Tea Parties = Blind Rage

[shireen]

I'm watching NOW on PBS, they're doing a show on tea partiers. Very interesting stuff, try to catch it if you can.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/608/index.html

They're lashing out, wanting to throw incumbents out. But the people they are electing to office will disappoint them too.

The real problem is the money behind the political campaigns. As we've noticed, in most cases, political labels don't mean much anymore. We have Blue Dog Democrats that may be socially progressive, but are otherwise indistinguishable from Republicans.

If tea partiers really want change, they need to figure out a way to remove big money from campaign coffers. PACs need to be banned from campaigning for candidates and causes. But that implies that political campaigns can only be publicly funded, and that's just 'socialist.'

If tea partiers really want change, they need to figure out a way to remove big money from the information media: the local newspapers, the news networks, cable news. Most of these entities are owned by mega-corporations, and are muzzled by the interests of the corporate office. How do we restore integrity and independence to the news media?

If tea partiers really want change, they need to figure out a way to break the stranglehold of the two-party system, and make it easier for 3rd-parties and independents to hold elective office. I don't know how this would work at the national level, but with Bernie Sanders in the Senate, there's some hope. But it has to start at the grassroots level, in local elections, then move upwards towards redefining the political climate in our country.

If tea partiers really want change, they need to stop lashing out blindly and start thinking critically about how to change our political system from the ground-up. They need to recognize when they're being manipulated by smooth-talking candidates. They need to concentrate on long-term progress to improve the world for future generations, and not instant gratification.

If they can embrace all these goals, I'll gladly call myself a tea-partier too, and be honored to work with both Republican and Democrat and Green and Independent tea partiers to bring change.

[Warpy]

1. NOW won't be on until 2 AM here

Lawrence Fucking Welk is too important.

[virgogal]

5. Are my eyes going? Did you really post about Lawrence Welk?

Good lord------haven't thought of him in years.

[ShortnFiery]

10. LOL, at least your parents didn't drag you to "The Corn Palace" in ...

Mitchell South Dakota to see a double billing of Lawrence Welk and Eddie Arnold.

OMG! The spills and thrills when Myron played is accordion and Eddie yodeled his "Cattle Call" tune. :boring: ... but I'd still prefer them to Glenn Beck. :evilgrin:

[virgogal]

12. My God,that building. Interesting to say the least---in fact it's

kinda neat!

Makes for interesting memories too I'll bet.

[ShortnFiery]

14. "Makes for interesting memories too I'll bet."

You have no idea. Most of my blood relatives live in the Dakotas.

Salute! :P

[virgogal]

15. I've always wanted to visit The Dakotas-----maybe this post(and that building) will

will give me the push that I need.

[ShortnFiery]

16. I hope you do.

The Black Hills are beautiful in August. Best to you. :hi:

[virgogal]

17. Thanks ! eom

[liberal N proud]

2. It's not blind rage, it is the stupid being led by the evil

[ShortnFiery]

3. & stoked by pure racism. eom

[Political Heretic]

6. I don't agree that racism is the primary component. I think its secondary, if not even tertiary

[ShortnFiery]

8. Perhaps. I still get the impression that the hard corps racists still can find refuge

in the teabagger movement but may, as you put it, be just one mere facet of the whole.

[Political Heretic]

9. Oh yeah, total agreement there

Hardcore racists are definitely finding "cover" there. And that's still ugly and disgusting.

But I don't think we should blanket-ignore the underlying unrest and anti-establishment backlash fueling a lot of tea party sympathetic people by labeling them all racist and walking away.

Think something bigger is going on.

[Blaq Dem]

21. Why aren't there many black people in their movement?

All that's missing are white sheets and pointy hats with two holes cut into them.

[Political Heretic]

4. We should be trying to focus that rage, because its more populist than it is "republican"

[ShortnFiery]

11. Yes, there are certain individual issues that we can find common ground with some of the less

radicalized people on the right.

I think we could turn them given enough exposure and education? :shrug:

[tabbycat31]

22. my blog on progressives and tea parties

http://www.bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=14546

[baldguy]

7. Or blind stupidity.

The #1 issue for them is ALWAYS claimed to be taxes, yet 90% of them don't know - or don't care - that their Great Satan, Obama cut taxes for most of them.

[Forkboy]

13. I expect things to just get worse, Professor Positive that I am.

And what scares me is how easily manipulated we are. Hate thrives in hard times, and when you throw in real or imagined injustices it's easy to rope people in to do all kinds of things they see as right. It's history in a nutshell, whether it's large scale stuff like wars or smaller scale stuff like Austin. It's not always a matter of what's real or not, but what these people see as real. People like the teabaggers remind me of the neo-nazi skinheads who crashed the punk scene during the early 80's. Angry at they stuff they barely comprehend and easily directed, and even proud to be directed. Perfect fodder for the manipulator.

[w8liftinglady]

18. I agree-just judging by the editorial comments in my area

there is a blind,unyielding,on-the-edge rage among these people.I am actually afraid of them(I guess that's the point)..glad I live in an apartment.I figure as much as I have agitated these people,when I get back to work,I'll need to transfer to dallas(It's ugly in the sticks)

[Blaq Dem]

19. CPAC is one big Hate Fest

They have nothing in common except for the hatred of diversity and Democrats.

[ChicagoSuz219]

20. LOL...

You talked about teabaggers & critical thinking in the same sentence!

That's some reach... hope you didn't hurt yourself... ;-)