Tea Party Revolution Could Undermine Republican Jewish Outreach

[Purveyor]

by James D. Besser
Washington Correspondent

An angry “Tea Party” movement that Republican leaders hope to harness to boost their party’s chances in the 2010 congressional midterm elections could also be a potential blow to GOP outreach to minorities — including Jewish voters.

But Republican leaders, too, are in the movement’s cross hairs, and some Jewish leaders worry that the movement could transcend traditional politics entirely and create an extremist surge that is threatening to all minorities.

“It’s not a danger at the moment, but it bears watching,” said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. “We’ve seen this before, and it always carries with it the risk the militants and extremists really will get a foothold. All such manifestations are threatening to minorities.”

In a report last year, the ADL warned that the Tea Partiers are part of a broader trend that also includes resurgent “militias,” “birthers” and other extremists, bound together by “an intense strain of anti-government distrust and anger, colored by a streak of paranoia and belief in conspiracies.”

Politically, intensifying Republican efforts to co-opt the spreading populist movement mean the party is trying to ride a tiger it may not be able to control, some political scientists say.

MORE...

http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c37_a17948/News/National.html

[Purveyor]

1. More rope please... eom ;)

[opihimoimoi]

2. Simplism....they want want...what did they do to earn a good Society?

They seem obsessed with MEism...

No Empathy there...

Primitive High School Level = losers in a changing World...they are unable cope much less comprehend with clarity

Palin will expose the underbelly of the GOP Beast

[Cha]

3. Gets the BIG DUH Award..

You have these racist bigoted assholes foaming at the mouth with the ilk of a sarah palin egging them on with her boundless ignorance and what do you expect?!!

[arcadian]

4. A lot of friction between teabaggers and Eric Cantor.

I've seen it on several occasions.

[Clio the Leo]

5. Here is a question I just posed on another message board...

.... they dont like when I talk politics (it's a board about reality TV) but since I'm the board's creator and administrator, there's not a whole lot they can do about it. :)

Here goes another one of my attempts at thinking that friends can have an adult conversation even though they disagree...

So here's my question....

I know some of us are conservatives and some are even active in the Tea Party movement. Even those not active, I'm sure there are many of us who at least support their ideals.

I realize that, over all, the Tea Party and conservative politics supports a government that's as small as possible allowing Americans to be able to live their lives as freely as possible.

I believe that's the overwhelming belief of Tea Party Patriots and conservatives. Nothing wrong with that. Diversity of thought in our government is what makes us strong.

But then there are these fringe elements. Take this for example...

***********
Conservatives will take a 'whack' at Pelosi piñata

Attendees at a conservative conference in town this week will have the opportunity to whack a pinata of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Conservative Political Action Conference “CPAC” begins Thursday here in D.C. There will be a conservative-themed party Friday evening not sponsored by CPAC, where guests will have the opportunity to whack a Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pinata.

Three famous D.C. residents will be taking a turn as guest "whackers" at the pinata during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which starts on Thursday. The guest "whackers" will be at the party, to be held at George in Georgetown.

Mary Christopher, outreach coordinator for CivicForumPAC, said the Pelosi piñata will be filled with favorite Pelosi sayings, bills and candy. The party hopes to invite the well-known D.C. residents to smash the piñata first, before others in attendance will be invited to try to take the Speaker down.

“We’re hoping to have the females whack the piñata and males try their hand at a Harry Reid punching bag,” Christopher said.

http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/in-th....age=2# comments

*************
Now, I fully realize that no party has the monopoly on inapropriate behavior. There were Democrats who no doubt did the same to Bush .... threw shoes at him., etc.

But these practices were never SPONSORED by major Democratic organizations.

There-in lies the difference.

And I could cite other examples. Similar effigies were displayed at Tea Party rallies over the last year. All done in front of politicians who turned a blind eye. Ignoring vile images comparing the Obama administration to the Nazis. And of course there were numerous examples of Republican party officials circulating racist, foul jokes and cartoons of the President. Again, I understand that these people DO NOT represent conservatives as a whole. But why is there never any effort by party leaders .... or unofficial party leaders (Rush, Palin, Newt etc) to denounce this behavior?

Why is it left to the Democrats to call for it to stop?

Because you can BELIEVE that if Organizing for America SPONSORED hanging Boehner or McConnell in effigy ... or if Al Franken made an anti-Semetic joke Eric Cantor I would MAKE VERY CLEAR to everyone that knew me I in no way supported their behavior. If OFA did anything similar to what CPAC is doing, I'd tell them about it and pull my money from them.

I watched some of the Tea Party coverage from Nashville last week. There were conservative bloggers who joked that "Libs like to call us racist because they're jealous." ..... Why is the matter not taken more seriously? Why no acknowledgement that SOME in their organization perhaps make foolish mistakes but they dont represent the organization/s as a whole?

And why has organizationally funded behavior that rivals some of the worst American bashing the Iranian government has done become acceptable?

And do conservatives/Tea Party Patriots not realize that their message is being lost in all of the BS?

I at least can take comfort knowing that not ALL of the people associated with these groups advocate these things .... I know this because they are friends of mine and I KNOW they are better than that.

Thoughts?

One of them is VERY active in the teabagger movement. Hopefully it will get some of them to thinking.

[karynnj]

6. In spite of a huge number of ads in Jewish papers, that outreach

has been pretty unsuccessful - enough that a leading conservative Jew wrote a whiny book called "why are Jews liberal" arguing that we (Jewish Liberals) were not thinking things through (or voting against our interests).

[Hekate]

7. I'm shocked, shocked! that Jews would be turned off by minority-hating political activists!

Good lord. I'm shocked that it's taking Jewish Republicans this long to wake up.

The ADL is right to be alert and say the movement bears watching.

Hekate

[ProgressOnTheMove]

8. Another reason Hartmann's idea to attend Tea parties works...

sometimes another perspective is all that is needed to turn animosities around. It not only gives them a balanced view it can make a lot of people a whole lot safer. Just by turning up starting a casual conversation.

[obamaisbestone]

9. We can no longer give Tea Baggers the stage unchalenged.

Here is a letter I am sending to every officer of every possible Democratic group. Please join me in forwarding this message.
____________________________________________________________________________________


"Not only are they racist they are SEXIST. A tea party leader today called for Washington, Senator Patty Murray to be "HANGED."


It is time for your group to wake up. The Tea Party movement is a masked movement of racist sentiment. Why have you all been so quiet about this? Have you seen the signs that these people are bringing to these events? Did you hear the speech by Tom Tancredo the other night?

If you want this president to be remembered well, you all need to join up with other liberal groups and stand up to these nuts.


http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=HxEUyFPkrUw&v=S38VioxnBaI