Parties for tea, coffee and politics
Monday, 26 April 2010
Fazal M. Kamal
WHAT has been described as a grass-roots movement has been sweeping the United States since Barack Obama ascended to the highest office in the land. It's known as the Tea Party movement, obviously named after the famous Boston Tea Party. The members of this movement say they are against big government, government interference in individual rights and states, higher taxes, social welfare measures and such like. However, other observers say rather different stuff about them, especially given the incendiary rhetoric of some of the Tea Party members.
A New York Times/CBS poll of Tea Party members revealed, according to a summary by the NYT, that "the 18 per cent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as 'very conservative' and President Obama as 'very liberal.' And while most Republicans say they are 'dissatisfied' with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as 'angry.'…Tea Party supporters' fierce animosity toward Washington, and the president in particular, is rooted in deep pessimism about the direction of the country and the conviction that the policies of the Obama administration are disproportionately directed at helping the poor rather than the middle class or the rich. The overwhelming majority of supporters say Mr. Obama does not share the values most Americans live by and that he does not understand the problems of people like themselves. More than half say the policies of the administration favour the poor, and 25 per cent think that the administration favours blacks over whites---compared with 11 per cent of the general public."
Naturally this has created much misgiving among the more liberal sections of the American people with some commentators in this camp saying "the most charitable thing to say about this (movement) is that at least some of these people are just looking for some meaning in their lives and this movement is giving it to them. (I would guess that there are a few on our side who were drawn to the progressive movement for the same reasons.) They pick the teabaggers because it's their natural tribe….There's nothing particularly surprising about the rest of them either. These people are nothing new. They have different iterations, but when you get right down to it they are, quite simply, the far right. They hate poor people (especially blacks) and they hate government that helps poor people (especially blacks.) They are deluded about taxes and spending and are paranoid about the government being infiltrated by 'the other.' They believe they are the only 'true' Americans and alternate between insisting that their 'traditional values' are best represented by the Bible or the Constitution, both of which they believe they are ordained by God to properly interpret. And they do not really believe in democracy which is really why they hate the government." (Digby's Hullabaloo)
Evidently some of them haven't quite thought through everything they're rooting for. To wit (to quote from the aforementioned New York Times summary again): "But in follow-up interviews, Tea Party supporters said they did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security---the biggest domestic programmes, suggesting instead a focus on 'waste.' Some defended being on Social Security while fighting big government by saying that since they had paid into the system, they deserved the benefits. Others could not explain the contradiction. 'That's a conundrum, isn't it?' asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. 'I don't know what to say. Maybe I don't want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security." She added, "I didn't look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I've changed my mind'."
Even though generally Tea Partiers are supporters of Republican politicians, in a number of instances they have rallied behind Republicans who oppose the party's established leaders. For example in Kentucky Republican Senate hopeful Rand Paul is being supported by the tea party movement against the Republican establishment's candidate. Consequently, commentators say, if Mr. Paul sails to victory in Kentucky's May 18 Republican primary, his victory could prove a harbinger of things to come during this November's mid-term elections. It would help measure the tea party's power as a grassroots insurgency powered by disgruntled conservatives who bemoan what they see as an unprecedented expansion in federal government.
A McClatchy report states, "The amorphous nature of the tea party movement makes it easier for a hopeful to sail under its banner. Anybody who opposes the expansion of government and is against the Obama administration's platform is invited, said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. 'Politicians are very opportunistic. Unless they are being endorsed by some disreputable organisation, they will generally accept support,' Baker said. 'But the nightmare of every politician is you're photographed with your arm around the national president of the man-boy love association…You accept whatever dividends you get and you keep your fingers crossed that your supporters don't go crazy.' "
The report continues with what Mary Jo Leake, a 63-year-old nurse and grandmother of 13 who co-chairs a chapter of the Tea Party with her husband, Wesley, feels about some Republican candidates eagerly embracing their support though she also doesn't appreciate "the kooks out there who are making us look bad." And though she and her husband disagree on whether President Obama is a part of some broader conspiracy theory---she says yes, he says no---they are both proud and active supporters of the movement. "We're not radicals and Nazis," she tells the McClatchy reporter, adding, "We're people who used to sit and yell at the TV and we've gotten up off the couch. We're people who believe in the Constitution and our Founding Fathers' vision of the nation."
However, reports stating that Tea Party members and some conservatives in Oklahoma have been discussing the possibility of raising a militia to protect state rights against federal "intrusions" have caused worries and dismay in other quarters. Moreover, the coincidence of this news with the observance of the fifteenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City which had left 168 people dead, perpetrated by a disgruntled army veteran Timothy McVeigh, caused more anxiety. "Have they heard of the Oklahoma City bombing?" said Joseph Thai, a constitutional law professor at the University of Oklahoma. Such actions could "throw fuel in the fire of radicals," he added.
Nevertheless, with the elections due in November and discontent with the government rising, as the Pew Research Center's Andrew Kohut commented, "The tea party movement, which has a small but fervent anti-government constituency, could be a wild card in the election. On the one hand, its sympathisers are highly energised and inclined to vote Republican. On the other, many Republicans (28%), and Independents who lean Republican (30%), say the 'tea party' represents their point of view better than the [Republican Party]."
Evidently, with an extremely -- and astonishingly -- polarised political climate and with an increasingly shrill animosity toward the Obama administration and Democrats expressed in alarming terms by commenters on the Web and via the electronic media, it is only more likely than not that the run-up to the upcoming elections is going to be one of the most heated in a very, very long time. President Obama and the Democrats, obviously, require to ramp up their communications with the electorate to explain their side of the story and subsequently convince the people that all that is said about the government and its agenda isn't what is put out there by frenzied talking heads with ready access to a podium or a microphone.
Meanwhile, a brand new movement has begun gaining ground. It's called the Coffee Party. To be a member you can't be a screamer, a name-caller, a loud-mouthed zealot or somebody whose idea of politics translates to jabbing a sign in the air, red in the face. All you need are some manners, a good listening ear and caffeine in the mug, said a news report recently. Inside a month, this politeness-first political movement has jumped from one meeting to a nationwide roster of nearly 200,000 supporters, sipping coffee and talking issues in 47 states. "We're not trying to make a ruckus," said Marques Thompson, who drove 100 miles to attend a meeting. "We're not mad at anyone. We're just trying to have a substantive conversation."
Supporters believe that ordinary voters are starving for a place where they can talk without choosing sides or pledging total allegiance to either the Democratic or Republican agenda. When Coffee Partyers meet, they begin with this agreement: "I pledge to conduct myself in a way that is civil, honest and respectful toward people with whom I disagree." According to the News Observer, the Coffee Parties started as a Facebook post in Silver Spring, Maryland, when Annabel Park casually suggested a coffee party, or maybe a cappuccino party, offering dialogue with substance and compassion. The idea spread from that notion and now the Coffee Party's Facebook page has almost 200,000 fans.
Their official Mission Statement declares: The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognise that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.
E-mail : fmk222@gmail.com
WHAT has been described as a grass-roots movement has been sweeping the United States since Barack Obama ascended to the highest office in the land. It's known as the Tea Party movement, obviously named after the famous Boston Tea Party. The members of this movement say they are against big government, government interference in individual rights and states, higher taxes, social welfare measures and such like. However, other observers say rather different stuff about them, especially given the incendiary rhetoric of some of the Tea Party members.
A New York Times/CBS poll of Tea Party members revealed, according to a summary by the NYT, that "the 18 per cent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as 'very conservative' and President Obama as 'very liberal.' And while most Republicans say they are 'dissatisfied' with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as 'angry.'…Tea Party supporters' fierce animosity toward Washington, and the president in particular, is rooted in deep pessimism about the direction of the country and the conviction that the policies of the Obama administration are disproportionately directed at helping the poor rather than the middle class or the rich. The overwhelming majority of supporters say Mr. Obama does not share the values most Americans live by and that he does not understand the problems of people like themselves. More than half say the policies of the administration favour the poor, and 25 per cent think that the administration favours blacks over whites---compared with 11 per cent of the general public."
Naturally this has created much misgiving among the more liberal sections of the American people with some commentators in this camp saying "the most charitable thing to say about this (movement) is that at least some of these people are just looking for some meaning in their lives and this movement is giving it to them. (I would guess that there are a few on our side who were drawn to the progressive movement for the same reasons.) They pick the teabaggers because it's their natural tribe….There's nothing particularly surprising about the rest of them either. These people are nothing new. They have different iterations, but when you get right down to it they are, quite simply, the far right. They hate poor people (especially blacks) and they hate government that helps poor people (especially blacks.) They are deluded about taxes and spending and are paranoid about the government being infiltrated by 'the other.' They believe they are the only 'true' Americans and alternate between insisting that their 'traditional values' are best represented by the Bible or the Constitution, both of which they believe they are ordained by God to properly interpret. And they do not really believe in democracy which is really why they hate the government." (Digby's Hullabaloo)
Evidently some of them haven't quite thought through everything they're rooting for. To wit (to quote from the aforementioned New York Times summary again): "But in follow-up interviews, Tea Party supporters said they did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security---the biggest domestic programmes, suggesting instead a focus on 'waste.' Some defended being on Social Security while fighting big government by saying that since they had paid into the system, they deserved the benefits. Others could not explain the contradiction. 'That's a conundrum, isn't it?' asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. 'I don't know what to say. Maybe I don't want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security." She added, "I didn't look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I've changed my mind'."
Even though generally Tea Partiers are supporters of Republican politicians, in a number of instances they have rallied behind Republicans who oppose the party's established leaders. For example in Kentucky Republican Senate hopeful Rand Paul is being supported by the tea party movement against the Republican establishment's candidate. Consequently, commentators say, if Mr. Paul sails to victory in Kentucky's May 18 Republican primary, his victory could prove a harbinger of things to come during this November's mid-term elections. It would help measure the tea party's power as a grassroots insurgency powered by disgruntled conservatives who bemoan what they see as an unprecedented expansion in federal government.
A McClatchy report states, "The amorphous nature of the tea party movement makes it easier for a hopeful to sail under its banner. Anybody who opposes the expansion of government and is against the Obama administration's platform is invited, said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. 'Politicians are very opportunistic. Unless they are being endorsed by some disreputable organisation, they will generally accept support,' Baker said. 'But the nightmare of every politician is you're photographed with your arm around the national president of the man-boy love association…You accept whatever dividends you get and you keep your fingers crossed that your supporters don't go crazy.' "
The report continues with what Mary Jo Leake, a 63-year-old nurse and grandmother of 13 who co-chairs a chapter of the Tea Party with her husband, Wesley, feels about some Republican candidates eagerly embracing their support though she also doesn't appreciate "the kooks out there who are making us look bad." And though she and her husband disagree on whether President Obama is a part of some broader conspiracy theory---she says yes, he says no---they are both proud and active supporters of the movement. "We're not radicals and Nazis," she tells the McClatchy reporter, adding, "We're people who used to sit and yell at the TV and we've gotten up off the couch. We're people who believe in the Constitution and our Founding Fathers' vision of the nation."
However, reports stating that Tea Party members and some conservatives in Oklahoma have been discussing the possibility of raising a militia to protect state rights against federal "intrusions" have caused worries and dismay in other quarters. Moreover, the coincidence of this news with the observance of the fifteenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City which had left 168 people dead, perpetrated by a disgruntled army veteran Timothy McVeigh, caused more anxiety. "Have they heard of the Oklahoma City bombing?" said Joseph Thai, a constitutional law professor at the University of Oklahoma. Such actions could "throw fuel in the fire of radicals," he added.
Nevertheless, with the elections due in November and discontent with the government rising, as the Pew Research Center's Andrew Kohut commented, "The tea party movement, which has a small but fervent anti-government constituency, could be a wild card in the election. On the one hand, its sympathisers are highly energised and inclined to vote Republican. On the other, many Republicans (28%), and Independents who lean Republican (30%), say the 'tea party' represents their point of view better than the [Republican Party]."
Evidently, with an extremely -- and astonishingly -- polarised political climate and with an increasingly shrill animosity toward the Obama administration and Democrats expressed in alarming terms by commenters on the Web and via the electronic media, it is only more likely than not that the run-up to the upcoming elections is going to be one of the most heated in a very, very long time. President Obama and the Democrats, obviously, require to ramp up their communications with the electorate to explain their side of the story and subsequently convince the people that all that is said about the government and its agenda isn't what is put out there by frenzied talking heads with ready access to a podium or a microphone.
Meanwhile, a brand new movement has begun gaining ground. It's called the Coffee Party. To be a member you can't be a screamer, a name-caller, a loud-mouthed zealot or somebody whose idea of politics translates to jabbing a sign in the air, red in the face. All you need are some manners, a good listening ear and caffeine in the mug, said a news report recently. Inside a month, this politeness-first political movement has jumped from one meeting to a nationwide roster of nearly 200,000 supporters, sipping coffee and talking issues in 47 states. "We're not trying to make a ruckus," said Marques Thompson, who drove 100 miles to attend a meeting. "We're not mad at anyone. We're just trying to have a substantive conversation."
Supporters believe that ordinary voters are starving for a place where they can talk without choosing sides or pledging total allegiance to either the Democratic or Republican agenda. When Coffee Partyers meet, they begin with this agreement: "I pledge to conduct myself in a way that is civil, honest and respectful toward people with whom I disagree." According to the News Observer, the Coffee Parties started as a Facebook post in Silver Spring, Maryland, when Annabel Park casually suggested a coffee party, or maybe a cappuccino party, offering dialogue with substance and compassion. The idea spread from that notion and now the Coffee Party's Facebook page has almost 200,000 fans.
Their official Mission Statement declares: The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognise that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.
E-mail : fmk222@gmail.com