I was completely duped by the Tea Party

[titaniumsalute]

At one point I thought that Teabaggers were basically rural or suburban folks who were really passionate about cutting spending and trying to do the right thing. I also thought they were partially rascists who hated a black President.

I now realize who they are. They are a group of the far right Repukes that decided to re-brand themselves from Christian Coalition-Pat Robertson-Rush/Hannity love'n Conservatives. They bought into this Faux News created party called the Tea Party. They are the true Fox Noise lovers, the ones who listen to the right wing radio 24/7. These are the rapture loving Jesus Christers who really were not having much of a voice anymore. They want no government except for the dozens of social issues they believe in. They love government to tell womej how they must treat their fetus, they love government to tell people they cannot have birth control, they love government that goes out of its way to keep gays from having equal rights. They preach CONSTITUTION and FOUNDING FATHERS but forget that we all have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

These are the most evil of the ilk.

[fascisthunter]

1. yes, they are "evil"

they do not believe "we all have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It doesn't get more unamerican than that.

[tcaudilllg]

48. Evil is relative, but exists nonetheless.

[pnwmom]

2. Yes, they are part of nothing new. The same Sanctimonious Right

that has been around forever, now wrapped in a Tea Party blanket.

[titaniumsalute]

6. I'm almost embarassed

How did I not see this clearly. I usually have a good bead on this stuff. They are sheep in wolves clothing. Maybe this abortion "rider" will wake many of the moderates up to what the Teabaggers really believe.

[pnwmom]

9. I think this P.P. issue has clarified things,

especially for many in the media. The Tea Party is just the hard right element of the Rethug party, nothing more.

[socialist_n_TN]

42. In the 60s we knew them as the John Birch Society

Same shit, different decade. They're the shock troops for the capitalist/exploiting class.

[PADemD]

58. Don't you mean wolves in sheep clothing?

I don't understand how you could look at any of their rallies and bigoted signs and mistake their agenda.

[oldbanjo]

94. Tea party

The first Tea Party meeting that Palin spoke at had a radical speaker as the first one to speak. That was a signal to me to have nothing to do with any of them. I told my girlfriend that after hearing the first speech that no one with any intelligence should be speaking at that meeting.

[donquijoterocket]

57. I've

always tended to view them in that way. They are, IMO, a mash up of the remainders of the Birchers with the last bitterest dregs of the moral majority supercharged with corporate money laundered and funneled through the Chamber of Commerce and various astroturf organizations.Created by Dick Armey and Sal Russo of the Republican-connected PR firm Russo,Marsh, and, Rogers with the tacit approval of the Repubs. They serve as Dick and Sal's combination cash cow, personal corps of minimally reprogrammable zombies and shake and bake fucktards a sort of slightly superannuated flash mob to promote conservative ideals with media events and camouflage for the Republicans to move to the farther rightward position they've always wanted but never had the political cover for.Now they can point to the baggers and sort of say the crazies made us do it.They're also pretty good at attracting wads of cash.

[themadstork]

85. Yeah. They capitalized on the mass frustration due to weak economy.they will fade away soon. Nt

[elleng]

3. Rep. Clyburn, just now on MSNBC, Ed Show

'We have a different value system than they have.'

[pnwmom]

10. I will agree with him on that. n/t

[donquijoterocket]

59. my take

Is that we have a values system. They have socio-political positions and balance sheets and profit-and-loss statements underlined by the Rumsfeldian view that "people are fungible".

[Tx4obama]

4. They are the Republican TeaParty.

And I believe the strategy for the 'new brand' started before/at the 2008 Republican Convention.
During the convention some reporters stated that the word 'Republican' was not anywhere to be found in the convention hall. The reporters said at the time that it was very strange.

Big money was behind the creation and funding of the Republican TeaParty.

[sasquuatch55]

43. Aren't the Republican Neocons more or less Libertarian in their ideology? n/t

n/t
*sp

[cameozalaznick]

53. Not if you consider the way they love to restrict...

Individual freedoms. St Ronnie famously said he wanted to get govt off the backs of people.

It seems a woman's uterus, however, is fair game. They are only interested in libertarian ideas when it comes to things like school vouchers, which IMO, they haven't thought through. For ex, if you give school vouchers to a parochial school, you'd also have to give them to parents who wanted to send kids to a madrassa.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

67. the back is not a uterus, with all apologies to Rene

[RagAss]

5. They're racists wrapped in a flag....!

[teachthemwell15]

49. Sinclair Lewis had it right!

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross".

It couldn't be more succinct.

[Saphire]

98. +1.

[Imagevision]

7. I was completely duped by the Tea Party?

[titaniumsalute]

11. What does it say about me Imagevision??

[pnwmom]

13. As does this smug post. n/t

[Imagevision]

24. self deleted

[butterfly77]

8. How could you not see...

[titaniumsalute]

16. I really thought it was more fueled by rascists

that came out in the open after BO was elected. But I think either way the Tea Party would have been born as a new brand of right wing asshats.

[butterfly77]

30. I never knew...

how naive many in this country are until Barack Obama was elected President. It was/is as plain as day. What in the hell does it take? I really think many are brainwashed by television or something. The teabaggers spelled it out how could you not see..

Many do see and agree,I really don't see what they could be agreeing with because what they mainly stand for is getting their country back from where I sure in the hell don't know.. Did they somehow think that blacks,muslims,gays,Hispanics,etc just came out of nowhere once Obama got elected.

What I really believe is that many live in areas where they never come in contact with anyone but caucasians and they thought they could run from everyone else but dictate to everyone else about how they are suppose act according to their limited knowledge.

Many of these same teabaggers went along with the war in Iraq and claimed they were there to save them and protect them and build their country but,they didn't give a damn about the expense.

Now,the results of Bush/cheney's bullshit war is affecting them and their pocketbooks they are crying about how much spending there is. We were marching and screaming to the hilt many more than the teabaggers but,we were only the nutty liberals, now they care about spending.

They didn't care as long as OUR MONEY was being stolen in Iraq and spent on others but,as soon as OUR MONEY is needed to help us,NO DEAL.

[tpsbmam]

65. It is, in part.

A good report for you to read (or skim) is the NAACP report that came out last year.

People speak about the "Tea Party" as if it's one entity. It's not. It's made up of different factions, groups started by different people for different reasons. Unlike those here who say it started as grassroots, that's oversimplifying the nature of the Tea Party. Read the NAACP's "Origins of the Tea Parties" That will give you a good idea about origins of the various factions and the degree of differences between the groups.

Some of the groups were formed and/or are headed by radical militia member types. Some appear to just be run-of-the-mill racists. For example, this is Dale Robertson, who was at the time chairman of the 1776 Tea Party (as far as I know he's not part of any radical group but clearly shares the views of a number of them):



Most of the tea party factions have many local groups associated with them, and you'll find that some of the local groups have been started by people who are white supremacists, nationalists, "patriots," etc. (An explanation of "patriots" can be found here at the SPLC.)

The tea parties are infused with militia and radicals from all of the various hate groups -- members of those groups have seen prime opportunities to sign people up and share their lovely theories. Frankly, they've seen people open to their way of thinking and are exploiting that.

Anyway, I suggest you skim the report to get a better feel for the teabaggers. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) also has lots of very interesting information. This editorial, for example, is pretty interesting:

Unsweet Tea: Exploring the Ideas of the Antigovernment Movement:

<snip>

Polled by CBS and The New York Times this spring, some 18% of Americans described themselves as supporters of the Tea Parties. Sounding in many ways like the furious, government-hating Patriots, they described their top issues as opposition to the health care reform bill, a belief that the government does not represent real Americans, high levels of government spending and the economy. Like the Patriots, too, they were far more likely than most to call themselves "angry."

It seems clear that the Patriot resurgence has been fueled, in part, by demographic changes in this country — specifically, the predicted 2050 loss of a white majority, a change that was brought home to many by the election of a black president. Now, there is new evidence that race is playing a part in the Tea Party movement as well, even as it begins to claim some real political power.

<snip>

A subsequent poll by the University of Washington Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race & Sexuality found that white supporters of the Tea Partiers were 25% more "racially resentful" than those who were not supporters. White backers of the Tea Parties were less likely to believe that African Americans are intelligent, hardworking or trustworthy, and their perceptions of Latinos were similar.

In Ohio, scheduled speakers at a Tea Party rally organized by leader Brian "Sonny" Thomas fled after he suggested in a tweet that he wanted to shoot Latino immigrants — or, as he wrote, "spicks." Thomas' Tea Party site linked to White-pride.org, and CNN found a photo of him wearing a "White Pride" T-shirt.

At teabagger conferences, there are all kinds of racist kins of forums, though they don't see them as racist. There have been neo-Nazi speakers at meetings, etc etc. I suspect those who don't think they're racist just think the way they do so naturally that they see nothing wrong with it. Frankly, with the racism that pervades most of the groups (some of it more subtle than the big racist signs), can you envision yourself being part of any of those groups? Even if I agreed with some of their politics, the rampant racism would keep me far, far away.

So, there's lots of information out there and it's not as simple as looking at the "tea party" as a whole. Their influence as a whole is one thing, but it's important to understand that there is not only an ugly underbelly to the tea party, there's a dangerous fringe and within the tea party.

[titaniumsalute]

86. Thanks! Unlike some posters in this thread that is very helpful

As someone who works 60-70 hours per week, is married with two kids, travels for business, etc. I don't always have time to really understand EVERYTHING that is going on politically. I'm more dialed in than the average Joe but sometimes things are more distant. After the 2008 election I reduced my usage of DU and other sites due to work, moving my family across the country, starting a new job. I just wasn't paying much attention to this Tea Party monster.

Very appreciative of your post and your time to share the info.

[tpsbmam]

93. You're very welcome.

Yeah, people around here can get pretty nasty sometimes. I do my best to ignore it but don't always succeed. :P Glad it helped.

:hi:

ETA: for a busy person, the NAACP report is probably the best resource -- it's pretty comprehensive but it's a fairly quick read.

[AlbertCat]

99. I really thought it was more fueled by rascists

It was.... and still is. You weren't fooled then... but if you don't think this is still true, you are fooled now.

[Little Star]

12. I think if you google around a bit ,you will see that the T party...

did start off grass roots but were 'immediately' astroturfed!

[TheCowsCameHome]

14. And a lot of them benefit from government programs.

Just look at the footage of Teabagger rallies - grey haired old bastards with oxygen bottles and scooters waving misspeled signs as if they had no idea that they were out there screwing themselves.

They are really sick people.

[Enthusiast]

38. "Keep your government hands off my medicare."

Those Teabaggers?

They had no idea they were screwing themselves and they will have no idea they are screwing themselves when they support Ryan's plan to privatize medicare. These people are the Bush base. They are the 28% that continued to approve of Bush's performance in office to the bitter end. They are the clueless.

[Chipper Chat]

54. Here's the proof from a Seattle Tea-Party rally:

[Enthusiast]

88. Their signs

betray their true state of mind -clueless. :hi:

[patrice]

15. You aren't the only one. There are a few others, Thom Hartmann being one such notable, who were

saying, based upon possible antipathies between TeaPartiers and Republicans, to look for and value the commonalities between us and TP -ers, but I and I imagine Thom Hartmann too, have/has decided that that particular train has already left the station (following the money, i.e. Republican Royalty described as The Money Masters herein http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXt1cayx0hs&feature=related ).

[titaniumsalute]

20. Very nice

I respect Hartmann very much. Thanks for this.

[patrice]

32. You are very welcome!

:hi:

[bluestate10]

17. The people that should be pissed are libertarians.

Talk about having the carpet jerked from under them.

[JHB]

51. I think there's more than enough "pissed' to go around...

...and as for the "libertarians", if you lie down with hyenas you wake up with fleas...and some extremities gnawed off.

[Warren DeMontague]

82. If they really thought the GOP was going to be about personal freedom

they deserve some kind of dumbshit award for not paying attention.

[immoderate]

92. The Libertarians? -- All six of them?

It's a very exclusive group. They don't even admit each other.

--imm

[HowHasItComeToThis]

18. CALL IT THE FOX FASCIST PARTY

ALL TO CONFUSE THINGS

[Modern_Matthew]

19. The Tea Party has no structure. They are largely a term created by the media...

To describe the fringe of the Republican Party.

[aquart]

23. Like al qaida?

[russspeakeasy]

56. Similar.

[Old and In the Way]

28. I see it a little different.

I think the original teabaggers might have decided that they needed to get their voice heard and the Republican Party was too busy doing the business for Big Oil / Big healthcare / Big Finance to bother with these folks. They were angry, but pretty much unfocused and obviously clueless about the real causes for their frustration. Having a Democratic President who was 1/2 black provided all the motivation to become activists. They now had a face that they could hate.

Dick Armey and the Koch created astroturfers quickly realized the potential to front these folks. They've pretty much them over and the TP leadership has no problems because they're getting $ and exposure. The media loves to create balance and justify their sellout to the corporate/Republican agenda. The Tea Party gave them the 'grassroots' opposition that they could cover to help nuetralize the overwhelming rallies of real Americans who don't need a political machine and a fake news network to organize a protest.

[titaniumsalute]

29. Very well stated

I agree this is much fueled by the media. Create a "new" party for them to analyze to death...

[aquart]

21. You were fooled by a bunch of teabags?

If you soak them, then refrigerate them, then put them on your eyes, they are useful. If you don't do that, you've made a mistake.

[titaniumsalute]

22. LOL...I needed that!

[flamingdem]

25. These jesus freaks are a plague

and let's remember the Dominionist group that includes Palin and Scott Walker..

[sasquuatch55]

46. And I think Christian radicals are scarier than Muslim radicals. n/t

n/t

[Diclotican]

78. sasquuatch55

sasquuatch55

All extremist, regardness off political og religious stripes is bad.. Islamic extremist... Christian extremist.... Political extremes of all different stripes... Its bad for the large population, who just want to live better than their ancestors and to mind their own business...

Diclotican

[TK421]

107. Hi! I haven't seen you around in a while my friend!

:toast: how have you been?

[Diclotican]

111. TK421

TK421

Hey.. have been here all time, but for the most part maybe read and not write here;).. It is mutch happening in the US this days I see;. The extreme right are there all to clearly, for everyone who want to look at the devil... But many just dosen't want to know about the devil before the devil is out in force. Like many germans did before world war two.. Hoped for the best - that the nazist was not that bad as talking about...

We know the history.. And we are able to make a shoice.. That be following the road down that path. Or down another path to another future. It depend of all of us I guess... And US today, is looking at a trainwreek in moving action.. You know its posible to stop the trainwreck, but you are not sure how to.. And US are really in bad shape now.. And now the extreme right are after your retairments too.. Its time to fight the good fight, and tell the truth about what the extreme rights want to shape US into.. A little have a lots, and the rest who are more or less pennigless serfs... I know my history, and I know thats revolutions are never easy stuff.. But it looks like US need another revolution, to get the "fat cats" out of your system.. The extreme right have really messed up US the last couple of decades, and now they are showing their true collour more and more clearly for everyone with the ability to see..

Frome one who are on the outside, and allways admired US (and even wanted to emigrate to US at one point) it is depression to se how bad shape US is in this days.. But I still have a hope for US, that they wake up, and smell the shit, and wil use the ability they allways have had, to do the right thing - after all other options are out...

Diclotican

[Forkboy]

26. And that was exactly the reaction they wanted.

They wanted you to see them as a new brand, not the repackaged haflwits that they are. :)

[demosincebirth]

27. They have been around for many years...they just didn't have a name

[notadmblnd]

31. You're forgiven this time. Don't let it happen again.

No, really, how were you duped? Were you one of them? Did you have a sudden epiphany, or did it slowly dawn on you?

[titaniumsalute]

33. I certainly wasn't one of them

Part of it was I ignored them completely. I didn't watch the BS about their rallies. I thought it was just this title Glenn Beck gave a group of whackjobs. But they grew quickly...and recently I realized that it is a full-fledged body of all the right wing nuthouses.

Like I said...I'm not duped often but this one got me. I let my guard down. Beat me with a wet noodle...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

34. Modern day KKK!! They were never serious! They're all about HATE!! nt

[newspeak]

35. this is not just about religious zealots

although religion is a good way to control the clueless masses. It's about corporations, big business, creating a venue to get more deregulation-more influence-more power. Just look at the budget proposal by the repukes, cut EPA, clean air clean water out the door. As long as a corporation, foreign or domestic can make a buck, it's okay to contaminate us. They want no regulation to get in the way of selling us more crap. And these repukes want to privatize anything public, allowing corporations, using even more tax payers money, to give us even more shitty service while paying their employees slave wages. And who will hear our complaints while they use our money?

Some of these teabaggers are so called libertarians--however, they still haven't a clue that the most invasive assault against personal freedom happened under Little Boots. There is no free market--in the libertarian mindset the only one who actually has counted so far is the corporation which can get away with murder--control the people and allow business carte blanche.

My family has been here for over three hundred years and some met the colonists, however, if I was younger I would honestly think about moving because the truly insane are running the asylum.

[Enthusiast]

36. I'm glad that you now

recognize the true nature of the Tea Party.

I recognized them right from the start. I knew who they were. They would be NOTHING now if the media had not pumped them up as they did. Lending more credence to the Tea Party than they deserve continues. But their masters control the media.

[Keith Bee]

37. Great

:+

[Search4Justice]

39. This all seemed fairly..

.. obvious to me, from early on. There was never anything "new" about these knuckledragging, greedy bigots. They are indeed, simply the worst of the far right loonies with a different label.

[Fire1]

40. And they are also racist.

edit to add: and a bunch of hypocrites.

[Papagoose]

41. I think they are all three

I live in a very small town in rural Georgia that has Tea Party "rallies" almost every Sunday afternoon. I've gone to several of them, I admit at first to cause trouble, but I swing by now to just watch them.

I see people there who are there because they truly believe that running a government is as simple as balancing a home checkbook...you look at your income and match your spending. Black and white, pure and simple, and no understanding of how a national economy works.

I also see people who are radical right-wing conservative evangelical Christians - those who would impose their own form of Christian on everybody and truly believe that if you don't see it their way, then you don't matter because you're destined for hell.

I see a few people - some days more of them how up then others - but the racists are always present. Part of life in the south is understanding that racism is ever-present, and the teabagger events give them a place where they don't really have to hide it. Not all the teabaggers are racist, but they are almost all at least tolerant of it in their ranks.

[lunasun]

95. you betcha!

[JoePhilly]

44. Duping you, and others was Dick Armey's plan all along ...

That's why up until the 2010 election, the media always spoke of the Tea Party as some bipartisan entity, not just Republicans. In reality, its most ardent supporters are the far right of the far right, usually folks who are more rural, evangelical leaning Christians, who are afraid of minorities (blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, etc).

These are the folks who want prayer in schools, and creationism taught as science.

They use thae claim that "America is a Christian nation" as code for "We want the American government to be run like a church, following OUR interpretation of the bible".

Some claim to be libertarians, but when you scratch the surface, they usually hold the same social positions.

They love the US Constitution so much, they want to change it and remove parts of the bill of rights.

They are the pawns of the GOP Corporatists (like Dick Armey). To keep them in line all you need to do is (1) tell them they are the "true Americans" who love God and the Constitution, (2) give them guns and bibles, and (3) blame their economic desperation on minorities and liberals. That's all it takes.

And last, the simple act of disagreeing with them on any topic, is seen as a violent attack on them, by you. You are evil. Un-Americans. You hate the troops, and you love terrorists. You hate God and want to destroy the country.

[RickFromMN]

45. I'm confused. I thought the Tea Party motivation was mostly economic, not religious.

When I think of the Tea Party, I think of people not caring for other people.
I think of people who believe they made it on their own--even though they didn't,
who believe others are taking what's theirs away from them. To me, this is economic.

I think of the Koch brothers. I don't think of religion when I think of them.
It's hard to believe religious people can be so cruel as to not care for others.

When I think of Tea Party people, I think of libertarians.
I realize a person can be both libertarian and religious.
I do not associate religious views with being a libertarian.
I would think a libertarian could just as easily be atheist.

I have an honest question.
What is the difference between a libertarian and a Tea Party person?
They seem to have a lot in common. How are they different?

To start to answer my own question,
I can believe libertarians know the consequences of what they are advocating,
while Tea Party people do not realize the consequences of what they are advocating.

I can believe Tea Party people think they are spouting individualism,
not realizing how dependent we all are on each other.

I can believe Tea Party people don't expect to be billionaires,
contrary to some who think every Tea Party person wants to be another Koch brother.
They just want to be left alone, in their eighteenth century, simpler time.
I think they view the past as a golden age they wish to return to.
I only wish they could realize how badly they would be treated, as peasants, by rich landowners.

[CJCRANE]

77. They are two separate groups with the same name. That's why it's confusing.

Before the '08 election the Republican fringe consisted of Ron Paul and his followers, who were firmly in the fiscal conservative/libertarian/isolationist camp. Ron Paul called for a "new Tea Party" around that time (I can't remember exactly why he wanted one but it was obviously something to do with his fiscal conservative ideas).

After the election the FreedomWorks PR company took the "Tea Party" name and used it to promote protests against tax increases (even though Obama lowered taxes as part of the Stimulus bill - but the RW never lets facts get in the way of a good argument). Anyway, we were told that this new movement was composed of people from all walks of life and all political persuasions - Republican, Democrat and Independent.

However, as time went on, it became obvious that these new "Tea Party" members were not the old Ron Paulites or the alleged new phenomenon of disgruntled Democrats and Independents.

In fact, they were just the same old socially conservative Republican base, who were too ashamed to call themselves Republicans (after the disappointments of the Bush years), but too stubborn to let go of their failed ideology.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

100. Teabagging for Jesus

(One thing is certain, they don't understand double entendre.)

Many on the right have a victim mentality and live in fear. The uber-wealthy know exactly which of their buttons to push, using religion, "morality," rugged individualism, race, taxes, etc. to get them to vote. Their votes translate into economic policies that protect the wealthy -- that's ALL this is about. Blue dress, boot-straps, black president, tax cuts for the wealthy, pick a topic. Richard Mellon Scaife funded the moral crusade against Clinton, but admitted he couldn't care less about the affairs. Dim Son's destructive "Ownership Society" was embraced by the delusional boot-strappers. The Koch brothers fund these nitwits, and have been for a very long time. Corporate Media gave them a fancy new name and advanced their cause in divide and conquer fashion. It's the same old shit TPTB have topped off with a new bow.

Teabaggers are nasty little people. They're easily manipulated, have no empathy for others, and know exactly what they are advocating. And they're also hypocrites: They expect help when THEY need it, but the hell with everyone else.

[Taitertots]

47. Cutting spending is not trying to do the right thing

Cutting spending is an economic assassination of the working class. Which is why it is advocated by people who want to neuter the power of the working class.

It is astute that you noticed that tea baggers say they favor small government while demanding religious recognition, huge spending increases for war, and draconian social controls.

[Sheepshank]

50. "....the rapture loving ..."

Sometimes I wish the Raputure would be a reality, and was reallyscheduled for May 21, 2011 and that the criteria for rapture includes all that the tea beggers (typo, but I think I'll keep it lol) are. OTOH, once the rapture date comes and goes, maybe they'll recosider their holy/noble status?

[tigereye]

52. well I think a lot of em are business people or people who

have forgotten how govt pays a lot of people's salaries. :yoiks: The husband of of a friend belongs to the TP, but works for the federal post office in some capacity. :wtf: Obviously he hasn't thought the whole thing through....

[glinda]

55. Welcome to DU!

[newspeak]

60. Little Boots and Darth Cheney economically destroyed

this country, even more deregulation, war profiteering (feckin lying us into Iraq), spending like drunken sailors. We heard on the great MSM wurlitzer that the repug party was done-now how could they possible make a comeback--why usurp Rand's tea party movement--rebrand. It's the same party who drove us in the ditch with the same ideology Little Boots used, but the blind and ignorant do not understand that it's the more of the same shite. Give tax breaks for the wealthy who will not release that money for jobs or to trickle on us--blame the most vulnerable and give your corporate friends everything they want while screwing labor. And hey, those wars in the ME may be for stealing resources, but it's not for the benefit of us, but GLOBAL corporations--we just get to pay for it with our blood and money. So, when are the clueless going to understand that those resources go on a global market to be sold by greedy corporations we get nothing, we just get to pay the bill!!!!

[Roci]

61. welcome to reality

And now what? You want some kind of prize for coming to your senses, and doing what you ought to have done in the first place?

It's called THINKING.

Oy vey! And people wonder why the government plays games like this with people's very lives.

People like you ARE the problem, so you'll pardon me if I don't crack a bottle of champagne every time one of you comes down from "the mountaintop", and into the real world that you have helped to screw up. Rather than party hats, I'd toss you a good, sturdy shovel, and tell you to start in clearing up the mess you've helped make of things. After that's done, and I mean done right and well, we'll talk about your astounding moment on the road from Damascus.

[titaniumsalute]

87. LOL...thanks for the laugh. I love your sarcasm.

[oldbanjo]

101. People have been brain washed

Anyone that only watches one news station, like Fox will become brain washed after a few years. I watch as many stations as I can and then I use common sense to determine what is correct. This Thread is very interesting to me because my brother and I have been trying to figure out what is happening to the people in the USA the comments that I have read are very good and contain a lot of info. THANKS for posting this.

[Roci]

109. I'm sorry, but I'm not buying into that

You see, That's an easy out for people who are not responsible. They accept what they are told, and they don't have the intellectual honesty or capacity to evaluate what it is they are being told. No one "forces" them to watch Fox, at the point of a gun, or tied up in a cold room with a TV that only gets one station. It is as much a choice as is the same choice they make by actively deciding that they won't bother to do the "due diligence" of a democratic and free people to evaluate and weigh what it is that they are being told.
There is one, and only one central flaw being used to disassemble all this before the wondering eyes of the people who are supposed to furnish what was called "the consent of the Governed"
That flaw is simple and direct.

The people who founded the American democracy counted on the fact that citizens would be, by choice, active, constant, and willing participants in their own free, democratic government.

What has gone so completely wrong with that is the sort of people who say they were "duped", like this craven apologist.
They were not "duped" unless they were willing from the start to abandon the WORK required to form any sort of thoughtful political opinion, let alone to act upon any realistic set of political beliefs that were not "spoon fed" to them by someone else.

No. I'm sorry. People who profess to being a (willing) "dupe" in this day and age where facts can be had for free, and for freedom, if you're willing to educate yourself and form a solid opinion are just hiding the fact that they have abdicated the responsibilities of a free citizen, and democracy itself. They are, at best, to steal a quote from history "summer soldiers and sunshine patriots" who will come around eventually, whimpering like whipped puppies when they discover one day that someone has taken their freedom away, and their sole motivation at that point is only self-interest.

[titaniumsalute]

110. You again make me laugh with your wit and sarcasm

Actually you make me ill. Making general assumptions about me regarding my "intellectual honesty" or "capacity to evaluate what it is they are being told" is very much like the Tea Party members themselves. You assume because I associated the Tea Party members as true fiscal conservatives mixed with rascist elements that I was somehow so misinformed that I'm somehow responsible for what is happening in the country. (Your above psot.)

The point was I thought it was a narrow group of very fiscal conservatives with rascist overtones but in reality it was a much broader groupd of the entire right-wing party including the religious nuts, the Koch (and other like-minded) businesses, the anti-abortion and anti-green movements.

Frankly you can stick your absolute arrogant thoughts up your tight ass. As a free citizen (as you put it) I'm on a blog with people sharing my thoughts. Your free to respond to my thoughts and I'm free to think they suck.

[pansypoo53219]

62. the are reagan democrats who are still

waiting for their trickle down from zombie reagan. one of these years it will happen. cut taxes! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

[Marblehead]

63. Fascists...

are pretty stupid.

[certainot]

64. they are limbaugh hannity dittoheads, out of the RW radio closet

they used to do most of their work screaming into phones and emails and faxes whenever prompted by their radio gods, but when rove left the white house the competition lured them into the town halls. now they're out there.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

103. And Limpballs has been spewing his venom since the late '80s.

That's over 20 years of brainwashing, and they're out now with a vengeance.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

66. LOL

[Tatiana]

68. These are the same folks that celebrated Ronald Reagan and his revamping of the Goldwater Revolution

The are ill-informed from being poorly educated (the way they want the rest of America to be... the easier to brainwash them) and they are certainly part of the "Moral Majority" Pat Robertson/Jerry Falwell religious right contingent.

As I have said before, the teanuts are nothing new. They are simply Republicans who have re-branded themselves.

[Overseas]

69. Actually they're the Koch Party or Big Oil Baggers' party.

And it bugs me to hear the extreme positions they've been encouraged to support referred to with that gentle name The Tea Party any more.

[guruoo]

70. A new cult-religion. Followers accept it's teachings as the Bible, e.g., "the inerrant word of God"

[bertman]

71. What's really sad about the Teabaggers is that their anger at how our

government operates (or fails to operate) is not misguided even if it is narrowly targeted at select targets.

Anyone, right-wing/independent/left-wing, who doesn't see that the government operates for Corporate interests and NOT for the People must have been in a coma for the last 30 years.

We should all be pissed that our government is not doing its duty to protect our natural resources, our air, our water, our soil. We should all be pissed that our government responds to the highest bidder and not to the will of the people who pay the taxes. We should all be demanding CHANGE! Oh wait. We did, didn't we.

What happened?

Did the Teabaggers force the Obama administration to capitulate to the Republican right-wingers on virtually every single major issue of his Presidency?

No.

The Teabaggers are just the excuse.

It's all political theater to lull us into believing that we have something to say about how our government operates, when we don't.

[zalinda]

72. I don't think every Tea Party member is like that

I met a couple and spent the evening with them, the wife now having arthritis problems, and the husband, who is a vietnam vet, who is having serious flashbacks. Here's what I found out. They are angry. When you are angry, you seek out like minded people, as you want to be validated for that anger. Fox news is on, in the background, all the time. They don't really sit and listen to it, it's just there. They think that Boehner understands them because he came from a family of 12 kids, worked his way through college, and actually cried when he talked about (I can't remember what what it was, because he's cried so many times now). He certainly will work to help them.

I couldn't tell you if they are racist or not. She did tell the story of a black customer/friend who couldn't get disability, while all the other undeserving people can. She talked about people using food stamps to buy drugs. Nothing about the wars. These are hard working people who are now having money problems, maybe for the first time in their lives. Oh, and btw, if you are in constant pain, you do tend to be angry a lot, and may not even know why.

These people think that they are getting the news, after all, it is called Fox News. The talking heads tap into their anger, and fuel it. This is why these people don't make sense, and why they vote against their best interests. And, unlike low information voters, who always vote to 'throw the bums out', these people vote repub because they truly do think that the repubs have their best interests at heart.

zalinda

[HopeHoops]

73. The teabaggers are mostly dumbfuck sheep controlled by their corporate sponsors.

[Taverner]

74. The Tea Party personifies EVIL

The Baggers are a re-branding of the John Birchers, The Ku Klux Klan, Neo Nazis and the Hutaree types.

There is absolutely nothing patriotic about them

They are patriots in the same sense that the Cultural Revolution was patriotic for China

I am sure they would love to round us all up, and put us in "Struggle Sessions" just like Mao did

[DevonRex]

75. I've been trying to tell people this for ages. And that they're dangerous.

They're aligning with militias and survivalists just in case it comes down to violence.

[rasputin1952]

76. The nomenclatures change, but the thought processes do not...

they have been known by many names, all of them leading to the same evil aspects of humanity...the domination and subjugation of those they consider "subhuman".

It goes back to "Ozymandias", and long before that, Babylon, China, The Ottoman Turks, the various churches that have subjugated the people by keeping them ignorance , incapable of that most egregious of "sins"...education. Name a time, they have been there, Romans, Greeks, Babylonians, Fascists, Nazi's...the list goes on and continues on.

But there have been those that ave combated these forces, Confucius, the Buddha, Jesus, Ghandi and others that that have left us clues how to stop them. Love, compassion, empathy, knowledge...science that betrays the ignorance they preach, the hatred they teach they destruction they desire.

The evil will always be there, but it depends on darkness to survive, once brought into the light, it shrivels up and dies. Bits an peces go a little at a time, but eventually it can all be gone.

Seek wisdom, seek science, seek good. There will be times when we stumble, but we get up, dust ourselves off and prepare to fight the good fight one more time...we are humans, we can do so much good...but only if we stop the ignorance and the hate.

[pootbutta]

79. point of view

it's refreshing that someone can actually change their mind - the evil 'flip-flopping' :)
one of the greatest signs of a thinking person is the ability to change, when given or learning new information.
that the radical right sticks to its guns (literally and figuratively) even in the face of facts is absolutely alarming.
and that's was scares me the most.

[oldbanjo]

102. They are learning

The last two days should have taught a lot of tea party members and supposedly Christians that they are on the wrong side.

[TNLib]

80. They're basically incoherent crazy people that vote against their own interest

Nothing about them makes any sense.

[Warren DeMontague]

81. Of course. They're just a rebranding of the same old Jesus-crazy GOP base.

Slap a new label on the same tired can of shit.

[Dawson Leery]

83. I never bought into it.

From day one these sob's were screaming about the size of government and the debt, all the while they were the head cheerleaders for Bush.

[Initech]

84. I know Fox News addicts - they're everywhere.

[liberal N proud]

89. Welcome back from the bink

Now we have to move past that and stop them

[Name removed]

90. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Logical]

91. Nut jobs for sure! n-t

[Ihavethechoice]

96. When do we give up on dreams

Our altimite dream is all our children rise beyond the limititation we were exposed to, in my life time from 1968, we all took the time to care about all of our children. This has not changed. What is the difference between the the native American (with is a insult) to there the America"s native. The defer of the European that tells us it is your way. Europeans are more than bigots. The worst is the American Bigot. You don't listen to anyone.You are right all the time,. There people before you and will out last you.You have stolen other people culltures and lands, you think you are great, you have always a people the depends on someone else fortune,god bless you ,you know love, but refuse to share as if you can. The people of the world have shared with you the human experience, you are nothing with out us, you continue to try abuse the people of the world FUCK YOU.there will be no more, from the America's,to ME, the Asia's.Whe do you continue to think you can control us. We invited you.Don't you realize the people the love you U. Stop the the bullsihit ,you can go no further. The the people of color will no longer put up with you. make your discision. WE do love you.
stop the bullshit

[AlbertCat]

97. I also thought they were partially rascists who hated a black President.

This is still true. Has been from day one. And "partially" as in 4/5ths.

[Enjay in E MT]

104. More Misguided

I believe they are more misguided than "evil"
and have turned toward their religion in search
of an answer.

Unfortunately, too many religions are taking the stance
that it is alright to lie, steal, cheat, break vows &
promises as long as you are "doing it for God". He would
be shamed to see what these Christians are doing, in His
name.

I believe in part of the Taxed Enough Already philosophy.
However, how can Zero Tax Corporations claim that -
or uber wealthy? They don't know understand what working people
pay in taxes, that we cannot deduct. We don't have loopholes.
We have income, bills and taxes. (period)

[RBInMaine]

105. They're corporate tools, mostly racist, mostly RePUKES, and LOVE THEIR programs.

[mvd]

106. K&R, and welcome to DU!

:hi:

[placton]

108. Yep and Obama signed up today

as the head T!