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The Tea Party is a movement of the downwardly mobile white middle class. That is not to say all white middle class people share Tea Party sentiments. It is simply to say that Tea Party politics reflect the frustrations, fears and prejudices of that once stable, once relatively prosperous group, which is now is rapidly losing economic ground. Although the Tea Party has not become a full-blown fascist formation yet, fascism was a movement of exactly the same social class. Very worrying.
The anti-TEA Party people are composed of these three groups:
1. The status quo - Those who gain power and/or money with how things are currently being handled. They don't care about the increasing debt or tax inequity, because they profit by these things more than they are hurt by them.
2. The partisan sheople - Those are the people who are so concerned about their "team" winning that they can't reasonably consider anything other than the talking points their cheerleaders feed them. These people are traditionally indoctrinated into this group via family or friends and remain because they are typically followers that are extremely influenced by peer pressure.
3. The low information fodder - Those are the people that are responsible for the popularity of the Kardashians, Justin Beeber and Transformer movies. If they hear a movie star or television personality say something, they immediately take it as gospel. They receive the majority of their information from comedians and musicians.
If you look at voting by economic class, you'll see that the very rich and the poor primarily vote for liberal candidates while the middle class will lean more conservative.
The anti-TEA Party people are composed of these three groups:
1. The status quo - Those who gain power and/or money with how things are currently being handled. They don't care about the increasing debt or tax inequity, because they profit by these things more than they are hurt by them.
2. The partisan sheople - Those are the people who are so concerned about their "team" winning that they can't reasonably consider anything other than the talking points their cheerleaders feed them. These people are traditionally indoctrinated into this group via family or friends and remain because they are typically followers that are extremely influenced by peer pressure.
3. The low information fodder - Those are the people that are responsible for the popularity of the Kardashians, Justin Beeber and Transformer movies. If they hear a movie star or television personality say something, they immediately take it as gospel. They receive the majority of their information from comedians and musicians.
If you look at voting by economic class, you'll see that the very rich and the poor primarily vote for liberal candidates while the middle class will lean more conservative.
I'm well aware of what happened in the Mississippi primary because I, a white voter, made it a personal point to go out and vote against Chris McDaniel in the runoff. Here's my experience:
Living in Mississippi, there is no real Democratic option. The resume of the Democratic candidate and his platform will read almost identically to that of any moderate Republican... Opposes Obamacare, everyone old enough to carry a pacifier should also have a holstered weapon, "pro-life" (unless it's the death penalty we're talking about), and so on an so forth. Thad Cochran's platform? Well, he's been a Senator since the Nixon era and though he's a Republican, he's one of the few moderates left in a party of increasing lunacy and extremism. Maybe he's not the greatest senator ever but he's not the worst either.
Now, Mississippi is truly a Red State if ever there was one. It's no big surprise or secret. And the Tea Party's brand of "conservatism" has taken a pretty strong hold here. So, when Chris McDaniel came along, I think a lot of Democratic voters, black voters, and the like all kind of gave a collective groan and said "Well, we're already the fattest, dumbest, state in the nation. What do you expect when it comes to our representation?" And, so, none of us showed up at the polls during that first primary election because we figured it was a lost cause.
Then, something amazing happened. Somehow, some way, a virtual tie happened and there was going to be a runoff. I have to admit, I barely even paid attention to this battle of Republicans until that point. Then, the robocalls started, and the door-to-door salesman, and the constant TV ads. And, in one of those TV ads, Chris McDaniel was avidly talking about how he wanted to push for forced prayer in school - something I view as a personal affront to every child's 1st Amendment Right - and something the Supreme Court continues to champion as an affront to the 1st Amendment.
That's when I decided that since I hadn't voted in the Democratic primary because I knew my vote was "red" anyway, that I was going to go out to do my civic duty in laying whatever roadblock I could in front of the McDaniel victory party. Meanwhile, Thad Cochran did the smart thing. He basically told the black voters they were hosed (which really is true) if they let McDaniel in as a Senator. And why shouldn't the black voters have believed that? It's not like the Tea Party has been very focused on the black vote in any way whatsoever since its inception.
So, what you had was a bunch of traditionally voting Democrats so enthused about screwing over a radical right-winger that we all showed up to the polls. For once, in a very long time, the black minorities felt like they had a critical voice in an election. Democrats, a political minority in Mississippi, felt the exact same way. For once, our vote actually mattered. Truly mattered. So, there were a number of us... Blacks, atheists, liberals, and so on who showed up to let our voice count.
And now the Tea Party is so upset about it because for all of their unfair tactics in the past few years, they finally got a taste of their own medicine. And, unfortunately, it tasted like the sweet freedom of a black man voting against a white man in a traditionally racist state. I think it's the first time I've ever been proud to say I live here since I moved here 7 years ago.
Wonderful post. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective as a Mississippian.
And from the 80% of the country that doesn't want to see another recalcitrant Tea Partier in Congress in any way, shape or form, we heartily thank you for your vote.
Lefties hate the TP because they are scared that their unicorn will be chased off.
I hate them because they're Republicans, and Republicans are torture-supporting freedom-hating scum. The world would be a better place if all Republicans ceased to exist.
I hate them because they're Republicans, and Republicans are torture-supporting freedom-hating scum. The world would be a better place if all Republicans ceased to exist.
Ah, the old "I hate Republicans because they are mean and I wish they were all dead because they have no compassion and I can't stand them because of their meanness" reason.
I hate them because they're Republicans, and Republicans are torture-supporting freedom-hating scum. The world would be a better place if all Republicans ceased to exist.
And you folks complain that republicans won't work with democrats.
They want a smaller and more representative and fiscally responsible government, which operates within the limits stated in the US Constitution. Why is that bad?
Because it is just soundbites. That's all. Newsflash: The Tea Party, or any right-wing conservative, does not have a monopoly on Constitutional principles. Believe it or not, most people are for small government. Where the Tea Party goes off the rails is when you ask them to define what makes smaller government and the answer is usually discredited ideas that 1) don't make sense in the current economic and cultural environment 2) in the face of that, won't moderate a position that does make sense in this current environment -- and then revert back to that argument while name-calling. All over this thread are selective Constitutional principles. You have to support the whole thing, nuance and all.
Everything is not black and white. And you can't just governm by ideology and stick "Constitution" on the definition of the movement when you support politicians that don't care one iota about it unless it's on some bumper sticker or mail list designed to get you fired up.
Most Tea Party supporters can't even name the (random) 13th Amendment and the relevant case law that produced it and the subsequent challenges to it, but are hollering about the "Constitution". It's so vapid.
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