The Tea Party

[Vincent Vega]

If you call him a Socialist, then make him look like Stalin, not like Hitler, goddammit!

Else, very reasonable billboards. And mighty peaceful.

 

[martha]

If you call him a Socialist, then make him look like Stalin, not like Hitler, goddammit!

You assume these people know the difference.

 

[anitram]

You assume these people know the difference.

Education is truly the one thing that can mean all the difference.

Too bad that intellectualism is seen as elitism in your country and that ignorance is routinely celebrated as a badge of honour.

 

[Vincent Vega]

You assume these people know the difference.

Oh yes, after all it's called national socialism.
It's truly sad if people think that any form of education that goes beyond knowing how to apply glue on a billboard is stinky elitism.

 

[BVS]

Too bad that intellectualism is seen as elitism in your country and that ignorance is routinely celebrated as a badge of honour.

This really is a sad trend happening in our country today, it's quite embarassing.

 

[coolian2]

i'm sure the hacks, morons, maniacs and lunatics are getting far more coverage than their actual numbers suggest. you'd have to just hope the people with more brain cells than nipples amongst the voting public outnumber them by a large enough margin.

 

[solemole]

Economist's View: "The Misinformed Tea Party Movement"





"The Misinformed Tea Party Movement"

Bruce Bartlett argues that the views of the "Tea Party crowd" are based upon false beliefs about the burden of federal taxes:

The Misinformed Tea Party Movement, by Bruce Bartlett, Commentary, Forbes: On March 16 the Tea Party crowd showed up for yet another demonstration on Capitol Hill... Curious about the factual knowledge these people have regarding the issues they are protesting,... David Frum enlisted some interns to interview as many Tea Partyers as possible on a couple of basic questions. ... (Survey results are here.)​

The first question that was asked concerned the size of government. Tea Partyers were asked how much the federal government gets in taxes as a percentage of the gross domestic product. According to Congressional Budget Office data, acceptable answers would be 6.4%, which is the percentage for federal income taxes; 12.7%, which would be for both income taxes and Social Security payroll taxes; or 14.8%, which would represent all federal taxes as a share of GDP in 2009. ...​

Tuesday's Tea Party crowd, however, thought that federal taxes were almost three times as high as they actually are. The average response was 42% of GDP and the median 40%. ...​

To follow up, Tea Partyers were asked how much they think a typical family making $50,000 per year pays in federal income taxes. The average response was $12,710, the median $10,000. In percentage terms this means a tax burden of between 20% and 25% of income. ...​

According to calculations by the Joint Committee on Taxation, a congressional committee, tax filers with adjusted gross incomes between $40,000 and $50,000 have an average federal income tax burden of just 1.7%. ...​

Even though the Tea Partyers were specifically asked about federal income taxes, it's possible that they were thinking about other federal taxes as well, such as payroll and excise taxes. According to the JCT, when all federal taxes are included, those earning between $40,000 and $50,000 have an average tax rate of 12.3%...​

In short, no matter how one slices the data, the Tea Party crowd appears to believe that federal taxes are very considerably higher than they actually are...​

Tea Partyers also seem to have a very distorted view of the direction of federal taxes. They were asked whether they are higher, lower or the same as when Barack Obama was inaugurated last year. More than two-thirds thought that taxes are higher today, and only 4% thought they were lower; the rest said they are the same.​

As noted earlier, federal taxes are very considerably lower by every measure since Obama became president. ... In fact, 40% of Obama's stimulus package involved tax cuts. ... The Tax Policy Center ... estimates that close to 90% of all taxpayers got a tax cut last year and almost 100% of those in the $50,000 income range. ... No taxpayer anywhere in the country had his or her taxes increased as a consequence of Obama's policies.​

It's hard to explain this divergence between perception and reality. Perhaps ... they just assume that because a Democrat is president that taxes must have gone up, because that's what Republicans say that Democrats always do. ...​

Probably the simplest motivation the Tea Partyers have is the one that Howard Beale (actor Peter Finch) gave in the 1976 movie Network. "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it any more!" he said to cheering crowds. In other words, tea parties just represent unfocused anger at current economic conditions. Those who feel this way have latched on to the Tea Party movement not because they really believe that their taxes are too high, that taxes are rising or that taxes are at the root of our economic problem. Rather,... it's the only game in town; the only organized force with at least the potential of bringing about change that might make things better.​

In this sense, the tea parties are simply the latest manifestation of populism... Unfortunately for the Tea Party populists, there is no evidence in American history that populism has ever had a meaningful effect on policy. ... One reason is that the major parties co-opted populist issues and leaders, which bought time until the populist impulse burned itself out like a brush fire.​

Whatever the future of the Tea Party movement in American politics, it's a bad idea for so many participants to operate on the basis of false notions about the burden of federal taxation. It only takes a little bit of time to look at one's tax return ... and compare it with what was paid last year and the year before. People may then discover that their anger is misplaced and channel it into areas where it is more likely to bring about positive change.​

 

[BVS]

This is a group that by most counts supported the war on Iraq and called for tax cuts at the same time. They clearly don't understand math. They also have a very misconstrued sence of history that is evident in their signage, so it's no suprise that they have no clue what and how much they are being taxed.

Some have already claimed their taxes have already gone up, but none of them have told me where?

 

[kramwest1]

Numbers is hard.

 

[martha]

Education is truly the one thing that can mean all the difference.

Too bad that intellectualism is seen as elitism in your country and that ignorance is routinely celebrated as a badge of honour.

I swear to God I'm doing my best. It ain't easy.

 

[coolian2]

 

[Tiger Edge]

One of my favorite things on the internet.

 

[martha]

So much for a "post-racial" United States.

I thought racism was dead now that we have a black president.

Oh, and Tea Baggers aren't racist.

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Protesters hurl slurs and spit at Democrats ? - Blogs from CNN.com

Civil rights icon and veteran Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, said anti-health care bill protesters Saturday repeatedly yelled the "N" word at him as he left a heath care meeting and walked to the Capitol.

"I haven't seen heard anything like this in more than 40 years, maybe 45." Lewis said. "Since the march from Selma to Montgomery really."

 

[Tiger Edge]

sticks and stones may break my bones but you still have to pay for healthcare

suck it, nerds

 

[Irvine511]

So much for a "post-racial" United States.

I thought racism was dead now that we have a black president.

Oh, and Tea Baggers aren't racist.

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Protesters hurl slurs and spit at Democrats � - Blogs from CNN.com

they also called Barney Frank a faggot.

 

[martha]

they also called Barney Frank a faggot.

I saw that, too. But no one in FYM has ever claimed that the Tea Baggers aren't homophobes and that the US is "post-sexual."

YET.

 

[INDY500]

I saw that, too. But no one in FYM has ever claimed that the Tea Baggers aren't homophobes and that the US is "post-sexual."

YET.

So faggot is awful but teabagger is A-OK.

Let me ponder that one a spell.

 

[martha]

So faggot is awful but teabagger is A-OK.

Let me ponder that one a spell.

Why don't you explain the difference, then. Throw ****** in there, as well. Tell me how tea bagger and faggot and ****** are all the same.

We'll wait while you ponder.

 

[Irvine511]

So faggot is awful but teabagger is A-OK.

Let me ponder that one a spell.

i'll give you a hint: ponder the immutability of all three. and then wonder how many times "teabagger" was yelled as one of them was lynched or bashed to death.

 

[Pearl]

This is disturbing:




Supposedly this is in Missouri, and there's plenty of them around the country.

 

[BVS]

I'm hoping they'll help the GOP shoot themselves in the foot...

If the right wanted respect they would denounce these fools instead of embrace them.

 

[martha]

Yeah right. "Vote out the incumbent"?


What if the only opposition is a Democrat?

That'll happen.

 

[INDY500]

I'm hoping they'll help the GOP shoot themselves in the foot...

If the right wanted respect they would denounce these fools instead of embrace them.

No one is embracing the handful of "fools" that crudely disrespected the members of congress on Sunday. Now why are you trying to use the actions of a few to contemn and insult the great, great majority of your fellow citizens peacefully exercising their right to assemble?

On the same day on the mall a handful of antiwar protesters were actually arrested. Do those bozos represent everyone against the wars in the Middle East BVS?

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

This is disturbing:




Supposedly this is in Missouri, and there's plenty of them around the country.

WTF?! These people are insane!

 

[INDY500]

i'll give you a hint: ponder the immutability of all three. and then wonder how many times "teabagger" was yelled as one of them was lynched or bashed to death.

That's an accurate delineation if we include physical violence. But since we are just posting anonymous cyber-speech on the internet with no threat of violence, should a poster calling out a group for shouting pejoratives really being throwing them right back?

My only point.

 

[BVS]

No one is embracing the handful of "fools" that crudely disrespected the members of congress on Sunday. Now why are you trying to use the actions of a few to contemn and insult the great, great majority of your fellow citizens peacefully exercising their right to assemble?

Have you been to any of these rallys yet? I have and they are not the minority.

On the same day on the mall a handful of antiwar protesters were actually arrested. Do those bozos represent everyone against the wars in the Middle East BVS?

They were protesting a mall? Anti-war protestors are a small part of a much bigger sentiment. The "Tea Party" are the rallies. I haven't seen one informed one in the bunch. And those that stand on the fringes, the ones that may not actually be at the rallies but may agree with the sentiment don't speak out against the hatred, the racism, the faulty sense of history, in fact they sit there in denial and say they don't see the racism, etc... I haven't seen you once speak out against their actions, in fact you've often sat there with a straight faced and denied the racism and hatred by Rush, protesters, etc... You've sat there and read the quotes or looked at the signs and denied. Why? Because the party would be fractured if they did. The worse thing that can happen to the GOP right now is if the Tea Party run a canidate of their own, like some are hinting at.

 

[BVS]

That's an accurate delineation if we include physical violence. But since we are just posting anonymous cyber-speech on the internet with no threat of violence, should a poster calling out a group for shouting pejoratives really being throwing them right back?

My only point.

You really don't see the difference?

One group is slinging a perjorative that are laced with historical violence, "perjoratives" that are based on how they are born.

The other group is slinging perforatives based how they chose to associate and behave.

 

[martha]

That's an accurate delineation if we include physical violence. But since we are just posting anonymous cyber-speech on the internet with no threat of violence, should a poster calling out a group for shouting pejoratives really being throwing them right back?

My only point.

I'm glad you clarified this.

 

[Irvine511]

keep it classy, Republicans:

House Dems report vandalism, threats - USATODAY.com


what a trap Obama has laid. watching him carefully allow his opponents self-destruct has become one of his most enjoyable qualities.

 

[Popmartijn]

keep it classy, Republicans:

House Dems report vandalism, threats - USATODAY.com

Some more on this is also here: The backlash: Reform turns personal - Jake Sherman and Marin Cogan - POLITICO.com

And it's always nice to condone violence when even a week before you were implying it (or at least had poor judgement in making your remarks):

[Threatened Democrat] Driehaus faults Republicans for providing encouragement to the most extreme opponents of reform. Last week, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) warned that anti-abortion Democrats would suffer politically if they voted for the health care bill; he singled out Driehaus, saying he “may be a dead man” and “can’t go home to the west side of Cincinnati” because “the Catholics will run him out of town.”