Would you want to attend the first-ever Tea Party Convention?
Almost 1-1/2 years since she shook up American politics with her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is set to headline another landmark political event: the first-ever Tea Party Convention next month in Nashville, Tenn…
…with an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll ranking a generic “Tea Party” as more popular than either Democrats or Republicans, and Palin herself rivaling the charming Mr. Obama in poll popularity, many experts see the Tea Party event as a potential milestone for a mounting, even transformational, force in US politics.
Palin will reportedly get a hundred grand to appear at this gig. I wonder how The Tea Party might become ‘transformational.’ I guess we’ll see after November. My best guess is that it will just help make Washington more stupid, dishonest, and dysfunctional. It will do this mainly by putting pressure on Republican officeholders to behave like boors.
Probably as transformational as the Million Man March…
No .. just as transformational as Unity ’08 … remember that?
Their underlying meme is “let’s take our country back” with all the racism and paranoia and arrogance that implies. It is repulsive, but so damned appealing to some of our fellow citizens. And the fact that the current POTUS is AA, makes it all so neat for them.
I’m sure there’s a component in there, but to one of their tiny pieces of credit, the Teabaggers seem to put race more on the backburner. If it’s racism for a lot of the people I’ve talked to (and living near N/SD and western IA you know I run into teabaggers) it’s racism they are not consciously aware of.
Interesting. I’m probably assuming, as in my little part of the universe, both professionally and geographically, I do not often run into them. I’m thinking of a photo I saw posted on DKos the other day – tea party with attendant holding up “n-word” sign. Ruined my dinner.
Underlines the mental development of the sign-maker/holder.
Yeah – ugly stuff. I figured rage adds to his inability to spell.
That guy is their national head
That pretty much says it all. Would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
What does “not consciously aware of” mean? That their gut reactions and worldview are essentially racist but they don’t recognize that? It’s hard to see coincidence in the “I want my country back” hysteria erupting just when the first black guy started sitting in the Oval Office. Most of them probably know better than to be public about it, though.
Kind of like when I was a kid, the country bands singing “Run Nigger Run” probably honestly didn’t think of themselves as racists.
AFIK, he started the term, “I want my country back.” The Tea Baggers have plagiarized this as they are incapable of original thought.
Doesn’t mean they are not dangerous, however.
It’s not the words themselves but the meaning imputed to the words. Rick Moranis could say, “I’m gonna kick your butt!” and you’d know it was in jest, but if Jack Nichson said the same thing you might think twice; Sean Penn and you’d duck. The same is true here – Howard Dean may have given the phrase “I want my country back!” life but the intent of the teabaggers is abundantly clear.
George Clinton first talked about painting the White House black but it has a whole different meaning when the treasurer of Virginia’s Buchanan County Republican Party talks about it…
meh…it pretty much aligns with her [disputed] and todd’s infatuation with the AIP secessionist’s in alaska.
same bs, new name…anything for a buck.
and attention
100k?
for her?
G-T-F-O-H
Man — I had to look at the source to believe this drivel was actually presented as news. many experts see the Tea Party event as a potential milestone for a mounting, even transformational, force in US politics. “many experts see the Tea Party event as a potential milestone for a mounting, even transformational, force in US politics”? Please. Experts like Beck and Limbaugh?
What the hell happened to the Monitor? Moon or Murdoch bought it or something?
Will there be a pub quiz?
More like a potential millstone, beneath which moderate Republicans are crushed.
They still have Moderate Republicans?
If they’re paying her $100K, it must be the Dick Army’s patented astroturf Tea Party convention. Wonder how many of the Robertson Tea Party neo-Confederate and neo-Nazi crowd can afford to go to that shindig. Might have a few LaRouchies.
I can tell it’s not the Ron Paul Tea Party because he’s too stingy to blow $100K even on the likes of Sarah Palin.
Transformational astroturf. Wow, a new oxymoron.
And which NBC/Wall Street Journal poll are they referring to? Are “independents” suddenly tranformational generic Tea Party folks?
And the Republican officeholders already behave like boors. Looks like the sort of event at which DeMint, Coburn, Imhofe, Pete King, and the usual mastodons can pander to the limit of the vocal chords.
This is brilliant. Conservative and racist voters split between the GOP and new Tea Party? Just what might save Dem asses this Nov.
Isn’t there a “Wonderland” joke in here somewhere? How about “down the rabbit hole”? Someone needs to be ridiculing these people on a non-comedy news show.