Rush Limbaugh, yesterday, reacting to something Senator Chuck Schumer said, which was:
The underlying unrest that allowed the [Tea Party] movement to ascend can be found in economic as well as cultural and social forces that in combination have greatly unsettled the American psyche. The first and most important phenomena is a phenomena...Note to Schumer: "phenomena" is the plural of "phenomenon."
... that Democrats have recently begun to address, the decline in middle class incomes. When the Tea Party elite came in and said, "Government is your problem," we didn't say, no, it's part of the solution. The American people became frustrated, sour, and angry, and the Tea Party elites, unchallenged, tapped into that anger with their pied piper solutions.Rush says: "Senator Chuck-U, name one of these Tea Party elites. Name one! He can't."
It depends on what the meaning of "Tea Party elites" is. Even granting that the Tea Party movement was originally grassroots, there are certainly elite individuals who associate themselves with it, including Rush himself. Obviously, various candidates have run, unsuccessfully and successfully, by exploiting a connection to the Tea Party.
Wikipedia's discussion of Tea Party leadership begins:
An October 2010 Washington Post canvass of 647 local Tea Party organizers asked "which national figure best represents your groups?" and got the following responses: no one 34%, Sarah Palin 14%, Glenn Beck 7%, Jim DeMint 6%, Ron Paul 6%, Michele Bachmann 4%.It says something that the big winner was "no one."
Wikipedia links to this New Yorker article that explores an indirect connection to the Koch Brothers and has some key quotes from spring 2009: NYT columnist Paul Krugman wrote that the tea parties are "AstroTurf (fake grassroots) events, manufactured by the usual suspects," specifically FreedomWorks, and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi said "It's astroturf by some of the wealthiest people in America to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of for the great middle class." But that says less about the "Tea Party elite" than the liberal elite.
It's not, as Schumer put it, that "the Tea Party elite came in and said, 'Government is your problem,' [the liberal elite failed to] say, no, it's part of the solution. The American people became frustrated, sour, and angry, and the Tea Party elites, unchallenged, tapped into that anger with their pied piper solutions."
The elite that were around — in high places in government and media — were liberal, and they were challenging the tea partiers. Their key challenge was that these people must be fake, must be following some rich Pied Pipers who were tricking them — which is to say, the masses were following the wrong Pied Piper.
Posts
43 comments:
Well, with feminism, relativism and environmentalism gaining much ground in civil society, generally being rounded-up under a soft mainstream liberalism,
And with a soft mainstream liberalism holding sway over many of our institutions and generally served by the Democratic party
And with that Democratic party currently in power being run by a more progressive, further Left wing crowd including feminists, environmentalists, the NAACP and civil rights folks
I could see how Democrat party leaders would want to smear a grass-roots, populist response from the right,
Odd, I thought that the Tea Party was dead, insignificant. I thought that they weren't worthy of concern. Apparently they and those whom feel the same way about government and politicians aren't so insignificant and "dead" after all.
Just remember chuckie, these are the "bitter clingers" that your boy insulted, and still derides, not so long ago. They don't need you or your government. They have and do make their own way. This despite your disgust, hatred and vitriol. Bugger off chuckie, they don't need you. Can your limp wristed lib ilk say the same ?
smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors and the usual lies that started the Tea Party as a protest of career politicians from both Parties lying through their teeth about the intentional destruction of the existing Health Care insurance system.
Schumer and friends now want to be the Welfare State Brahmins, with RINO votes, and call it The Great Government saving the now jobless and on the dole middle class from noticing the end of Hope for jobs that create a middle class.
Interesting. Adopt the term and use it liberally to decrease the power it has over you.
There are "elites" who fear loss of their power. They fear a reversal of roles,and for all their claims to speak for and champion the lowly, unwashed masses, the proletariat is hearing and listening to the beat of a different drum.
Rather reactionary of Mr. Shumer...
Gee, why now, all this focus and press conferences by the left on the Tea Party?
Once a party gets in power that doesn't care about results (even though they say so) only winning, this is what you see. It moves from attacking the opposition to attacking any dissent at all.
They want to start indoctrinating our kids earlier with universal pre-K. You think it won't be mandatory and DCFS won't come calling if your kids don't show up?
Leftypedia and Krugman: yeah, that's where I'd go to learn about the tea party.
(rolls eyes)
The elite that were around — in high places in government and media — were liberal, and they were challenging the tea partiers. Their key challenge was that these people must be fake, must be following some rich Pied Pipers who were tricking them — which is to say, the masses were following the wrong Pied Piper.
Classic projection by Schumer. He's describing the mainstream American Left perfectly.
"Tea party machine"
The morons actually think it's run like the Cook County democrat party.
If that's their tactical thinking they're gonna lose.
In almost every column Dana Milbank asserts that the Tea Party is dead. So why is the Left kicking dirt on the grave?
This speech by Chuck Schumer is clearly part of a strategy designed by John Podesta to fire up the Democratic base and increase their turnout for the fall elections. Note that the speech was delivered to the Center for American Progress which Podesta ran before recently moving back to the White House.
Its all part of their strategy to demonize the Tea Party but its unlikely to work. Since there isn't the Romney drag on the elections the results are more likely to look like 2010 than 2012.
The Tea Party is the authentic grass roots movement of the middle class. That would be the party of the bourgoeise. The middle class has lost considerable ground under the present administration as the rich get richer and the poor get handouts. No wonder Schumer considers the Tea Party an enemy.
Schumer a Democrat wants to change the way Republicans hold their primaries so that Democrats have the opportunity to chose Republican candidates.
"A way to lessen the grip of the Tea Party on the electoral process would be to do what a handful of states have done and have a primary where all voters, members of every party, can vote and the top two vote-getters" enter a runoff, he said.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/01/schumers_plan_to_abolish_the_tea_party.html#ixzz2rQ5858q7
We're all drinking Kool-aid, it's really just a matter of which punch bowl we're drinking it from.
What I think is interesting is his contempt for those who oppose him. They are either "elites" manipulating the masses for their own evil ends, or they are the unwashed masses being lead around by the nose by corrupt leaders.
It's all psychological projection. The charges Schumer levels at the Tea Party apply to the Democrats. Same with the criticisms made by Pelosi, Reid and Obama. Do they listen to themselves at all? Or do they think we'll follow without thinking about the goal to which we're being led and by whom? Come to think of it, the Democrat demagogues are succeeding, so I guess my question is answered.
It's the "shadowy funding" bullshit they trot out to discredit any opponent, by distracting from the fact that they receive even more of that sort of funding than anybody else.
But THEIR money is the "good money" wile opposition money is "shadowy funding" money.
Simpletons buy into it; that is to say, the left buys into it, completely. because, they are the good people with the good money and opposition to them is Evil.
First, Tea Party critics haven't the slightest clue what the Tea Party is or what it stands for.
Second, it is common knowledge but nevertheless bears repeating that projection is the most salient fact of the liberal mind. If you want to know what a liberal is up to, just look at what he is accusing his opponents of.
We're all drinking Kool-aid, it's really just a matter of which punch bowl we're drinking it from.
No, we're not all drinking the Kool-Aid.
That was some awesome grassroots.
I don't know whether the Republicans or Democrats were more scared by it. I went to the first tax day protest here..the GOP chairman stood across the street watching, warily. Strangely enough the usual dissident suspects (Constitution/Libertarian/Reform) weren't there. Yet ever since then, discord in the party has been blamed on the Tea Party.
Then of course there were a lot of 501b groups who started up using the name, like the Tea Party Express.
It seems like people just need a label for bothersome elements. It's a shame because back in those days it really did seem like a genuine effort to focus narrowly on fiscal issues and leave the social con and WOT baggage aside.
Time Scot is a perfect Tea Party politician. He is the first black U.S. senator elected from South Carolina since Reconstruction from either party. That should be great news but the left is not happy. Here is how they respond to him.
"Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said Tuesday that he was a victim of "philosophical bigotry" after an NAACP leader referred to him as a ventriloquist's dummy."
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/01/23/Sen-Tim-Scott-NAACP-Leader-Engaging-in-Philosophical-Bigotry
The leader of the Tea Party is Emmanuel Goldstein. Emmanuel Goldstein can be Marco Rubio one day, Sarah Palin the next, Ted Cruz the day after that. Goldstein will be someone else another day. Schumer will keep us all apprised.
From the beginning, the left has been mischaracterizing what the Tea Party is, in an effort to marginalize them.
Somewhat surprised we haven't had our normal liberal trolls jump in on this. A couple of them are guaranteed to bring up the Koch brothers, etc and Astroturf whenever the subject of the Tea Party comes up.
But, they are, of course, wrong. No matter how much Chuckie Schumer, et al. rail about the shadowy people behind the Tea Party, they just don't get it. It is bottom up, and truly democratic, so unlike the power pyramid that the Dems are so used to - where everyone is equal, except that their leaders like Schumer are much, much, more equal.
How do you know when a progressive is projecting? When they're talking trash about anyone else.
To me, Schumer read his speech with all the anticipation and confidence displayed by the Coyote when he opens a box delivered from Acme (i.e., Podesta's office in the White House).
That's what they just don't get, Bruce. We don't need a unifying leader or organization.
We just need them to keep thinking we do.
We just need them to keep thinking we do.
You need to expand on this a bit. Agree that there aren't any real leaders, but don't quite get why it is important to keep this reality away from the Schumers of the world. They should know it by now.
"Leftypedia and Krugman: yeah, that's where I'd go to learn about the tea party. (rolls eyes)"
It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
It's better to edit one Wikipedia entry than to curse the left-wing media conspiracy.
The elite that were around — in high places in government and media — were liberal, and they were challenging the tea partiers.
They weren't just challenging them. They'd set the tone by their fanatic demonization of Sarah Palin, and once the 2010 election showed - by the House turnover and all those State offices going R - that there was indeed a grass-roots revulsion for Obama's monster-government policies, the leftist elites whipped up their media cronies into a sordid tsunami of slander against the evil Tea Party. It's been continued ever since, and is conventional wisdom among urban liberals, who can't believe that grass-roots revulsion could have possibly existed, let alone turn out that staggering vote against the blue-staters.
It was about then than the hoisting of the Koch brothers as the new avatar of Emmanuel Goldstein was authorized by those lefty elites, who needed a focus for their two-minute hates, since the Tea Party simply didn't have a Great Leader to direct the incorrect hopes and acts of its 'members' - whose grass-roots opposition to the incipient fascism of the Obama mob could not be admitted.
Bruce Hayden said...
We just need them to keep thinking we do.
You need to expand on this a bit. Agree that there aren't any real leaders, but don't quite get why it is important to keep this reality away from the Schumers of the world. They should know it by now.
Because then they focus their effort on the chimera of a "Tea Party Machine" while the tea party folk get out their vote.
And also it's funny. Like blaming Rush Limbaugh for conservatism.
It drives the prig progs crazy that there's no face, which they can attack, attached to leadership. So they go after Limbaugh and Fox.
With all the talk of the Tea Party Movement, none of it includes the central theme of the movement, that the deficits and debt we are accumulating will enslave our children, and our children's children. No one talks about the huge unfunded systemic debt that Obamacare is building into the federal budget, to be added to the burden of unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare.
No one talks about that anymore.
Classic misdirection. A lie told often enough in our society is truth. The left's definition of truth-- whatever the left says it is.
Leftists are so good at redefining the meaning of words.
2014 will prove whether the left has succeeded.
I've been involved with tea partiers since the first march in Austin, Texas. There are no "Tea Party elites." All the lefty posturing, defaming and projecting can't change that.
Their goals are: balancing the budget and reducing the national debt and the obvious derivatives; respect for the Constitution and the obvious derivatives.
Elites are unnecessary and undesirable.
It's better to edit one Wikipedia entry than to curse the left-wing media conspiracy.
Conservative edits are almost immediately removed.
Out-of-pocket and without a script.
The Tea Party was formed primarily to protest government intervention and corruption. The Democrats implicitly affirmed this situation when they campaigned on the promise to reform the latter. Ironically, as they embrace the former, they sponsor the latter. It doesn't work with a selective moral basis.
Charles Schumer attended Harvard and Harvard Law School. His children are Harvard graduates. His sister went to Harvard, her children to Harvard and Yale. She writes for the New York Times. Her husband was recently made a federal judge.
These are all bright and good people, and I am somewhat regretful for mentioning a politician's relatives. But for Charles Schumer to to disdain ANYONE for perceived elitism exposes his deaf ear to the facts on the ground in this country.
"When the Tea Party elite came in and said, "Government is your problem," we didn't say, no, it's part of the solution."
Like hell you didn't.
"Government isn't the problem, it's part of the solution" will persuade anyone who hears it. No one was persuaded. Therefore, no one must have said it.
"Charles Schumer attended Harvard and Harvard Law School. His children are Harvard graduates. His sister went to Harvard, her children to Harvard and Yale. She writes for the New York Times. Her husband was recently made a federal judge.
"These are all bright and good people, and I am somewhat regretful for mentioning a politician's relatives. {but I do anyway]
President 43 graduated from Yale and Harvard Business School. And of course, having such a similar pedigree, progressive Democrats give him the same accolades as Senator Chuckles from New York.
(Honest to Pete, can you name one public figure in the world, in any era, that is smarmier than Charles Schumer?)
The meeting between Hollywood & Obamacare is about to take place. I really don't want to keep my hand on my remote so I don't have to listen to the Soviet/North Korea propaganda coming thru my TV.
the Vile Progs wanted to bring The Fairness Doctrine " back. This is going to get really interesting.
The tea party is a libertarian movement started in 2007 by young people... there was no funding and no elites. If he is talking about TPP, TPE, and TPN, yes those are elites, because they are GOP consultants and fake. They are not legit tea parties.
There's 2 words to describe Schumer.
Prig. He's Prince of the Prig Progs.
Priggish sums up the Progs perfectly.
The other is creep.
"(Honest to Pete, can you name one public figure in the world, in any era, that is smarmier than Charles Schumer?)"
Every time Schumer appears on TV, I think the same thing.
How in the world did this guy get elected? And then I am reminded of Andrew Cuomo, Hillary! Client #9 ....
There are no "Tea Party elites." All the lefty posturing, defaming and projecting can't change that.
Schumer understands that the battle is Establishment Party(E) VS grassroots. He's only floating the "elite" meme to make us think the battle is about Establishment VS Establishment, so that we'll throw down our signs and go home.
Post a Comment