Today was the day of the Tax Day Tea Parties. Pretty tremendous knowing that Americans of all political persuasions decided to get up off their keesters and make their voices heard in the face of rampant political corruption.
Regardless of who people voted for, most of us wanted change. Not, “Change,” but change. But many of us understood that we were not going to get it. We were going to get a third Shrub term regardless of who won. The only difference is who gets to play on the team, and who is getting the free deluxe box seats. With the Shrub it was Haliburton, Bank of America, AIG, and selling our economic soul the the Chinese. With Tushy Obama it’s…the aforementioned, plus all his new little piggies come to suck at our taxpaying teat, and screw us. McCain at least was more like dancing with the devil you know, as opposed to the demon you don’t. But still, that’s just choosing evil isn’t it? I’ve always said so, which is why I have cast the majority of my votes for President for animals, fictional characters, and dead relatives. At least then I didn’t feel like a tool.
We had a couple friends over to dine with us. One of them, whom I have known for nearly eight years, tried to convince me tonight that I should look at the glass as half full; that our choice in November was between watching Death of Salesman, and La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway. He would rather watch La Cage and feel entertained and happy, than bitter and depressed over the breaking of Willie Loman. “The glass is half full,” and I should stop seeing the glass as half empty. What I have not been able to get him to understand is that I see the glass as neither.
The glass is broken and no longer holds water. I want a new glass.
The zombie media can say what it likes about the Tea Parties being run by domestic terrorists, and that our Iraq and Afghanistan vets are coming back as domestic terrorists (the final insult in a long chain of abuses, from sending our men and women into harm’s way to line the pockets of American corporations, to chipping away at their benefits until the current administration had the audacity of dope to suggest that disabled vets should pay for their own insurance, while the new First Lady came to North Carolina to tell soldiers and their families that she was going to make them a priority), but this is why Americans took to the street today:
We want a new glass. A new frickin’ glass so we can drink cool clear water again. We’re tired of oligarchs and autocrats who spend our money, don’t heed our voice and, in the end, could care less about our wants, needs, dreams, or desires. Our government was designed to keep things together on a national scale so that we would be free to pursue our dreams, not be told what our dreams should be, and what we have to do to make them come true.
Today was a day for Americans to stand up and tell the government that they are not the Dream Operators, we are. Deal with it.
citytavern.wordpress.com 
Somebody please tell me what the Tea Parties were really all about? Taxes? Bailouts? Government spending? Astroturf? Freeping the Astroturf? Just because the public is dissatisfied with the status quo, doesn’t mean that we can let our guard down and embrace anything and anyone willing to agitate our anger. What’s their motive? Yes, people with grievances should have opportunities to express them, but people with grievances need to keep in mind that they are most vulnerable to exploitation. What’s the point of a “new glass” if you’re only going to fill it with a different flavor of KoolAid?
These events were a lot of things to a lot of people. They started as grass roots activities among the dissatisfied. Conservative and Libertarian groups jumped in to co-opt what they could.
People were out protesting the gov’t spending. Others were demanding the gov’t adhere to its limited powers under the Constitution. This is not kool-aid, this is what is necessary. Most of the people I know involved were non-partisan and very much of the opinion that both parties are corrupt and need to be shut down.
Just because there are some people involved that you may not agree with doesn’t mean you should stay home. If your angry you should be in the streets. It’s up to individuals to be smart enough not to be co-opted. Most of the people I talked to know the “conservatives” etc were in it for themselves and are not buying.
I have been saying for months, long before the election, that wonks and pundits and parties are working on keeping us all divided. The Americans I have spoken to are not falling for that anymore.
I think Americans need to be taking every opportunity to express their anger. This country has been sitting on its hands too long. All that’s done is gotten us right where we are now.
It’s time for Americans to stop being dependent on the wonks, pundits and parties to lead them. Yesterday I saw Americans together from all walks, tired of corrupt parties, tired of being taxed to death, tired of government being unresponsive.
I hope this is only the beginning, and that people continue to be smart enough to ignore the co-opters. The fact that so many people think this was a conservative event only goes to show how well the MSM poisoned the dialogue. This was not a day for conservatism, no matter how many times Rush, Hannity, etc say it was. This was a day for Americans, and I hope it continues.
The rallies are about abusive government that is over-reaching on any number if issues. The country is going in the WRONG DIRECTION STILL!
Thanks for this post Shtuey!
According to my preliminary research Shtuey, these events are far from grassroots. I won’t write about it until I can satisfy myself that my ducks are aligned, but it does not seem that the AstroTurf tactics involved in the Tea Party thing are any different from the ones used to elect Barack Obama. Same shit, different sides. In both instances innocent people with noble, justifiable motives are being manipulated and exploited; “change” on the one hand, “government responsibility” on the other. I can get behind the principles, but, the motivations are even more important, in my mind. Just because we want change doesn’t mean we want Obama, just as the fact that government must be accountable to its citizens doesn’t mean we shift support to Republican ideology. Billing the protest as a tax revolt is disingenuous for the protesters, that’s clearly NOT the issue with many of them, but, it’s spot on for the orchestrators, if not for the individual organizers. All that glitters “anti-Obama” is not real gold. If, as you say, people ARE angry, they should take care to ensure that their anger is not co-opted. In this case, I think it was. At this point, I’m not sure that the anger cart came before the AstroTurf horse. If it turns out I’m wrong, I’ll admit it.
I’m with diamondtiger the country is being driven in the wrong direction, the arrogant bastard in the whitehouse smugly stated that he didn’t know there was any tea parties. His sychophantic MSN is deriding, diminishing, and calling people who attended the tea parties a bunch of whining cry babies, one even said that we should shut up and pay our taxes afterall they won the election. Obama, the DHS, and the spinless MSN has labled all patriots as extremist, white supremacist, radicals, and even called us terrorist because we disagree with the Obama Socialist Agenda. The DHS even lumped us together with Timothy McVeigh the Oklahoma terrorist bomber. The Marxist propaganda machine in the country is operating at full capacity.
Welcome to the Socialist States of America!
The co-opters did help put together a large event in our state, but most were organized by grass roots individual factions. From what I saw, and what I know of the organizers here, these were grassroots, period, with other suckers latching on. You will not get a clear picture now as the waters are muddied, but this was in the works for months by a lot of different people. This was a confluence of forces coming together. I’m not going to poo poo it because, as usual, the folks with the most money are getting the most publicity. If you don’t get involved you can’t shape the movement and have no say or room to judge if it turns in a direction you don’t like, just like anything else.
Shtuey, your arguments sound just like the Obots.
There is no shift to Republican ideology, the Republicans, and Democrats both suck, the corruption within our government is equaly shared by both parties, the tea parties were about patriotism, and support for the one document that has made us the most successful country in the world, the Constitution of the United States. Our government is supposed to collect taxes to provide for our defense and protect our rights, not create the biggest socialistic welfare system in the world!
Here’s a little something to chew on.
If the real Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians who Support the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights would unite, we could create the most formidable party in the history of America. Believe me our current group of corrupt politicians tremble at the mere thought of such an alliance of patriotic Americans.
I’m just going to say that I’m getting really fucking tired of being called an Obot. Is that the new strategy, call anyone who dissents an Obot?
You weren’t involved in this Cinie. You didn’t go. You didn’t talk to anyone. Your judgement seems to be based solely on media perception. But I’m arguing like an obot…okay.
What am I supposed to gather from the video, this is a right wing conspiracy? Maybe people on the left who have been bitching and moaning about corrupt government and railing about Obama fucked up in not taking the bull by the horns and being just as organized. Whoops! I think you are grossly underestimating what is happening on the American street. People are pissed. These events are going to keep happening. If you aren’t willing to inject yourself into them then don’t complain if the movement does in fact shift to the right.
There were left leaners, right leaners, independents, libertarians, etc out yesterday. Why is it so hard for you to accept that just because some bark louder than others doesn’t mean that we are all marching on their orders?
There is a national catharsis that is occurring, one that is long overdue. The truth is that PUMA/JSND dropped the stone into the pool, but egos and myopia are rapidly making PUMA, with a few exceptions, an impotent movement in the face of this crisis. Now, when PUMA should be at the forefront of this Tea Party movement, because ours was the first tea party of the new era, PUMA is nowhere to be found, and PUMA bloggers are deriding Tea Party people. But I’m arguing like an Obot. Whatever Cinie.
I really don’t care who claims this idea was theirs, who gets the credit, who gets the blame…blah blah blah. Americans of all races, classes and politics came out yesterday because they are tired of this bullshit. If you don’t see that, get that, understand that then I wonder exactly why you spend so much time complaining about what’s wrong in Washington. What’s the point if you’re not going to stand up and actually do something? The so-called right and the so-called left are going to have to learn to put aside their differences if we are going to accomplish our goal, which to me is getting government to serve the people, instead of us serving the government. This is an Obot argument? Please.
Some of us value our republic enough to stand with people we may not agree with on certain issues. One thing we all agreed on yesterday is that this shit is fucked up and it needs to stop. When you can come up with a cogent argument as to what’s bad about that, other than you don’t like some of the people involved, you let me know.
I saw nothing about Freedomworks, or any other such thing last night. Just local people pissed off at their county, state and federal government. Sorry you don’t seem to trust my judgement, or seem willing to put your shoulder to the wheel to steer the movement in a direction you think it should go.
I understand your concern about people being exploited, but this whole notion of astroturfing, etc. You can make this whatever you want it to be, but if you didn’t go to an event you really have no idea what happened. Organizers can have plans, they can make speeches. It’s the spirit of the people who attend that make a movement. People are looking for answers, looking for solutions. If you don’t get involved in this you have no ability to steer the dialogue. that is a mistake. PUMA made it and now the movement is rapidly dying. With a few notable exceptions, mostly what I see are some bloggers complaining, not doing.
I’m done complaining. It’s doing time. I would argue that your reticence regarding this movement is exactly what Axelrod and Rove want. They want you suspicious and they want you to be quiet. They want you to stay home. So their wonks bamboozle you with ideologues and you are buying it. There is a danger of people being swayed in either direction. If you don’t participate, if you aren’t involved, you have no ability to make this a movement that speaks for you. That would be a mistake.
No one owns my mind, and for you to insinuate that I am operating like a fucking Obot…funny, another PUMA blogger called me, and everyone who writes for the Widdershins the same.
Well said Shtuey.
Thank you Shtuey. Well said! The tea parties were about ALL people from ALL parties! Not just the Republicans! Everyone got together to voice their displeasure at the government.
It’s sad to see people on the various dividing along political lines again. I’m not a Republican, never been a Republican, did not vote of Obama so I’m definitely NOT an obot, but I believe in this country. So do a lot of other people who are willing to work with others not of the same party or beliefs to get our country back in line with the Constitution.
Some of the PUMA sites are afraid their message is going to get lost if they join in with the Tea Parties, just because the word “Republican” is getting tied in with “Tea Party.” What happened to being bi-partisan? Fixing our count
Sorry – hit Submit by accident –
Fixing our country? Stopping the madness of the bailouts and the massive taxes WE ALL are going to be facing? If people in this country can’t come together because they are afraid THEIR message is going to get lost when they join forces with others – Republicans, Independents, Liberterians, Greens – then as a nation we are not going to get anything done! We are going to go down the tubes!
My own family is mixed as far as politics. We have Republicans, Democrats, I’m an Independent since 2008 – we do just fine in everyday life even if we don’t agree on certain issues. Certain things, like the welfare of our country, take priority. I’m in the PUMA camp on many principles (I took the beatings from the obots, the Republicans, and watched Hillary go down in flames when she should have been on the November ballot), but I draw the line at NOT taking a stand to save our country just because the word “Republican” turns up in something.
I read Cinie’s blog this morning. I won’t be going back there. Haven’t checked out Widdershins or any of the others, but it’s time to get passed partisan politics if we are going to save our country. I’m not innocent in bashing Republicans (especially GWB), but I know I’m going to have to work with some, as well as Greens, Independents, and even the Ron Paul supporters, to get our country back in line with the Constitution. Am I happy about it? NO. Does it need to be done? YES.
My Week in Review the Response of the mainstream media to the Tea Party Protest.
My Impression of the Mainstream Media’s Coverage of Tax Day, Tea Partys held across the country this past week. Predictable, Preconditioned, Conforming & Devoid of Objectivity. They reminded me of Zombies.
http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/04/tgif-circus-life-art-ificial-life.html
The status quo does need shaken up. The lurch to the far left is causing a social shock to go through this country. Time to push back, that doesn’t mean I want a far right regime to take over for the far left regime we have now. Most Americans live in the Middle. Will a candidate that can appeal to average everyday Americans in the middle appear?
If one does appear don’t expect the MSM to cover it 🙂 I don’t know if a third party will form or a viable candidate will appear to head it, what I hear and read people are hopeful. Is a Third Party forming?
I also had to go on moderation because I couldn’t get rid of a troll.
That’s true PUMAS were first, and when they started organizing for John McCain and Sarah Palin it didn’t go unnoticed. There were people on Hot Air, actually hoping PUMAS could pull the Republicans bacon back out of the fire. Many of the Republicans knew they didn’t have the ground game campaign that Obama’s camp had. They also knew that Democrats like PUMA understood how to mobilize at the local level better then they did. They were paying attention to Hillbuzz ect.. and they were very complimentary on Hot Air. That was the beginning of coalescing pooling effort and resources.
I was commenting on a John Cornyn thread this last week on Hot Air, people were just paying attention to the last thing he did. I linked to Malkin herself 3 post showing Cornyn voting with Obama on Geithner and two more on the first bail out ala Bush, and the so called Stimulus Bill. I pointed out to all, I voted against Cornyn down here because first he followed Bush and second he followed Obama. We had a retired Military officer on the Democrat ticket I voted for him. I will vote against Kay Baily Hutchinson in a Senate or Governor run. Kinky Friedman is trying to become the Democrat candidate for Governor. I will vote for Kinky. Texas is tired of the Coporocans. Kinky was on Imus in the Morning a few months ago he said then, there is a populist awakening and it is coming out of Texas. Imus’s brother Fred Imus came on about Obama’s first big Spending Bill. Fred Imus, They will figure out how to steal this money, it is unnecessary the Economy will recover on it’s own in a couple of years….well if this present Administration doesn’t finish it off with this out of control spending.
I was protesting out of control Spending, Waste and Bail Outs, using tax payer’s money. That’s why I attended our local Tea Party.
Of course now, I am sincerely yours,
Right Wing Extremist Radical Militant 🙂
Yep, My heroes have always been cowboys!
http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/
Shtuey, I did not call you an Obot, I said your arguments sounded like theirs. If that puts me on your “s” list, fine. Sorry. As far as whoever won’t be coming back to my site. Fine, too, don’t bother. The way I feel right now, I won’t be coming back to it, either.
From where I sit Cinie, I don’t see much difference. I would hope by now that you would give me a little more credit.
As for being on my shit list, you’d have to do a lot worse. But I will say I’m fed up with PUMA. While events like the Tea Parties are unfolding PUMA is nowhere and is once again talking about defining itself. It’s too late for that now. PUMA is, quite frankly, rapidly becoming irrelevant.
For the record, the Libertarians started the Tea Party movement. And they have had such organizations since 2006. They are pretty pissed off that the Republicans swept in with their machine. I don’t their influence will last. Too many people out there were pissed at the Republicans for screwing us all over the last eight years, and beyond.
PUMA is getting left in the dust and sitting around trying to once again define it is making my brain hurt. I’m a patriot, not a PUMA.
If this administration ignores this, they don’t get there isn’t someone coming in after them to promise not to investigate and prosecute, ala Bush from Obama……Pickin off self serving politicians one at a time might be fun. sport 🙂
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/18/video-gop-rep-who-voted-for-tarp-booed-mercilessly-at-tea-party/
My point would be – when are pumas going to drop their label and become American Patriots and join the tea parties?
Astroturfing? Oh yeah, me and the other 200 hawaiian locals including former obots, libertarians, and republicans on the side of the road was somehow orchestrated by Karl Rove. Give it a break and stop being Nancy’s mouthpiece.