Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 29. Juli
2010 / Time Line July 29, 2010
Version 3.0
28. Juli 2010, 30. Juli 2010
07/29/2010
A Tea Party Fairytale
By Don Monkerud
Current attempts to revive that Boston Tea Party of 1773 are
marketing gimmicks to masquerade conservative forces bent on
defeating Barack
Obama and destroying any attempt to reform the present gridlock
political system. Examining the history of this faux-movement
reveals the actors behind the curtain.
One of the earliest revivals of the Tea Party involved 100 people
meeting in Seattle to protest the stimulus bill passed by Congress
to keep the U.S. from descending into another Great Depression.
After bloggers and libertarians spread a call for protest on the
Internet, the media blew it into a major event.
Right-wing groups poured funding into the nascent movement. These
groups included: Americans for Prosperity, a pro-tobacco,
anti-healthcare and anti-tax lobbying organization; and
FreedomWorks, a lobbying firm devoted to opposing taxes,
immigration, healthcare reform and solutions to global warming.
Koch Industries, an oil, mineral, ranching and securities
conglomerate, funds both of these groups, while the Sarah Mellon
Scaife foundation, with interests in oil, industry and banking,
funds FreedomWorks.
After Fox News began promoting the Tea Party as a social movement,
their crowds grew. Fox News entertainer, Glenn Beck, invited
viewers to "celebrate with Fox News," by attending tax protests in
Washington on April 15, the date federal tax returns are due.
A mere 3,000 Tea Party supporters attended the rally and grabbed
the headlines. More people rallied across the country in support of
Single Payer Healthcare Reform but they received few headlines.
After much smaller groups of Tea Partiers protested in several
cities, right-wing entertainers such as Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh
and Bill O'Reilly giddily talked about "a growing movement" for
weeks. Soon Republicans Sarah Palin, Dick Armey, Ron Paul, Grover
Norquist and Newt Gingrich jumped on board, hoping to revive their
failed political careers.
Seldom has so much been made about so little. Supporters claimed
the Tea Party was "a nonpartisan grassroots movement," but the
reality is far different. Not only was the idea supported by
right-wing money and promoted by the right-wing propaganda mill,
Fox News, but it also garnered no new support. When asked, 18
percent of Americans replied that they identified with the Tea
Party. Only 20 percent of those sent money, or about four percent
of the public, while 78 percent have done nothing in support.
Essentially, the Tea Party is a new face of the same old
right-wing, reactionary forces that have long been working to turn
America into a more religious, racist and militaristic country with
an unregulated free enterprise system, weak government and low
taxation.
Analysts predicted midterm elections would reveal grass-roots
support for the Tea Party, but only a handful of candidates they
supported won, while two-thirds of registered voters stayed home.
However, a poor showing at the polls by this vocal minority doesn't
mean all is well in the U.S.
According to a comprehensive New York Times/CBS News poll, the
majority of Tea Party supporters describe themselves as being "very
conservative" and more conservative than most Republicans on social
issues. They almost always vote Republican and 60 percent favor
George W. Bush Jr., compared to 40 percent of the general public. A
majority are men who claim the government favors the poor and twice
as many as the general public feel Black people get "too much
attention." Almost 50 percent heard about the Tea Party on TV, 80
percent are white, and 60 percent are older than 50. Ninety percent
are pessimistic about the direction of the country, disapprove of
Obama, and believe America is becoming socialistic. Seventy-five
percent want to have smaller government.
Many Tea Partiers live on Social Security, benefit from Medicare,
and are frightened. Although they reported their personal financial
situation as "fairly good" or "very good," 55 percent of those who
identify with the Tea Party fear someone in their household will
lose their job in the coming year. Two-thirds say the recession
caused them economic hardship and forced them to make life changes.
In summary, it's fair to characterize the Tea Partiers as fearful
old, white, right-wing Republican men.
Progressive forces are organizing to promote social change in the
interests of working people, minorities, gays and lesbians, young
people, and immigrants, but they confront unified opposition groups
with lots of money behind them. These moneyed interests, in
addition to the conservatives of the Baby Boomers generation, are
currently holding off real change. Coupled with GOP obstructionism
in Congress, America is deadlocked. What catastrophe will come to
break the deadlock is anyone's guess.
Don Monkerud is an Aptos, California-based writer who follows
cultural issues and politics and writes occasional satire.
07/29/2010
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