rural Indiana saying enough is enough. They think the governor is weak for saying he wants to open in a few weeks. This is gonna be something that splits the country eventually I’m afraid. And as many people struggle with bills I’m afraid it’s going to get harder for governors to remain closed.

[Drahthaardogs]

6. Let them die. Really, fuck it.

I am tired of trying to protect stupid people from themselves.

[TomSlick]

14. The problem is that these stupid people would take many others with them.

If we don't protect these stupid people from themselves, who will protect the rest of us from them?

[Jamastiene]

24. I understand the sentiment and agree, except

when they start blocking ambulances from getting into hospitals and helping those who need help, then WE need protections from the stupid people. They are endangering more than just themselves. They are endangering US. Too bad they cannot Darwin themselves out of existence, but the way they are going about things is going to take us with them.

[Drahthaardogs]

25. Can't they just Rapture away

Go live with Republican Jesus?

[Jamastiene]

32. I wish.

I'm fed up with their stupidity endangering the rest of us and making life miserable. I wish they could go elsewhere, so the rest of us won't have to be held back by them any more.

[Iliyah]

7. Rural areas are 3-2 weeks behind the states that are . .

finally seeing the curve. And rural areas are seeing the raise of infections and deaths. It's hitting them and I'm afraid it will hit them hard. Texas and Florida for example.

I know RWer's don't care and only see this as a threat to their so called "freedoms" while not realizes that shithole and republicans are taking their "freedoms away, but alas, we see it in the reality world and don't mind helping them as well.

And we will be there for and with them and I think many know that

[LakeArenal]

5. Lock them up!!!

America love it or leave it!!

[Wellstone ruled]

8. Here in Nevada it is the

Tea Baggers who are leading the charge for opening up the State.

[Wellstone ruled]

45. Yepper,a big time Bagger.

[WhiteTara]

9. Don't you think that it's GOP/Putin

paid trolls?

[2naSalit]

19. That would be at the top of my list of possibilities. ...nt

[WhiteTara]

21. Thanks for the validation!

[Jamastiene]

29. Betsy DeVos, Trump's "Education" person...

Normally, her position would be called Education Secretary, but I refuse to call her that as she is anti-education and a raging homophobe/transphobe and her brother ran Blackwater.

Betsy DeVos' family was behind those blocking ambulances from getting into hospitals. There was actually more than one instance of them blocking ambulances. One, they blocked for 10 minutes. That 10 minutes can be the difference between life and death. There is another thread on DU with links to another picture of them blocking an ambulance at an intersection too.

https://www.salon.com/2020/04/16/conservative-grouplinked-to-devos-familyorganizes-protest-of-coronavirus-restrictions-in-michigan/

So, it is not a matter of thinking it. There is already proof of who is behind it and it IS part of the Trump administration.

Someone said they were being paid to do it, but I haven't found documentation on that yet. If I do, I will post it. I don't want to say that part is fact until I find some kind of article or link or proof. But, paid or not, what they are doing has been organized by conservative groups. That much we already know.

[crickets]

33. Somebody is being paid to organize and advertise.

Those Facebook messages don't write and post themselves.

[Jamastiene]

35. That is true.

I wish we could bust it open and find out who. Where did Anonymous go? We could sure use them now.

[crickets]

37. I've kinda wondered the same thing. They're awfully quiet lately. nt

[jojog]

10. Fox is all over it in prime time tonight. nt

[UpInArms]

11. Some in right-wing media egg on protests against stay-at-home orders

Some right-wing media personalities are encouraging Americans to protest stay-at-home orders, arguing it is time to start to re-open the economy.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Wednesday tweeted approvingly of people in Michigan demonstrating against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's order. "Time to get your freedom back," Ingraham declared. "Soon Marylanders, Virginians, etc will stand for their right to work, travel, assemble, socialize and worship? Massive long lasting damage is piling up day after day as many 'experts' continue to get the virus analysis wrong," Ingraham wrote in another tweet.

Ingraham wasn't the only Fox personality to express such a sentiment. Jeanine Pirro told Sean Hannity Wednesday night that the health officials "overblew what was going to happen in terms of the number of people who were going to die" and now are telling people to stay home. "No," she said. Pirro later added, "The American spirit is too strong and Americans are not going to take it. And what happened in Lansing, [Michigan], today, God bless them, it's going to happen all over the country."

Fox also spent the day spotlighting the protests. It was the top story on FoxNews.com for a fair amount of time, with the headline, "NO TO THE 'NANNY STATE.'" And it received airtime on shows where hosts appeared to somewhat agree with the protesters.

Outside Fox, others in right-wing media have also started speaking out. A prominent Infowars host is organizing a Texas rally for later this week. "Are we in martial law right now?" the host asked Wednesday. "Because we're acting like it."

The far-right blog The Gateway Pundit framed the protests as people protesting a "tyrannical governor" who had implemented "police state policies." And Candace Owens tweeted this week she was going to the grocery store every day, expressing outrage at the fact that she was asked to wear a mask. "WTF is going on?" Owens wondered.

https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEAIgZiOjRLGIXiywPblEqnoqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowocv1CjCSptoCMMSUnAY?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

[msongs]

12. gee dont stores get their freedom to have a customer dress code? freedom for her only nt

[mucifer]

13. It seems like either way it's gonna be a horror show.

People aren't going to want to stay home for months on end with no money and no job and no food.

This can't end well.

[SheltieLover]

16. They should be charged as domestic terrorists

& given about 20 yrs each, on a rocket docket with lots of msm coverage.

If only someone would try this, I believe we could cut to the chase in stopping this insanity.

To do otherwise, in my opinion is to enable their anti-social and dangerous behavior which, of course, only emboldens the asshats.

How many MORE Ahospital ambulance roads will be blocked this week?

[Jamastiene]

30. Is Anonymous still around?

I wonder if there is a way to ID them by their faces in the pictures of the protests and make sure at least their names and faces are forever known by employers and others in their future who can think about whether or not they want to be associated or hire someone who would do such a thing. The police did not seem all too interested in stopping them, but those that block ambulances should be seen and known throughout the world as people who would kill someone because of their own selfishness and inability to act civilized and have an willpower at all. They should be known for their temper tantrums during this. If the police won't stop them, the rest of us can at least be warned about them, that they are not the kind of people we want to do business with or be associated with when things return to normal.

[madinmaryland]

17. The gun nutters can't flaunt their penis in public anymore. Assholes.

[Hoyt]

23. I think they are just looking for another reason to intimidation/shoot people.

[ahoysrcsm]

44. I see at least 4 wearing masks.

They must be hiding their faces, yeah that's it. Found #5.

[Baclava]

18. Sounds like a ready volunteer force for testing, round them up and send them to a tent city for 14 d

[rockfordfile]

20. That's a lie

That's a lie. Spontaneous? They're organized right-wing thugs

[Jamastiene]

22. It might appear that way, but Operation Gridlock is NOT spontaneous.

It was organized by Betsy DeVos' family.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/15/michigan-protest-whitmer-coronavirus-188579

[gratuitous]

26. A not-spontaneous bunch of billionaire-bankrolled bumpkins

Check, sounds like the tea baggers. Getting a lot more media coverage than their numbers merit. Check. Pundits opining without any reason that this handful of yahoos represents a much, much larger segment of society. Check. Credulous coverage that their cause actually makes sense. Checkaroonie.

[SCantiGOP]

27. Darwin, like karma, is a bitch

The more they congregate with their comrades, the fewer that will be around to vote.
And when they get sick, it might change some minds of people that know them.
Not a good foundation for a political movement.

[GreenEyedLefty]

28. Not if a number of them get sick and die

I think a lot of those tools think that the CV is a hoax.

[Volaris]

42. They'll blame the Democratic governors for not arresting them to keep them safe,

And claim those governors are soft on crime

[llmart]

34. Same idiots only different name.

We had plenty of teabaggers here in Michigan. These are the same asshats. And yes, let's just call them body baggers this time.

[JCMach1]

36. Backed by Club for Growth and Koch money

And others in the name of Trump