But why haven't I posted about the tea party protests? A longstanding issue in blogging is the interpretation of the failure to post. Too many people think the absence of posts indicates an opinion of mine that the topic isn't important, when only it means that I have nothing I want to say on the subject.
You know, despite what might look like massive evidence here on this blog, I'm not too interested in politics. And I've never been attracted to demonstrations and protests. I instinctively avert my eyes — unless I'm there in real life with a camera and I have some hope of catching a view of something quirky or weird. I've participated in exactly one demonstration in my entire life — back in 1970. I went along with chanting a chant — it happened to be "Open it up/Or shut it down" — and I felt rather embarrassed to be doing something completely out of character for me.
I'm aloof and bemused about things political, you see, and I have been for more decades than — in all likelihood — you've been alive.
But it is Tax Day. I'm not steamed about Tax Day. I've done my taxes. I minimized the stress by using Turbo Tax. I noted with a smidge of disgust that the PDF of my returns is 57 pages long, but I moved on.
Nevertheless, I see that Glenn Reynolds has an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal about the tea parties, so here:
Today American taxpayers in more than 300 locations in all 50 states will hold rallies -- dubbed "tea parties" -- to protest higher taxes and out-of-control government spending....
The movement grew so fast that some bloggers at the Playboy Web site -- apparently unaware that we've entered the 21st century -- suggested that some secret organization must be behind all of this. But, in fact, today's technology means you don't need an organization...
There's good news and bad news in this phenomenon for establishment politicians. The good news for Republicans is that, while the Republican Party flounders in its response to the Obama presidency and its programs, millions of Americans are getting organized on their own. The bad news is that those Americans, despite their opposition to President Obama's policies, aren't especially friendly to the GOP....
This influx of new energy and new talent is likely to inject new life into small-government politics around the nation. The mainstream Republican Party still seems limp and disorganized. This grassroots effort may revitalize it. Or the tea-party movement may lead to a new third party that may replace the GOP, just as the GOP replaced the fractured and hapless Whigs.
Posts
182 comments:
I sharpied-up a JERKS FOR PEACE sign and joined an ongoing student protest once.
I also held up a WELCOME VICE PRESIDENT MONDALE sign when Vice President Bush visited in the 80s.
The true subversives are never recognized.
You don't know which side to root for, in the case of tea parties.
It's economic populism on the protest side vs cynical manipulation on the institutional side.
What needs to be stamped out is Obama's directing every move into increasing government power regardless of consequences to anything.
And, in a while, insisting the Fed soak up the money it's flooded the economy with even if it cuts short a recovery. There's where some political support is absolutely needed; inflation will destroy everything otherwise, when that time is reached.
I doubt that the tea-parties will be a benefit to republicans who find themselves on the fuzzy end of the lollipop when it comes to taxes and the general subject thereof.
Tax is the price for living in a civilized society. I probably pay less than my fair share because I know the loopholes but I don't regret that which I pay.
You shouldn't either.
Everybody on the left has clearly received secret e-mails and/or beamed messages to the chips surgically inserted in their brains instructing them to insist that the tea parties are "phony." There's no other possible explanation for such a dopey, transparent criticism.
Could folks like Zachary possibly make it more obvious that they can't think of any substantive way to criticize the phenomenon, and that it scares them to death? Or that they believe, deep down inside, that no person, and most particularly no non-Democrat, is capable of thinking independently, and that everyone, everywhere, looks to some fearless leader who uses something like JournoList to orchestrate their lives and tell them what to think and how to act?
Must be so, must be so, there are no true grass-roots movements and especially none that dispute The Truth, must be so, must be so, must be so. OMMMMM.
I think that all members of Congress should be required to complete their own tax returns without the aid of preparers or computers - just lock 'em in a room with the forms and a calculator.
1. My favorite political sign in college was I Don't Stand for Anything. I Have Weak Knees.2. As to Zachary saying "teabag" instead of Tea Party, I refer him to Robert F. Kennedy: "The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents." And I mean that to beg him a moment of introspection, not to reflexively use the quote as a weapon.
3. I wonder when I'll get my check from those rich Tea Party funders tonight?
4. "Tax is the price for living in a civilized society. "Then why not a 100% tax?
"Tax is the price for living in a civilized society. ".
Yeah, that stupid American Revolution.
It is amazing that some people think the protests are phony. What is phony about them? Are they as phony as protesting the wars or protesting for or against abortion? Are they as phony as gay rights protests or protests about race? No one calls those protests phony.
No one dares claim that Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson are phonies when they lead protests. Try calling protesting gay rights or gay marriage phony? Even ACORN is taken seriously. Are the people of Code Pink phonies?
Are only good, dyed in the wool liberals allowed to protest; their issues are true and pure? Are their only approved issues to be protested and all others are phony? Will there now be a Department of Homeland Protest to approve the validity of causes allowed?
What is phony about people protesting rising taxes and out of control government spending? What is phony about protesting anything?
Could it possibly be that some people are really worried that there is buyers remorse and there maybe a backlash against Obama; causing or forcing him to be more centrist in his approach? Boy that would really kill some phony causes and their precious government spending, approval or authorization.
The last time I looked, this was America and people still had the right to protest any damn thing they wanted; serious or silly. People still had the right to publically demand they be heard by their government. People of all persuasions, backgrounds, political views, races, creeds, and whatever; maybe that is why this is supposed to be a phony protest. Even some liberals are mad and protesting their glorious Democrat Party.
The only phonies are those who decry this particular protest. Actually, they are hypocrites.
'Teabagging' parties.
And Zachy wonders why some of us consider him a juvenile.
I think that all members of Congress should be required to complete their own tax returns without the aid of preparers or computers - just lock 'em in a room with the forms and a calculator.That would cause mass murder. They would be baming each other for the mess, gihts would break out, and many would be mercilessly killed by their colleagues. The survivors would be imprisoned.
Then we would have a real problem; the new elections, which cwould cost money and possibly cause another rise in taxes.
house,
You can pay all the taxes you want. Just do not take advantatge of the deductions and loopholes. They are optional you know? Now you would call that silly or stupid. I would call that hypocritical.
Tax is the price for living in a civilized society.And no one disputes that. What is disputed is when taxation is abused and our tax dollars are being wasted or simply given away to curry votes with special interests.
HD,
You left out the confusing, conflicting, overblown and infuriating tax code which makes even wome CPAs want to run through the streets naked and screaming.
"[S]he hasn't done a single post on those phony teabagging parties." You did have a picture of the Cincinnati paper talking about one.
There was a gentleman in New York who used to join protests. He did not care what the people were protesting. He would show up, grab a sign, and start protesting with the crowd. He was somewhat well known and the cops called him the professional protester. Some guys from NYPD pointed him out to me one day while I was visiting. Even the media knew about him, as I read his obit; he passed away a couple of years ago.
I'd be curious regarding what loopholes house believes there are. If you have observable income from, say, a real job with a real corporation or state government and you make enough money, you can't get around the alternative minimum tax. Then the only deductions are mortgage interest and charitable deductions.
This shows up in aggregate date as well. The top 1% pay 28% of all federal taxes, including Social Security. The idea that you can get around them just isn't true.
There was a gentleman in New York who used to join protests ... He was somewhat well known and the cops called him the professional protester.Ha ha, that reminded me of this.
I'd be curious regarding what loopholes house believes there are.
.
Well I'm not so much curious as shocked, shocked that a self described bleeding heart liberal like hdhouse would admit to paying less than his fair share thereby denying the Federal Government the revenue they need to maintain a civilized society.
I guess that's why they call them hypocrites.
"I know the loopholes"
Sure you do. Want to point out a couple?
At least Zachary finally moved out of his mom's house. That's a start down the road to adulthood. One day when he actually has to pay taxes he might change his mind about a few things.
"Tax is the price for living in a civilized society. I probably pay less than my fair share because I know the loopholes but I don't regret that which I pay.
You shouldn't either."
Wow, I didn't know that Stockholm syndrome could occur concurrently with Alzheimer's disease.
So if I pay enough money, will they finally lock you and Zachary up? Because that I'd happily call civilization.
"Tax is the price for living in a civilized society"I am proud to pay taxes to live in this country. Of course I would be just as proud for half as much.
"I probably pay less than my fair share because I know the loopholes but I don't regret that which I pay.".
Typical lefty hypocrite. First he tells me it's the the price we pay for civilization, then he tells me he gets out of some of it, paying less than his fair share of the price of civilization and doesn't regret the less than full share he does pay.
What house means is the usual liberal credo: Taxes are the price everyone else pays so lefties can control their version of living in a civilized society.
The left really are terrible human beings. These people have entire organizations who pay people to do nothing but protest. A friend of mine worked as a professional protestor for Green Peace in college. They paid good money and extra if you got arrested. Those are "real protests". But the tea party ones are fake. They are only fake because the left doesn't beleive anyone who disagrees with them has a right to speak. The left in this country is dangerous.
Harsh Pencil said...
I'd be curious regarding what loopholes house believes there are. .."
nice report came out yesterday that each taxpayer would save 13.4% of his/her tax burden if the offshore hiding of income were policed and eliminated...something just short of 200 billion estimated...that's one...how many do you want?
I'm as boring and normal as a person can be (except for the excitng fact that I read Althouse and comment occasionally). Yesterday,I happily went out and bought posterboard and a super duper black magic marker. Last night, I made my sign
STOP GOV"T PIRACY NOW
I am appalled at the out of control spending and willy nilly printing of money. I feel the federal gov't has boarded my ship of common sense fiscal sanity (during the Bush years, too) and is holding me hostage to policies I don't approve of.
BY participating in a tea party (here in well behaved Knoxville TN), I'm saying, "hey, I'm paying attention and I don't like what I'm seeing".
I've never participated in any political event before in all my 60 years.
nice report came out yesterday that each taxpayer would save 13.4% of his/her tax burden if the offshore hiding of income were policed and eliminated...something just short of 200 billion estimated...that's one...how many do you want?.
.
And like shit through a goose, hdhouse never even feels the irony of that statement.
I would love to join a third party that is strong on defense, strong on fiscal restraint, and strong on keeping the Government out of my house, bedroom, hospital bed and school room.
"I would love to join a third party that is strong on defense, strong on fiscal restraint, and strong on keeping the Government out of my house, bedroom, hospital bed and school room."
Well, unless you kill public schools the government is always going to be in the schoolroom. I would support a party like that to as long as it was also strong on states rights. That way people can choose what kind of government they want by what state they live in.
hd says "I'm a liberal, you must pay more taxes. But I will not pay my fair share, because..."
That pretty much sums up the liberal mindset - it is great to spend other people's money. To decide what they can and cannot have. But I am going to keep as much of mine as possible.
Commie bastards...
The Community organiser idea is a copywrited Communist method of political warfare. Therefore any attempt by the Bourgeoisie to raise crowds to protest something UNFAIR that the authorities are doing seems false casting to them. To each his own role in this Play of political warfare. Bourgeoisie protests seem to the liberal Media script writers like a story about Jews fighting back when attacked instead of playing out their appointed scapegoat roles in this world. How can these things be???
Slightly off-topic, but did anyone notice the post yesterday wherein Andrew Sullivan approvingly linked Wolcott calling Glenn Reynolds a racist? And employed the "teabagging" gay sex reference in doing so?
I know Andrew's lost a lot of respect, but is this what he's reduced to, picking blog-fights with insults?
The fact that liberals assume the tea party protests are staged should tell us something about the grassroots Obama movement they were involved in.
"I probably pay less than my fair share because I know the loopholes but I don't regret that which I pay."
AND
"nice report came out yesterday that each taxpayer would save 13.4% of his/her tax burden if the offshore hiding of income were policed and eliminated...something just short of 200 billion estimated...that's one...how many do you want?"
So, hdhouse--you expect us to believe you engage in offshore hiding of income?
How about one loophole that you actually use?
Tax is the price for living in a civilized society.Great! Then you agree with Ari Fleischer then, HDHouse?
You know, despite what might look like massive evidence here on this blog, I'm not too interested in politics. And I've never been attracted to demonstrations and protests..
Translation: I won't be attending the teabag party downtown with my iPhone as there might be some unsettling signs that make conservatives look bad.
I'm a CPA and I don't really know of any loopholes for average taxpayers.
You can minimize your tax burden by planning ahead, such a structuring the sale of your business is such a way to have the gain be taxed as a capital gain instead of ordinary income rates or prepay expenses to offset income.
My goal is to have my clients pay as little tax as possible within the confines of the tax code.
I will be attending a tea party today here in Michigan.
Damnit, I'm still getting used to the fact that Blogger doesn't insert paragraph breaks as readily as it used to.
house,
How much of your weath is offshore? Is that why you go to Florida; you could hop a boat to the Bahamas to visit your money?
"there might be some unsettling signs that make conservatives look bad.".
Meaning: ACORN and the Democrats will show up and pretend to be crazy reichwingers.
I'm looking out my office window at a tea party of about 70 decorous people holding up signs and waving cheerfully at the many motorists who honk at them as they pass. 70 people might not sound like many, but it's 1% of the population of this sleepy little upstate NY town. Plus, they do not exactly look like your typical demonstrators: lots of gray hair, baseball caps, and well-behaved dogs, and not a single giant puppet on stilts in sight.
Too bad they're all fakes.
The Teabaggers didn't say a peep when $1 trillion was wasted on a useless war. They didn't say a peep when Bush recklessly cut taxes (during wartime no less) and wasted away a huge surplus and turned it into a $1.5 trillion dollar deficit.
And the Teabaggers favored fiscal policies now are more tax cuts and huge increases in defense spending. Policies which would result in even higher deficits than we have now. Which just shows that commenters like michaele are full of shit.
Hey DTL,
You left out some reference to the tea parties being anti gay. Get back on your meds you hater.
house:
Income derived from offshore assets is taxable.
Which means that "hiding" income offshore isn't a "loophole." it's a crime. Ask UBS.
So are you a criminal? Or just an idiot?
Meaning: ACORN and the Democrats will show up and pretend to be crazy reichwingers..
Everything is an ACORN conspiracy.
$5 billion form Obama and Soros's huge contributions buys alot of conspiracy, yes they do.
Mcg:
I read that Oped by Ari Fleischer.
I think he has a winning message for whichever party decides to borrow it.
"Everything is an ACORN conspiracy.".
Plus, they got their very own candidate elected President.
Pretty goddamned effective, I'd say.
I don't think the tea party protests are staged or phony. But they are lame. The crowds are small, the people are nearly all white and older and the public notice is minimal. The minimal public notice is not just a function of the msm's ignoring the protests, even though msm is. It's because there's nothing much new about protesting taxes or the means of protest. A thousand or so white people show up and wave some signs. So what? That's all you got?
I'm a conservative, but this is not going anywhere.
MadisonMan wrote: "I would love to join a third party that is strong on defense, strong on fiscal restraint, and strong on keeping the Government out of my house, bedroom, hospital bed and school room."
Dude, I am really feeling what you write lately. I wish I could buy you a cold one or three to talk it over.
Trey
These are the phoniest protests I've ever seen.
Fox News has been advertising them like crazy, and they still have pathetic attendance. And trust me, there are a lot of wingnut zombies who will do most things that Fox tells them to do, and think what Fox News tell them to think.
But go ahead - have the protests. We will laugh at you.
Yes, go ahead and protest about how "printing money" will cause inflation, when the economic news reports today that we have deflation for the first time in over 50 years.
Must be interesting to live in the fantasy world that the wingnuts live in.
Ok, downtownlad, don't be an idiot.
Take a deep breath and think about the difference between cause and effect.
Here's a hint: The government printing money did not cause deflation. The deflation caused the government to print money.
Why did the government, to include the Fed, do this? Why the rapid increase in the money supply?
Precisely because firing up the printing presses causes inflation.
Yes, David, clearly we don't have to take the tea party attendees seriously because many of them are "older" and "white." Everyone knows that nobody with a white skin could possibly have an opinion that matters, since their skin color automatically devalues and disenfranchises them. Everybody knows, too, that protests only matter when the protestors are young. And everybody knows that it couldn't possibly have any political significance that a population of people who may very well never have attended any demonstration in their lives are out there all of a sudden all over the country, waving signs, so exercised by something (what could it be?) that they are upending the habits and preferences of a lifetime.
You might want to ask yourself when you became the kind of person who could feel, never mind publicly express, such blatant prejudice.
"But go ahead - have the protests. We will laugh at you."
We will remember that statement DTL. When homosexuals march for any rights, I will throw your own words back at you.
You are one of the dangerous people. Only you and you alone have the right to protest. The rest of us are just phonies. If your fellow traveller, Jeremy, were here, he would say it is Un- American and un-patriotic to criticize legitimate protest. Real true Americans respect protest.
You fucking hypocrite!
Phony. That is the word of the day. Did the Democrat Party send out email blasts to order people to use that particular word in relation to the tea party protests?
With objectivist loon Glenn Reynolds as your strategist, what could go wrong?
Just some of the things that have already gone wrong are listed in my coverage of the tea parties.
The good thing about the "movement" is that when most people realize it had little or no effect - or was counter-productive - they might stop listening to those like Reynolds who just can't figure things out.
Some people are bestowed with the most accurate of names.
I have only commented here once and that was to help Ann with an HTML formatting issue. That said, however,
downtownlad said...
The Teabaggers didn't say a peep when ...If you did not notice, PorkBusters started during the Bush administration with the runaway earmarking by the majority Republicans.
And the Teabaggers favored fiscal policies now are more tax cuts and huge increases in defense spending. Policies which would result in even higher deficits than we have now. Which just shows that commenters like michaele are full of shit.Look, if we cannot afford Social Security and Medicare on our current trajectory (even before Obama's stimulus and budget), how are we going to afford government health care; bailouts for banks, auto industry, credit card users, college loan holders, and others; expanded education spending and free higher-ed tuition; and other Obama/Democrat wish lists?
michaele, I will be at the World's Fair Park as well. I like your slogan and may borrow it. I am heading that way shortly and my wife and four-year old daughter will join me after her nap. It will the first ever protest for the three of us. :-D
Ok, whoever mentioned that HTML formatting of blogger sucks was not exaggerating.
My preview included paragraph break, but the actual post did not. :-P
STOP GOVT PIRACY NOW.
That is an excellent sign you came up with Michaele!
My preview included paragraph break, but the actual post did not.
Put unitalics at the beginning of the next paragraph, not at the end at the previous.
It's a new bug!
The good thing about the "movement" is that when most people realize it had little or no effect This is true of most protests, I think. The most obvious analogue here would be the antiwar protests staged by ANSWER and the other leftist front groups -- they accomplished basically nothing at all at the time. It was all sound and fury, etc. etc.
The Tea Parties appear to be more widespread and -- in the aggregate -- better attended (the bulk of these seem to be in second-tier cities and towns, so individual protests are probably not all that large), but I don't see any reason to expect them to be any more successful than other protests.
And if they do translate into coordinated political action, I'm not sure that's a good thing either -- recall the creepy fascistic aesthetic of the Obamaist movement that brought the President to power last year. We all ought to avoid any politics that seeks to harness the mob, even if -- at first -- it appears to be directed to worthy or congenial ends.
$5 billion form Obama and Soros's huge contributions buys alot of conspiracy, yes they do.
Link please!
MadisonMan said...
I would love to join a third party that is strong on defense, strong on fiscal restraint, and strong on keeping the Government out of my house, bedroom, hospital bed and school room.
8:20 AMYou can always create your won, and you'll have my vote.
I love that sign, michaele. Excellent. Hope you don't mind if I use it too.
Also going to have one reading:
"STIMULUS" THE NEW SLAVERY
Fox News has been advertising them like crazy, and they still have pathetic attendance. And trust me, there are a lot of wingnut zombies who will do most things that Fox tells them to do, and think what Fox News tell them to think.Then there is the other side. I was just watching CNN interview someone at one of the tea parties. A news babe asked a guy if he was excited about getting a $400 tax refund. His response: Not with what it is doing to the country. Then she asked what about bailing out all those automotive jobs. Again, not with what it is doing to the country and our economy. Then, seeing she isn't getting anywhere with her talking points, suddenly discovers that a lot of people are railing against her employer, CNN. She runs away, blaming it on Fox. Imagine that.
Back to that post - Fox may have jumped aboard, but it wasn't there when the movement got started. Plus, most of the organizing is online. But you can keep dreaming about the great right wing conspiracy run by Murdoch. Janet Napolitano and her agency sure think there is something there.
I love how Pajamas Media is both boostering the Tea Parties and "covering" them. Nice how that works. Will Joe the Faux Reporter be on site, waxing wise about tax rates he'll never have to pay?
For all the hoopla and sudden discovery that Real Americans sometimes take to the streets, I, too, am amused.
One can easily tell that which the Dems/left fears most by whom they attack relentlessly.
I had to LOL as Dem mouthpiece Bill Press claimed the tea parties were "politically suspicious" as a politically suspicious DHS report was released yesterday. Project much Bill?
The left may laugh now but if Bernanke's forecast is accurate and unemployment rises to 8.8% by the end of 2009, with 8+% lasting through 2010, they won't laugh long nor last.
Meaning: ACORN and the Democrats will show up and pretend to be crazy reichwingers.Pogo, the Paultards and Nirthers will take care of that. Liberals are taking the day off.
" The Teabaggers didn't say a peep when $1 trillion was wasted on a useless war. They didn't say a peep when Bush recklessly cut taxes (during wartime no less) and wasted away a huge surplus and turned it into a $1.5 trillion dollar deficit."
If nothing else, it is a question of degree. For those of you who are more visually oriented: Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficit in Pictures from Heritage.
Besides parroting received wisdom that the war in Iraq was "useless" does not make it so.
When I was in high school (late 1970s), it was a burning issue whether students would get a smokers’ lounge.
I learned of this because a fellow student asked me to sign a petition. I said no.
A week or so later, another student told me that at 3:00 pm there would be a false fire alarm and that we’ll all protest by refusing to go back inside. I went back inside.
This morning, I had a big glass of Mountain Dew and then later a can of Dr. Pepper, but I don’t want anyone to read too much into that. I don’t particularly care for tea.
Balfegor @11:48
The MSM, Dem operatives and the left miss the point; all politics is local.
You don't need a high profile protest or a "mob" to for our cowardly congress critters to get the message that a discontented constituency has the power to put them in the unemployment line as well.
Obama's election margin, translates to 10 million popular votes. If 2 million more lose jobs between now and 3rd quarter 2010, that margin may evaporate as there will be no historic hope & change coattails in the 2010 mid-terms and a great deal more angst and anger on main street.
Nirthers?
Do they deny the existence of the North Pole?
Meaning: ACORN and the Democrats will show up and pretend to be crazy reichwingers..
Actually liberals have jobs and bills to pay - we don't have time to walk around with stupid signs and puppets.
I love how Pajamas Media is both boostering the Tea Parties and "covering" them. Nice how that works.Kind of like how MSNBC both bolsters Obama and "covers" him. Nice how that works.
garage mahal said...
[...]
Actually liberals have jobs and bills to pay - we don't have time to walk around with stupid signs and puppets.
1:24 PMI will remind you of that the next time there is a liberal protest or demonstration of any sort.
Actually liberals have jobs and bills to pay - we don't have time to walk around with stupid signs and puppets.
Cite please.
(Actually liberals have jobs and bills to pay - we don't have time to walk around with stupid signs and puppets.)
garage, that is by far, the funniest thing I have ever seen you post.
Keep em coming buddy, you're bound to get a belly laugh from Althouse that will result in a garage mahal tag.
"Phony" because they are advertised as grassroots when they are in fact manufactured, sponsored, and produced by the likes of Fox News, Dick Armey, and Newt Gingrich. Oh, sure, there are real people attending these things (and they might have even started as true grassroots events months ago when the Paultards were organizing them) with real complaints, but don't tell me these shit shows aren't phony. I'd love to see the response from all of you had any of the Iraq war or gay marriage protests been propped up with such hyperactivity and fervor by MSNBC or Nancy Pelosi.
And I call them "teabagging" parties because that's what the people at the protests are calling them, with signs like "teabag Obama!" and "we'll teabag you before you tax us!" If you don't like the name, you only have your cohorts to blame.
But it's so nice to see people taking an interest, now, in the same big government and same tax rates that have been in place for the past two decades.
See you tomorrow for the next feigned dose of outrage.
Oh yes, and now I remember in college there were these certain days we were supposed to wear blue jeans to show support for gay rights or something.
I really don’t know what became of that.
I once went to some Jello Biafra show and afterwards he asked for money for his legal defense fund.
He took off one of his shoes and we were supposed to come up to the edge of the stage and stuff money into it.
I think I gave him two bucks.
I was so amused by the process I forgot to get a receipt for tax purposes.
Well, according to Anderson Cooper, it's hard to talk when you're teabagging.
Oh, sure, there are real people attending these things (and they might have even started as true grassroots events months ago when the Paultards were organizing them) with real complaints, but don't tell me these shit shows aren't phony.
You are the phony. You act like you know what you are talking about, but you don't. And you know you don't. And that's what makes you a phony.
ZPS, don't be obtuse. If one were to follow your logic, all of ANSWER, Code Pink and other anti-war protest groups would have to be considered phony. During the Bush years, all of their protests received an ample dose of coverage before they happened, and more than one politician and activist from the left lent himself to them. Have you forgotten the press camp outside Crawford when Cindy Sheehan was down there? Do you remember Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and a few congresspeople making stops at the camp?
Glenn Reynolds is full of steaming horseshit.
The teabaggery was started by Santini on MSNBC complaining about homeowners facing foreclosure getting government assistance. (That's only for big finance firms, donchyaknow).
From there it was organized by corporate and Republican interests. These teabag protests are organized by DC lobbyists like Dick Armey of "FreedomWorks". It's astroturf.
Here in Madison there are dozens of buses that brought people in from around the state. Down on the square they had staff for the event with walkies and headsets. Big speaker systems, glossy handouts, etc.
I don't care if you have a lobbyist-led event. Just don't insult everyone's intelligence by pretending it's a spontaneous grassroots event.
Well, according to Anderson Cooper, it's hard to talk when you're teabagging.Hee, hee. And dangerous!
Funny part is that Obama cut taxes for most of these people walking protesting taxes.
The year was 1981. I was seeing a local band at this rock club and this very intoxicated woman came up to me wearing a beat-up wedding dress with heavy, black eye makeup.
She had pink spiky hair and a bone through her nose.
She said, “Can you give me a quarter for my cause?”
I figured she was interested in me, sexually, so I got all charming and witty and I said, “Sure, but what’s your cause?”
She got all huffy and she scowled at me and she said, “Look, just give me a quarter.”
Utterly deflated, I gave her a quarter and she went away.
No nookie for Bissage.
Sad.
Ha ha! Here's a nice rundown of how many times Glenn Reynolds has been very very wrong.
Glenn Reynolds Puts the InstaCurse on the Teabagging MovementReally, it a long list of wrong, wrong, wrong.
f one were to follow your logic, all of ANSWER, Code Pink and other anti-war protest groups would have to be considered phony. During the Bush years, all of their protests received an ample dose of coverage before they happened, and more than one politician and activist from the left lent himself to them.If you're trying to say that those loony anti-war protests were propped up like any of the teabagging parties are, you're living on another planet.
FreedomWorks, Dick Armey's teabagging operation, issues their talking points for the rallies.
Well, Zach, would you care to offer supporting arguments to that? Or are you just going to make that statement and run?
Hey, AL, it is "Santelli"It has also been documented that the idea had appeared before. Look it up, instead of working yourself into this foaming slobbering frenzy.
Walkie-talkies can be bought at Home Depot or Radio Shack or Target. Buses can be leased and reserved.
If you think not, are you implying that the anti-AIG protesters were paid and coordinated by lobbyists?
I didn't know you lived in Madison, or are you quoting someone without due credit?
For that small minority interested in facts, here's a post on Dick "Dick" Armey's astroturf campaign.
Yeah, Cubanita, I know that the teabag phrase has been around a long time. No shit, Sherlock.
And, I was down on the square checking out the circus with my own eyes.
I see that Alpha is spewing the hate around. They have to put bigger fences around the landfill to keep him in.
AlphaLiberal said...
For that small minority interested in facts, here's a post on Dick "Dick" Armey's astroturf campaign.
Yeah, Cubanita, I know that the teabag phrase has been around a long time. No shit, Sherlock.
And, I was down on the square checking out the circus with my own eyes.
2:49 PM A bad gay joke? You are a bigot, by your own definition.
Or are you just going to make that statement and run?
Uh, turn on the fucking teevee or the internet much over the past two weeks?
Zachary Paul Sire said...
Or are you just going to make that statement and run?
Uh, turn on the fucking teevee or the internet much over the past two weeks?
2:53 PM
Hm, why the anger, ZPS?
I get most of my news online, and through NPR. Anything specially enlightening I should have paid attention to? And I am not sure what the past two weeks have to do with 8 years of anti-war protests which is about what I was talking.
The year was 1984. I met this girl at a bar in town. She was really cute but way too messed up on LSD and booze and God knows what else.
We made out a little in a dark corner and she wanted to have sex in the ladies room. No kidding.
My buddies tried to get me to go for it but I wasn’t nearly drunk enough for anything like that. But we did make out for a while.
Later on, it was time to call it a night and she wanted to go boink down at the waterfront.
I am not making this up.
I hailed a cab and put $40 bucks in her bag with my name and phone number. I gave the guy in the cab $30 bucks and told him to take her home. I was a little taken aback by how very pleased he was by my generosity. Anyway, off they went.
That's were the story ends.
Maybe she ended up marrying the guy after he banged the living daylights out of her for nail-digging multiples.
Maybe he ended up wrapping her in duct tape and dumping her in the Jersey Pine Barrens.
All I know is she never called me.
Sad.
Ha!
What are the lefties trying to argue here? That the only "authentic" political protests are the ones that are organized by the politically disinterested? Or the ones with no organization at all? Ultimately, isn't the authenticity of a rally determined by the motivations of those who show up to support it?
Oh, Cubanitito, I was just teasing you. Don't be so sensitive. I didn't even know you were gay.
Peter Bella says:
I see that Alpha is spewing the hate around
After Peter Bella says:
Crawl back in your landfill you evil peice of garbage.And after Peter Bella says of people who disagree with him:
Once again Alpha you have proved you are not fit to live in the human community. Maybe there is a subhuman colony you can join; if they will even have you.Peter, are you familiar with the term "hypocrite?" Because you sound pretty expert on the subject.
Sofa King:
These teabag protests are presented as spontaneous outpourings of citizen opposition to Obama.
But they are not. They are financed and organized and promoted by well-heeled people and organizations. (Even paying prize money to people posting messages to the net).
So, the point is the protests are phony and part of an orchestrated campaign run by the people that the voters tossed out of power.Really, I think it's all about sore losers.
Hey, Alpha, I am familiar with the term hypocrite. But you still belong in a landfill. Or did you forget your hate filled mongering about the shooting incident. you lost what minuscule credibility you ever had that day. So fuck you and the landfill you live in.
Sofa King, see Glenn Reynolds article cited by Ann for examples of the lie that this is a spontaneous grassroots movement.
We're saying "that's not true."
Hope this has been a clear explanation.
Peter Bella, you've got some bile running down your chin there.
Sofa King:
From the beginning of Glenn Reynolds' string of lies in the Wall St Journal:
So who's behind the Tax Day tea parties? Ordinary folks who are using the power of the Internet to organizeFalse. Dick Armey, Newt Gingrich, FoxNews, Lou Dobbs, Rick Santelli, etc, etc are not "ordinary folks."
Really, it's such an obvious lie.
My parents attended one of the Tea Party protests today. I didn't have time to attend one here in my city, sadly. :(
Anyway, Reynolds' point about the protesters not being pro-GOP is spot on. Certainly some of the protesters are, but many are not. My dad took the time to pick out some sign slogans that got the message across without either blaming or supporting either of the political parties. From his perspective -- and I agree with it -- BOTH parties got us into this mess.
AL -
It is not a lie that many of the local organizers of these events are not - or haven't been - very politically active until now. The same is true for many of the attendees. The fact that politically interested organizations or individuals have donated time and effort to promote these - nobody is really disputing this, after all - does not change these facts. As far as I am concerned "grass roots" means "getting people active who haven't been active." This of course takes organizers and the support of politically interested parties, which is no big surprise. What does it mean to you?
So CNN's Anderson now talks about 'teabagging' on the news?
Isn't that special.
But what if it were true that, like ACORN and the Soros-funded groups, the Tea Parties were all 'orchestrated'?
So what?
That would mean what exactly?
The message stays the same.
Democrats are spending $1Billion an hour.
$1B/hr.
The GOP had their chance to cut spending and increased it instead.
Screw 'em.
Anyway, as for the biggest spending by any gummint in the history of the world, any surgeon will tell you that all bleeding tends to stop. So will this.
Tax is the price for living in a civilized society. I probably pay less than my fair share because I know the loopholes [etc]
That pretty well sums up the quality of hd's character, there.
woooo-oooo-ooooCoverage from Chicago Teabagger Party.
And trust me, there are a lot of wingnut zombies who will do most things that Fox tells them to do, and think what Fox News tell them to think.Obviously not if a) Fox tells everyone to protest and b) only a handful protest. Projection again! Man.
There is some sort of protest in Little Rock today but one is at 3, when I'm at work. The other one is at 5 and I'd have to drive all the way across town and deal with traffic... not sure if it's worth it. I do need some stamps and it's at the post office, so maybe I should go. Plus, I wanted to take some pictures if there are more than 10 people there.
AL@3:33
"The first gentleman (I use the word loosely) carried a picture of President Obama as Hitler."Oh Noes!!!
Are you fucking kidding me?
If you're trying to say that those loony anti-war protests were propped up like any of the teabagging parties are, you're living on another planet.
Dude, I was in DC during some World Bank protest during 1999/2000 (or so). Those were not home grown protests. I talked to those people on the street.
1. They were idiots.
2. They had no IDEA what they were protesting! Most of them just talked in a big circle.
3. They were allowed nowhere near the world bank and ended up sprawled all over campus and protesting a FRAT HOUSE. The frat house was playing Born in the USA over and over again in a loop and had a bunch of signs up calling them idiots.
Oh, and they all made a deal with the police department in DC because they wanted to get arrested. They wouldn't let them near the world bank, so the police department let them get one foot closer to the world bank so they could get arrested. Idiots.
Tax is the price for living in a civilized society.
Maybe so, but that doesn't mean 10% of the people should be paying 70% of the taxes. Every time taxes get cut they get cut across the board, and every time they get raised they get raised on "the rich". Half the country pays no income tax at all, so they have no stake in the solvency of the government, provided things aren't so broken the checks stop.
Pogo: any surgeon will tell you that all bleeding tends to stop. So will this.Bleeding tends to stop after a fatal bleed out too.
f you're trying to say that those loony anti-war protests were propped up like any of the teabagging parties are, you're living on another planet"Another" meaning "other than the one Zach's living on". But here on Earth, the antiwar protests had professional organizers with deep pockets behind them.
Re: BJM:
You don't need a high profile protest or a "mob" to for our cowardly congress critters to get the message that a discontented constituency has the power to put them in the unemployment line as well.This is what the fools at the antiwar protests ANSWER ginned up thought too. And they were completely wrong -- the elections that happened after the big round of protests (2004) saw the President's party gain a number of seats in both houses of Congress, an unusual result, historically.
My view is that the discontented constituency is only electorally significant if a few preconditions are met.
One is that the voters be voting in a competitive non-gerrymandered district. (haha)
Another is that voters remain angry when they are actually voting. Unluckily for the Tea Party protesters, they just had the chance to vote six months ago. And they blew it then -- sent all these people they are now protesting right back to Congress. And their chance for a do-over is not coming around again for another year and a half. Is it likely that they'll be able to maintain enthusiasm and outrage that long? Well, it's possible if Congress sees that their stimulus bill isn't working and thinks that's a wonderful pretext to throw another trillion of bad money after good. But probably not.
And yet another -- maybe most important -- is that the protesters actually represent a lot of people willing to vote on the basis of their pet issue. And often that's not the case. Protests gather together a lot of people who care about one issue or another, and they create the image of a groundswell of popular outrage -- this is why activists and campaign consultants are always trying to astroturf protests and bus in/offer class credit to dumb college students to beef up crowds, etc. etc. But the image isn't the reality. Even if the people who show up are 100% committed to a cause, that doesn't necessarily mean they are the vanguard of a groundswell of popular outrage. They could just be an extremely committed minority. Sure, a crowd of 5,000 people looks like a lot of people, but it only looks like a lot of people. There might be 250,000 voters in a mid-size city. Protests are just as likely to be a way of making up for small numbers with loud voices and paper-mache puppets as they are to be a meaningful expression of popular discontent. Frankly, most voters probably don't even care -- about this issue or any of the issues protesters whip themselves into a frenzy over. And even if voters do care, how many of them care enough that they'll decide their vote on this issue alone?
The other point to make here -- as with the anti-war protests -- is that ironically, the protests are probably more likely to hurt the political party the participants are more closely aligned with, and thus, the short-term political ends they're trying to achieve. The anti-war protesters were, on the whole, on the left side of the spectrum, and they wouldn't have voted for Republicans anyway -- all they did was weaken all the Democrats who voted in favour of the authorization for use of military force. Similarly, the majority of the Tea Party protesters are likely on the right side of the spectrum, and more disposed to vote for Republicans than Democrats. So Republicans who vote for idiotic spending bills are the ones who are going to be punished by the protests, if anyone is. One may think this is worthwhile (I do, as it happens), but people shouldn't dream about these protests leading to a 2010 sweep of the House with a new breed of fiscally conservative Republican or a new third party. It's more likely to depress the vote for a bunch of Republican candidates and leave the field open to big-spending Democrats. Bit of an own-goal.
On that last paragraph, I left out a linking thought -- sorry.
That thought was that no is persuaded by protest. Who looks at a bunch of people sitting around with home-made signs and crappy paper mache puppets and thinks that's a persuasive argument? You persuade people by reasoning with them, not by protesting. Protesting is just acting out -- cathartic, but not terribly useful.
I'm not a protester type. Never have been. Don't like crowds. Don't like traffic. I avoid sales at the mall and the State Fair, too.
Will the Tea Party protests be successful?
I think that part of whatever success is gained will be directly attributed to a trend of those who scoff to make stupid statements defending taxation as "patriotic" or even go so far as make an argument that taxes are low and ought to be higher. A local news report out of Arizona had an elected Democrat on who said exactly that, "Our taxes need to be higher."
That was a win.
One of the reasons this protest might be headed for a dead end is that the Obama Administration will make sure that a critical mass of the electorate-
benefits from the new distribution and does not pay.
ZPS-
Feels "warm and fuzzy"-
May I suggest he check his temperature, and get a shave.
""Bleeding tends to stop after a fatal bleed out too.""
That's the Surgeon's dark humor, by the way:
All bleeding tends to stop [sotto voce] ...one way or another.
To all the liberal trolls, it's put up or shut up time. provide evidence of right-wing lobbyist groups funding WA state tea parties that are happening as I am typing this.
You are the phony ones!
"I think that part of whatever success is gained will be directly attributed to a trend of those who scoff to make stupid statements defending taxation as "patriotic" or even go so far as make an argument that taxes are low and ought to be higher."
Ahem, Joe Biden said that paying taxes is patriotic during the campaign. He is now the vice president. If Jeremy were here, he would say it is Un-Patriotic to scoff at the vice president of the United States. It is Un-American too.
No true American would do that. A true patriot would agree with the elected vice president of the United States. That is what Jeremy would say.
Then he would deny ever saying it.
Balfegor, this is not the same set of dynamics. Once the 9/11 fear receded, the anti-war protests were in the main partisan and/or policy differences fueled as much by the 2000 election debacle as war.
People, especially moderate swing voters, tend to vote their pocketbooks/security first, ideology second.
The economic crisis is personal and nonpartisan. Everyone is feeling the money pinch and/or the creeping fear of losing everything and their wallets will be lighter in 2010.
The Congressional Dems are not stupid, they hear the drumbeat in their districts as state and local taxes gin up dissatisfaction in general. They will pull back and await economic recovery (live to fight another day). Obama will either finesse the situation or be a one termer.
Balfegor,I left off a graf.
That thought was that no is persuaded by protest. Who looks at a bunch of people sitting around with home-made signs and crappy paper mache puppets and thinks that's a persuasive argument?A Congressional representative who is seeing their office/communications awash with unhappy voters and desperate supplicants.
For example, I'm in a purple county, one that was historically red until Clinton swept it blue in 1992. Local government is still mostly red and the district is up for grabs in 2010 if the economy remains in downturn. There are many such districts in blue swing states.
The Tea Bagger...had some problems:
The big event of the day was to be the dumping of one million teabags...into the Potomac:
Shifted to Lafayette Park because of issues of legality. But that didn't happen...because of permit issues.
Teabags loaded back on to the truck and driven off to an undisclosed location.
("We thought we had a permit but then they were like, 'No, you don't,'" says organizer J. Peter Freire. - Duh)
The second rally in front of the Treasury Department was scotched after the Secret Service objected.
Withstanding driving rain, another gathering of protesters got to chant slogans and wave signs decrying government spending and taxes.
And then the crowd responded with a chant: "USA! USA! USA!"
WOW...sorry I missed it.
Alex - "To all the liberal trolls, it's put up or shut up time. provide evidence of right-wing lobbyist groups funding WA state tea parties that are happening as I am typing this."
Think Progress:
Despite these attempts to make the “movement” appear organic, the principle organizers of the local events are actually the lobbyist-run think tanks Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Works. The two groups are heavily staffed and well funded, and are providing all the logistical and public relations work necessary for planning coast-to-coast protests:
– Freedom Works staffers coordinate conference calls among protesters, contacting conservative activists to give them “sign ideas, sample press releases, and a map of events around the country.”
– Freedom Works staffers apparently moved to “take over” the planning of local events in Florida.
– Freedom Works provides how-to guides for delivering a “clear message” to the public and media.
– Freedom Works has several domain addresses — some of them made to look like they were set up by amateurs — to promote the protests.
– Americans for Prosperity is writing press releases and planning the events in New Jersey, Arizona, New Hampshire, Missouri, Kansas, and several other states.
This is what the fools at the antiwar protests ANSWER ginned up thought too. And they were completely wrong.
The key difference there, I think, is that at the time ANSWER was putting those rallies together, the war was extremely popular. The bailouts and deficit spending are not popular. They poll about as well as breast cancer.
Do I think the protests will make a difference? No. I think the last protest marcher to make a difference was shot by James Earl Ray in 1968. But considering that both the Republican and Democratic parties are united in their determination to spend us into oblivion, what's there to do EXCEPT protest in the streets?
At least it relieves some frustration.
the protests are probably more likely to hurt the political party the participants are more closely aligned with, and thus, the short-term political ends they're trying to achieve.Supposing that short term political ends are what they are trying to achieve.
Reynolds argues that the protests are not Republican, but include Independents and libertarians. This seems likely to me... all those Ross Perot people are still out there as are various sorts of populists, libertarians (for whom tax slavery is always an issue) and any number of people who are personally, economically conservative and instinctively and forcibly reject the notion that economic troubles can be solved if only enough money is spent willy-nilly.
The argument that this is some huge Republican funded, astro-turfed, political movement ignores the fact that IT DOESN'T HELP REPUBLICANS.
Duh!
Reynolds argues that the protests are not Republican, but include Independents and libertarians.
Reynolds is entirely correct.
These are not party rallies. Republicans don't take to the streets to wave signs. These are rallies of frustrated middle-class folk.
Wow. Teabaggers hate the Jews? Who knew?Nope. Nothing partisan going on here. Keep on moving, please.
Blogger AlphaLiberal said...
Wow. Teabaggers hate the Jews? Who knew?Nope. Nothing partisan going on here. Keep on moving, please.
6:38 PM
FAIL. Wonkette is made of FAIL because she says BS all the time. She cries RACISM in that post, yet provides NO evidence!!!!
Hilariously, the tea party outside the White House was apparently dispersed by the Secret Service, and the White House locked down, after some nefarious criminal... threw some tea bags over the fence. :)
See, if I were a leftie I'd be screaming about the silencing of dissent right about now. But I'm not, so I'll just sit here in amusement at the thought of the White House panicking in the face of tea leaves.
Yeah, Alex, to be clear, Wonkette is a sassy satire site and nothing should be taken seriously there. But it's often funny.
Wow. Teabaggers hate the Jews? Who knew?
Could someone take a look at that link and tell me what either Wonkette or Alpha is babbling about?
I don't see a single mention of Jews anywhere on that page, except in the title and one of the comments. The closest thing to an "anti-Jew" sign is a sign that says "Christian-Capitalist-American Heart and Soul".
A fellow would have to be pretty damned thick to read that as anti-Semitic, but we ARE talking about Alpha and Wonkette here. :)
Rev, here's a hint: Jews aren't Christian.
Headline:
"Teabaggers go nuts"
Pogo,
Nirthers are anti-mirth.
No, they're Birthers, with a typo.
And not mirthful, not at all, but that's just coinkidink.
Rev, here's a hint: Jews aren't Christian.
The guy's a Christian, and Christians aren't Jewish... ergo the guy hates Jews.
Got it.
AlphaLiberal,
Rev, here's a hint: Jews aren't Christian.
Nor are Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, devotees of Santeria, or atheists. I would hesitate to assume that "Not-Christian" = "Jew." You, apparently, would not.
Instapundit links to a great story about one of the California protest leaders taking time to rake the state GOP over the coals.
That's why the drones like Zach and Alpha will never get what's going on here. This isn't about supporting the Republican Party. :)
I can't wait till you all see the video we produced at my work today on teabagging in West Hollywood. You will love it. I'll share the link once we're done editing it!
I can't wait till you all see the video we produced at my work today on teabagging in West Hollywood.
Working in gay porn these days, Zach?
"I can't wait till you all see the video we produced at my work today on teabagging in West Hollywood. You will love it. I'll share the link once we're done editing it!"
Hollywood? Is that the city where mooovie stars live and sim in ceeement ponds? The mooovie stars who act in movies about issues and then claim expertise in said issues. The land of script readers? That Hollywood?
Hey Alpha,
How does a lying peice of garbage like you look in the mirror everday and call himself human?
Kansas City Star:Democrats and other skeptics are desperate to dismiss the tea parties that popped up across the country today. Kansas City political consultant Steve Glorioso told The Star they were being staged by the "same far right fringe characters driven in large part by talk radio."
This eagerness to explain away this movement is telling, suggesting the skeptics see these gatherings as a real threat. Certainly the tea parties have an anti-Obama slant, but what we're seeing is something outside the normal dynamics of Democrat-Republican tension.
Working in gay porn these days, Zach?
Kind of!
This is the best teabagging video so far. Of course "Sex in the City" was with teabagging long before the right wing.
Hey, Peter, you might want to see an MD about all that bile. They're doing wonderful things with treatment these days. You don't have to suffer. Nor us.
In Joliet Lipton tea bags hung from signs with slogans ranging from "Don't Tread on Me!" to "I'm a left wing American" as more than 300 people gathered outside the Will County courthouse this afternoonWell I guess that shoots the old right wing conspiracy theories right in the ass.
Oh Alpha. You do care. Unfortunaltely I am not suffering, but you are an insufferable prick and a miserable piece of shit.
Hey, you guys, that Wonkette link was a joke. You know, "humor"? You could follow the link but it may be hopeless for you.
Humorless conservatives live on.
Hey Alpha,
I bet your comments on the shooting were comedy too. Just a harmless joke. A prank.
Eliminationists are teabaggers, too.
This is a great thread in the sense that it provides an interesting window in the psychosis of leftists.
At what point does a critical mass of people become large enough that you stop trying to make fun of it? At the point when it has consequences for you, I suppose. So about 2010.
What's especially funny, though, is how our faithful leftist shills, who so complained about deficit spending, are for far more gargantuan deficits now.
Is it really about just having your guy in power? Is that the end-all, be-all of your sorry political consciousness?
Zach?
Oh, this is great. A "patriot" using the flag for a poncho.
How much do you suppose that one million tea bags cost that they wanted to dump on LaFayette Park? Very grassrootsy.
Hey, 7, it's a free country. You can protest and march and condemn our nation's leaders and tell us how much you hate America.
And, we get to criticize your lunacy.
Free country.
So, let me get this straight. The same people who showed up to the McCain/Palin rallies, and who voted for Bush (who helped get us into this economic situation) are showing up today with teabags tied to their head, and this is supposed to indicate that all the Democrats are going to be voted out in 2010 how exactly?
Sorry, you lost. Hate to say what you already know I'm gonna say, but, get used to it.
"Let me give you another extremist view, 'In God We Trust,'" he said to wild applause. "Say that too loud in some parts of America and you will be shot. It's terrible."That's Faux Joe addressing his tea party. I can't decide if he's just a lying sack of shit or a drama queen.
Zach -- How long to you expect a Congress that ramps up the deficit and encroaches on individual liberty to last? I am very curious.
I am also curious why these you lost arguments failed to apply to you from, say, 1994 to 2006. Why does said principle not apply to gay marriage initiatives?
Please do hash out your philosophy on winning and losing in a free society for us. This'll be hilarious.
Beth -- How about I'm going to reduce the deficit uttered by Barrack Obama? Was that lying sack of shit or drama queen?
Zachary,
I can't figure that out, either.
I passed the tea party in Metairie, LA, today, on a strip of tax-funded park ground, and there must have been AT LEAST 25 people. Wow! ACORN must have stolen the election; how could Obama have won with that kind of opposition?
Seven, he's got four years.
Beth -- Isn't the difference here the (previous) lack of media coverage of these events versus the massive coverage of similar staged events when leftists do it?
Why does only a certain kind of protest merit press coverage?
Not really, Beth. He has two. When Congress switches hands, things will change dramatically for the president, as power in this country lies in Congress, despite what various sides wish to believe about their pet causes.
I have more or less come around to the view that split government is good government, by the way. As much as it pains me to see perfectly good offices soiled by Democratic spendthrifts and foreign policy pansies.
How long to you expect a Congress that ramps up the deficit and encroaches on individual liberty to last?
Is this a quote from Seven Machos tonight or a quote from (insert liberal name here) in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007? Please share how you fail to see the hilarity in this. It will be hilarious.
The same things have been going on for decades, and trying to pass off today as anything but some sort of retro Obama protest from 2008 is dishonest if not completely ignorant.
Wherein Zach demonstrates that he doesn't understand why it's a problem that Obama promised to cut the deficit and instead made it explode.
If (insert liberal name here) in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 thought it was a bad idea then, why is it a good idea now? Why will voters accept whatever sorry explanation you propose.
Maybe you can make a joke about putting a giant scrotum in your mouth and, if it's good enough, your absolutely inept ability to argue or understand logic or irony won't matter.
Good luck.
I recall a good deal of talk in 2006 about dissatisfaction among Republicans over big-spending Republicans and "punishment" for it involving lost seats.
It's not at all the case that no one complained or that all the Republicans thought the level of spending was acceptable.
And that's not counting Porkbusters, which is related but has a different, more specific focus.
I hated the big spending and the cozy Beltwayness. Any halfway sentient human understands that it led directly to the demise of the Republicans in Congress.
Now, let's think for a minute. Let's say that people run in 2010 against the current crop of clowns saying they are going to reign in the deficit and federal excess. What is the likely outcome?
If Democrats lose Congress, well, Zach, you lost. Get used to it. Right?
Seven, I don't lose any sleep over split government, either.
Massive coverage? Of every penny-ante little anti-way march? In your imagination!
anti-war, that is
Gee, Alpha is actually calling other people here un-American and questioning their patriotism. The guy who ranted and raged against his country is now a full blown patriot. Hey Alpha you going to join the Marines now? Maybe try to be a Seal?
Nah, you will just continue to be a miserabe fuck of a sub human being. Even the Peace Corps. would reject you. It was Un-American and un-patriotic how you just shot from the lip over that shooting tragedy. And, no, I will not let you forget your lack of decency and humanity. you have none.
The real probem here is who the elected officials are beholden to. They surely are not beholden to the people. They are definitely beholden to the parties.
How else does one explain how out of touch politicians of both parties are with mainstream Americans?
I agree with Seven, a divided government is best.
What I have found amusing is all the people who have outed their own minds being in the gutter by snickering about teabagging.
The people who are unselfconsciously oblivious to the urban slang meaning of the word show that their minds aren't in that particular gutter.
Methinks the snickerers know a little too much about the subject.
They drive by the protests in their Hummers wearing pearl necklaces. They need to floss, because there's a hair in their teeth. LOL
Beat the snickerers at their own game: bring loose leaf tea.
Is this a quote from Seven Machos tonight or a quote from (insert liberal name here) in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007?
It was a quote from conservatives and liberals alike back in 2001-2007. But even if conservatives had never complained, what of it? Eventually there comes a point where any sane person realizes the government cannot continue to behave in this manner.
The United States national debt is on track to increase by $2.75 trillion during this, the first year of full Democratic control of government. It took Bush and the Republicans five years to increase the debt that much. The total projected debt increase from the current Democratic tax and spending proposals is in excess of $10 trillion.
That's the realization the people at these tea parties have come to. They aren't just a bunch of disgruntled Republicans, although you're welcome to fantasize that they are.
The idea of teabagging should be embraced. Yes, leftists, your taxes are the metaphorical balls of the federal government forced upon the mouth of the taxpayer.
No thanks.
Vote these guys and their balls of deficit out.
Protests are for losers. It seems that the SOP now is for the side that loses elections to go out and block traffic.
What are we, French?
Get over it, win the next election, and stop wasting time waving signs and making yourselves feel better.
That goes for the anti-war protesters, too. No one changes their mind because of your sign.
Here's how we teabag in WeHo!
Way to address anything substantive, Zach. You've shown poorly and stupidly in this thread.
Sorry, you lost. The only people who are delusional are the ones who take teabagging seriously. Sorry again.
12 > 0.2
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