Teabagging

[Askthepizzaguy]

Ok-

1. Partisan political organizations "spontaneously" generate an organized and planned event where thousands (not millions) turned out in protest of an increase in taxes of 3% for the richest of Americans, which obviously did not include them. Turns out, the people at these events were ordinary people whose taxes would actually be cut or remain the same under Obama.

2. People show up with signs that say Obama=Hitler and show images of Obama's face over an image of Hitler, and one that said that taxpayers were the "Jews" for Obama's "ovens".

3. Fox News, in its fair and balanced coverage, promotes the event and greatly exaggerates how many people showed up, and dedicated many of their top "journalists" to cover this propaganda and present it as legitimate news. Fox News, today, (not just today...) was nothing more than a political advertisement with commercial sponsorship.

4. MSNBC, the liberal network, poked fun at Fox News and their single minded coverage of a Republican political stunt with their usual journalistic objectivity.

Why is it called news, when the news is generated by the noise organizations themselves and presented as news? It's nothing more than childish taunting and some taunting which crosses the line of being not just REALLY STUPID, but uncivilized hate speech. I particularly liked the Nazi references and the "lynch Obama" references. I also loved Rush Limbaugh's flip flopping on the issue... first Obama didn't do enough, then Obama did his job, and now Obama, IF HE WERE WHITE, would have been a racist killer of innocent black teenagers on the high seas.

Rush Limbaugh makes me gag. MSNBC makes me laugh, but at least I know it isn't news, it's commentary. I hope no one takes Fox "NEWS" as anything more than political commentary from the Republican party, because it has nothing that even remotely resembles news on it.

[KukriKhan]

Well, this is the best I could get with the cell-phone: my sidewalk "neighbors":

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This event was larger, about 1,500* people by my unofficial estimate (the PD guy I asked said 2,500; I think he doesn't know how to count a crowd; it was about a mile of city sidewalk, with people 2-deep), with lots of enthusiastic car-horn honking by drive-bys. Plenty of American flags, about a dozen "Don't Tread On Me" flags.

Pretty diverse crowd age-race-sex - wise. More younger folks than I expected. All well-behaved and orderly. The guy with glasses in the above pic made up a hand-held sign for his son that read: "I DIDN'T KNOW A SECOND GRADER COULD BE IN DEBT!"; there were mostly hand-made signs, and a few 'professional'-looking ones. I didn't see any signs displaying "hate" slogans, or hear any such talk or chanting.

I was there for about an hour. I have other pics, but they're mostly cars in the foreground that the cell-phone focused on - I'll try to enhance/edit them with my ancient PaintShopPro software, so you can get a better feel for crowd size.

-edit-
*for reference, Escondido's population is about 125,000

[Lemur]

Yeah, Kukri, from what little I read today, it sounded like the protests in Cali were bigger than in Washington.

Meanwhile, the saga of the ghost tea truck continues. Somebody really ought to write a ballad about it:

"We have a million tea bags here, and we don't have a place to put them because it's not on our permit," said Rebecca Wales, lead organizer of D.C. Tea Party. [...] A local think tank, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said it would allow the dumping of the tea bags in its 12th floor conference room instead. Not quite the same impact, though.

[Banquo's Ghost]

1. Partisan political organizations "spontaneously" generate an organized and planned event where thousands (not millions) turned out in protest of an increase in taxes of 3% for the richest of Americans, which obviously did not include them. Turns out, the people at these events were ordinary people whose taxes would actually be cut or remain the same under Obama.

It doesn't matter, this is democracy. Ordinary people feeling so strongly about something that they march out on the streets.

Just what I was bemoaning the lack of a week or so back. It's wonderful.

[Askthepizzaguy]

It doesn't matter, this is democracy. Ordinary people feeling so strongly about something that they march out on the streets.

Just what I was bemoaning the lack of a week or so back. It's wonderful.

Hey, people can do what they want. But when Fox News tries to pass it off as a "grassroots" movement that they didn't champion and sponsor, and objectively covered as news... I gotta say, that's a...

well, was going to say new low, but it's Fox News! There is no bottom to that canyon of shame.

[CountArach]

A sign at one of the rallies:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

But seriously... it seems like there was quite a significant turnout overall. About 112,000 in the major rallies across the country.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Hey, people can do what they want. But when Fox News tries to pass it off as a "grassroots" movement that they didn't champion and sponsor, and objectively covered as news... I gotta say, that's a...

well, was going to say new low, but it's Fox News! There is no bottom to that canyon of shame.

I couldn't care less about Fox News, especially since I don't have to watch it.

But they, and this movement, must have hit a nerve otherwise the protesters would stay at home. If people like Kukri are organising and marching, that's democracy and whether I agree with them or not, it's great to see.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

The permit thing amuses me.

Didn't bother going to any baggin' ceremony though.

[Askthepizzaguy]

I just find it interesting they are up in arms NOW about fiscal irresponsibility and taxes and budget deficits, when many of them just LOVED the previous administration. Some of the same people who said that opposing Bush was unpatriotic are now saying "lynch Obama".

Sure, there's plenty of normal people who attend and have a problem with taxes, and that's great. I'd like for there to be lower taxes too. But when the country is bleeding huge amounts due to budget deficits, and we're deep, deep in debt to foreign nations, and people aren't willing to give up their social services or raise taxes, one has to wonder; exactly what solution do they want for the problem? Print some more money and de-value the dollar? Sell arms to violent regimes? Stop fighting AIDS in Africa? Perhaps they'd like to get rid of earmarks, which account for what percentage of the budget... was it 1%? Of course, we can't cut the no-bid contracts and open-ended wars... that might be unpatriotic.



I want to hear opposing viewpoints and solutions from the opposition, so the Democrats don't go crazy with power, which they will. However, the opposition has no leadership, an abysmal alternative budget proposal, no energy or healthcare plan, no end to the overseas conflicts, and their main issues seem to deal with gay people, as if everything would go away if we just made sure that gay people couldn't have equal rights as straights. Even if they dropped the gay issue, they would turn around and blame immigrants for the problem, or people on welfare. There's always a scapegoat, and never a solution. Just pandering to partisan and special interest groups, and of course, lots and lots and lots of money for states like Texas, who "oppose" the federal government but sure love taking the grand majority of what they send to Washington right back in Congressional spending.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

(must, control, rant. Don't say Limbaugh... don't say Limbaugh... don't say Limbaugh...)

And Xiahou-

The tea parties were promoted by FreedomWorks, a conservative nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington and led by former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas, who is now a lobbyist.

And Fox News sponsored it and sent all their talking heads out there to promote it. Sounds like it wasn't something that happened spontaneously. It's a political rally, but it was not a grassroots movement. But we could debate all day and I doubt we would see each other's point of view.

Democracy yes, grassroots, no, and Fox is not News.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Why limit alternatives to the "opposition"? Actual alternatives to the two party system support things like balancing the budget, either through higher taxes and/or cutting spending. But that's obviously stuff and nonsense...

[Askthepizzaguy]

Why limit alternatives to the "opposition"? Actual alternatives to the two party system support things like balancing the budget, either through higher taxes and/or cutting spending. But that's obviously stuff and nonsense...

No, that makes sense. All of the above. But it would draw huge protests sponsored by Fox.

[Xiahou]

I just find it interesting they are up in arms NOW about fiscal irresponsibility and taxes and budget deficits, when many of them just LOVED the previous administration. Some of the same people who said that opposing Bush was unpatriotic are now saying "lynch Obama".

Your hyperbole aside, you're very mistaken if you think conservative voters were happy with spending under Bush. Conservative exasperation with the GOPs spending played a significant role in their ouster.

Additionally, the scale of the deficits is also worth noting. Obama's deficits are completely dwarfing those of the Bush administration- and Bush's deficits were bad enough already.

If people were upset over Bush's deficits, how do you think they'd feel about what's coming down the pipe? Ten years from now, even using the White House's pie-in-the-sky estimates, the deficit will never go below what it was in even the highest of Bush's time in office. The CBO's projections are much more gloomy, and sadly, more realistic. A sobering thought, don't you think?

Do you think it's possible that people are so disgusted by this that they're moved to protest without being given marching orders by the vast right wing conspiracy?

[a completely inoffensive name]

Why does that chart show the deficit rising after 2016 which would be Obama's last possible year in office if he was elected to a second term? There could be an actual fiscal conservative in office at that point.

[KukriKhan]

I couldn't care less about Fox News, especially since I don't have to watch it.

But they, and this movement, must have hit a nerve otherwise the protesters would stay at home. If people like Kukri are organising and marching, that's democracy and whether I agree with them or not, it's great to see.

I was dismayed to hear on radio beginning Monday, how politicians and pundits were turning this little 'germ' of an idea into a media event, complete with notable speakers, entertainment, and all the foo-foo of a partisan political clamor-fest. So, to be honest, I expected to see either a huge, staged "event", or a small group of mostly retirees - all bashing Obama, and blaming him for all their ills.

To my happy surprise, I saw neither; just my neighbors, with hand-made signs, kids-in-tow, lining my main street, and people driving by and honking approval, and about 10% of them parking nearby and joining, in a snowball effect. I saw three of my five city councillors wading through the crowd, being mostly ignored - "Good", thought I. They should see this with their own eyeballs, while not trying to exploit or lead it (I think the crowd would have shouted them down, had they tried).

For me, it wasn't about the money. There's enough blame to go 'round several times on that. Or about our wars.

Instead, this was a baby-step towards a realization that "I am not alone." Kind of a re-enfranchisement. That what I think and say and do, matters, and can have a positive effect on my civil society, and that my employees (the city, county, state & fed folks we elect) ought to pay heed.

I think, even more important, was the way the thing came together, informal, low-cost, internet announcements. I hope we can continue this kind of thing ala The Committees of Correspondence in revolutionary days.

"Trickle Up" republican democracy, if you will.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Instead, this was a baby-step towards a realization that "I am not alone." Kind of a re-enfranchisement. That what I think and say and do, matters, and can have a positive effect on my civil society, and that my employees (the city, county, state & fed folks we elect) ought to pay heed.

I think, even more important, was the way the thing came together, informal, low-cost, internet announcements. I hope we can continue this kind of thing ala The Committees of Correspondence in revolutionary days.

"Trickle Up" republican democracy, if you will.

Damn right! Frighten the government, not with guns, but with an organised citizenry refusing to be governed save with consent.

Kudos to you and your fellow citizens.

[Lemur]

I think, even more important, was the way the thing came together, informal, low-cost, internet announcements.

I'm glad you had such a positive experience, Kukri. And from what I've read, the whole tea party concept was put together by a libertarian group in Chicago.

That said, I would feel a lot more positive about this phenomenon if it hadn't been co-opted by Rupert Murdoch's propaganda arm. It just makes my skin crawl to see "reporters" on a "news channel" openly advocating a political event. There's a certain class of people who became libertarians on January 20th, 2009. For them? Nothing but contempt.

[KukriKhan]

I'm glad you had such a positive experience, Kukri. And from what I've read, the whole tea party concept was put together by a libertarian group in Chicago.

That said, I would feel a lot more positive about this phenomenon if it hadn't been co-opted by Rupert Murdoch's propaganda arm. It just makes my skin crawl to see "reporters" on a "news channel" openly advocating a political event. There's a certain class of people who became libertarians on January 20th, 2009. For them? Nothing but contempt.

No argument there - I turned on Faux News (Hannity was on) when I got home, and thought I was watching a re-run of the Dem or Repub National Convention, LOL. Buncha weiners trying to piggy-back, as far as I'm concerned. And I just watched the vid clip from the Madeaux MSNBC show; if I'd seen anybody at my rally with signs/shirts advocating hanging Congress-critters, or Obama=Hitler and the other crazy stuff she showed - I never would have gotten out of the car.

And yeah: I've heard/read Chicago, Seattle, NYC and Tampa as the originating locations of these secretly-funded by the vast right-wing conspiracy events. Bah... my check from D. Armey still hasn't arrived; stupid mailman probably kept it for himself.

I guess time will tell if this was a mere tempest in a teacup, as it were, or a consciousness-raising exercise.

[Xiahou]

Hey, people can do what they want. But when Fox News tries to pass it off as a "grassroots" movement that they didn't champion and sponsor, and objectively covered as news... I gotta say, that's a...

well, was going to say new low, but it's Fox News! There is no bottom to that canyon of shame.

What would qualify as a valid grass roots movement in your mind? If it immediately becomes tainted the moment it receives and support (or exploitation) from media outlets or politicians, I'd wager we've never had a true "grassroots" movement. These people aren't professional protestors- most of them are organized via blogs, social networking sites, etc. So what if Fox News promotes them or politicians try to hitch their wagons to it? Why the disdain?

You're also completely missing the point if you think they're only upset about Obama's tax increases on the top bracket.