Poll: The Tea Party and many / most of it's followers are? ...

[OrByte]

cheer up son. I know you don't like the fact that the Tea Party movement has racists roots but reality is what it is and you can't change that.

The good news is that in a few years from now, either the Tea Party will be gone, or it will have changed soo much from its early beginnings (Mark Williams just to illustrate an example) that its racists roots will have wethered away.

old farts like me, people that actually have a long term memory, people that went to the original rally's (Sacramento capitol rally) and saw the racist hatred up close and personal, people that remember Obama being called a secret muslim terrorist, the anti-christ signs, the nazi symbolism, just because it isn't in the media today doesnt mean it didnt happen. Us old farts will always be here to remind you.

So I'm sorry you don't like people like me bringing up the "race card" but I only do it because it is true and those racist Tea Partiers didn't go anywhere. They are still there...but the Tea party got better at hiding its racism, it got a better media spin on it.

 

[Scotteq]

You'd think it was exaggerated, but take a look at any discussion with a tea partier and that is exactly how it works.

ALL of those tea partiers slogans (and the standard, when you cannot back up what you just said, say something else and hope they will forget it) have been written on this forum, it could very well be taken from this very forum.

I REALLY hate it when people mix lies with ideology and propose no real world action to do anything about it but rather keep on blabbering on what others are doing wrong...

I really do.

Much like P&N...


...just saying

 

[nageov3t]

You'd think it was exaggerated, but take a look at any discussion with a tea partier and that is exactly how it works.

ALL of those tea partiers slogans (and the standard, when you cannot back up what you just said, say something else and hope they will forget it) have been written on this forum, it could very well be taken from this very forum.

I REALLY hate it when people mix lies with ideology and propose no real world action to do anything about it but rather keep on blabbering on what others are doing wrong...

I really do.

I think that people who post on forums or attend rallies are not representative of average, mainstream voters.

 

[Infohawk]

I see a group of "we're upset" voters with a conservative bent but still with no real binding principals.

 

[werepossum]

hopefully the beginnings of the development of a viable 3rd party, even if I disagree with their political views.

I'd agree except that from what I've seen, the Tea Party folks are still wedded to using the armed force of government to enforce their own behavioral preferences. That makes them more what the Republicans CLAIM to be rather than a legitimate and separate third party.

 

[halik]

such is your opinion.

The Tea Party is the Republican version of "Hope And Change"

with an important caveat

"Hope and Change (from the black guy)"

I think the race factor plays minimal role in this, if the guy was black version of George W, tea party would be doing their happy dance. Plus isn't that one uber-conservative indian writer like their biggest hero?

I don't remember anyone saying "aaah save us from a black secretary of state" under W.

 

[werepossum]

cheer up son. I know you don't like the fact that the Tea Party movement has racists roots but reality is what it is and you can't change that.

The good news is that in a few years from now, either the Tea Party will be gone, or it will have changed soo much from its early beginnings (Mark Williams just to illustrate an example) that its racists roots will have wethered away.

old farts like me, people that actually have a long term memory, people that went to the original rally's (Sacramento capitol rally) and saw the racist hatred up close and personal, people that remember Obama being called a secret muslim terrorist, the anti-christ signs, the nazi symbolism, just because it isn't in the media today doesnt mean it didnt happen. Us old farts will always be here to remind you.

So I'm sorry you don't like people like me bringing up the "race card" but I only do it because it is true and those racist Tea Partiers didn't go anywhere. They are still there...but the Tea party got better at hiding its racism, it got a better media spin on it.

Strange, looks to me like you guys on the left bring up the race card because that's all you've got - at least, all you dare bring up during an election year.

 

[nageov3t]

the point of contention (imo) is the people who chugged merrily along with Bush's deficits but are suddenly up in arms over Obama's deficits.

the left seems to think that racism is the only explanation and the poor rednecks are just clinging to their guns and religion... personally, I'd imagine that blind partisanship is a far more likely explanation and we'd probably see this same movement if Obama were all-white instead of just half-white.

 

[halik]

the point of contention (imo) is the people who chugged merrily along with Bush's deficits but are suddenly up in arms over Obama's deficits.

the left seems to think that racism is the only explanation and the poor rednecks are just clinging to their guns and religion... personally, I'd imagine that blind partisanship is a far more likely explanation and we'd probably see this same movement if Obama were all-white instead of just half-white.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[OrByte]

the point of contention (imo) is the people who chugged merrily along with Bush's deficits but are suddenly up in arms over Obama's deficits.

the left seems to think that racism is the only explanation and the poor rednecks are just clinging to their guns and religion... personally, I'd imagine that blind partisanship is a far more likely explanation and we'd probably see this same movement if Obama were all-white instead of just half-white.

I would ALMOST agree with you except for one thing:

Blind partisanship has always been a factor in our political world, before Obama, before Bush, before Clinton etc etc

Yet there were no Tea rally's or "birthers" or "anti-Christ" or "secret Muslim" (like being Muslim is a bad thing) movements until Obama.

I have to rule out blind partisanship as a major factor in establishing the Tea Party movement.

For a counter-argument, I will put out there that government spending plays a larger role than blind partisanship OR racism. I honestly think that is why we see so many people upset and turning to the Tea Party for like-minded support.

unfortunately the same people that have rationale reasons for joining the tea party movement have to join the movement with the irrationale (birthers, muslim haters, racists, etc etc)

So the Tea party will never get any respect from me. Maybe the second incarnation of the Tea Party (Chai Tea Party?) will fare better.

 

[Moonbeam]

When you hate yourself your whole life and have no idea that you do, you feel deep frustration and rage and that frustration and rage, not knowing its source, has to go somewhere. So folk who spend their whole lives in self hate and don't know it are on the lookout for victims, somebody they can dump all their rage on and feel vindication. They are on the lookout for somebody who can point out to them who has created their evil. These are out little children who in a tantrum smash everything. To destroy one's self is the ultimate satisfaction for ultimate frustration.

The monstrous Id has manifested and is walking the land. Here we come to destroy ourselves in an orgy of self hate. Zombies crawl from their graves. It's the night of the Living Dead.

 

[nick1985]

When you hate yourself

lol...that old line again.

 

[halik]

lol...that old line again.

SELF HATE!!! wooooo, must be self-med time again.

On a more serious note, I'm still not sure if he has real issues or is just baked out of his mind half the time. His self-hate thing makes an appearance in pretty much every topic discussed here.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

SELF HATE!!! wooooo, must be self-med time again.

On a more serious note, I'm still not sure if he has real issues or is just baked out of his mind half the time. His self-hate thing makes an appearance in pretty much every topic discussed here.

Careful, you'll get a link to the infamous "Are you on meds?" thread.

 

[halik]

Careful, you'll get a link to the infamous "Are you on meds?" thread.

Link? No idea what you're referring to.

 

[soulcougher73]

Tea Baggers are just mad the slogan "Hope and Change" was already taken. It is what they want but they dont have a good slogan to use.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Link? No idea what you're referring to.

Moonbeam has a thread that he links when someone asks if he's on meds.

 

[thraashman]

There's no option for "Retarded" on the poll. When the Tea Party had nominees like Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle, they officially went from fringe to fucking stupid.

 

[Bateluer]

Will the OP please add accurate poll options?

 

[Locut0s]

Will the OP please add accurate poll options?

What do you suggest?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Well you left out the Racists option.


J/K


Mostly.

 

[Locut0s]

As a left winger viewing things from the outside (Canada here) one of the things that gets me about US politics is that the left wing in the US actually has very little representation in the broader media. I know real left leaning voters and view points certainly exist in the US but you wouldn't know it from looking at the US media. What gets labelled as "left wing" by the media are central if not central right wing. The REAL left are largely absent from the political landscape in the US it seems to me.

 

[OrByte]

CBS just reported that 90% of the Tea Party is white.

I'm sure there are statistics out there to back that up...

edit: ahhh here we go:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002529-503544.html

"Asked to volunteer what they don't like about Mr. Obama, the top answer, offered by 19 percent of Tea Party supporters, was that they just don't like him. Eleven percent said he is turning the country more toward socialism, ten percent cited his health care reform efforts, and nine percent said he is dishonest."

 

[IronWing]

No option for "...the same old Republican base with new t-shirts?"

 

[dank69]

CBS just reported that 90% of the Tea Party is white.

I'm sure there are statistics out there to back that up...

edit: ahhh here we go:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002529-503544.html

"Asked to volunteer what they don't like about Mr. Obama, the top answer, offered by 19 percent of Tea Party supporters, was that they just don't like him. Eleven percent said he is turning the country more toward socialism, ten percent cited his health care reform efforts, and nine percent said he is dishonest."

And the other 51% said he was a 'varmint.'