Her sign reads, “Sorry Daddy, I don’t have $1 trillion to loan you! =)”

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.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 14:47 by D and is filed under Blowing Stuff Up, Crazy, Government, Media, National, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.