Gingersnap
09-15-2010, 01:13 PM
Scrudato: Going to Tea
By John Scrudato
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
No doubt you’ve heard the stories. There’s a political storm is brewing, and it’s based on anger. They’ve taken over our primaries; they’ve overthrown the establishment; and they’re against civil rights.
Yes, I write about nothing other than the Tea Party.
The disdain felt for it is easy to spot. Inevitably, when the topic comes up among my friends, there are references to “those people.” It is cursed for the threat its poses to the legislative agenda and it’s refusal to be tamed. Even esteemed Yale professors, who shall go unnamed, have taken the time in class to attack the “vile” Tea Partiers.
I don’t write today, however, to debate the merits of a particular belief of the Tea Party.
Instead, I have one simple question: Who’s been to a Tea Party?
In April 2009, I attended my first Tea Party and was surprised by what I found. While one can judge the Republican or Democratic parties based on what their leaders say or what policies they espouse, the Tea Party is a decentralized movement with no single leader, no official leadership structure and no party platform. The name itself often trips people up. It’s not a political party at all. It’s a movement whose namesake is the Boston Tea Party. There is no “Tea Party” party (except in a few small towns). References to “Tea Party” candidates are inventions of the media — they are all running as Republican candidates.
Still, I wanted to be sure I wasn’t mistaken. So, with camcorder in hand, I took the train down to Washington and spent this past Sunday talking to and interviewing hundreds of Tea Partiers.
And, folks, you’ve got to get out more because the Tea Party you’re talking about isn’t the Tea Party I found.
I had to put this here because a Yalie defending people who belong to the Tea Party is obviously a sign of the coming Apocalypse. Read the whole thing. :eek:
Yale Daily News (http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/sep/15/scrudato-going-to-tea/)
By John Scrudato
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
No doubt you’ve heard the stories. There’s a political storm is brewing, and it’s based on anger. They’ve taken over our primaries; they’ve overthrown the establishment; and they’re against civil rights.
Yes, I write about nothing other than the Tea Party.
The disdain felt for it is easy to spot. Inevitably, when the topic comes up among my friends, there are references to “those people.” It is cursed for the threat its poses to the legislative agenda and it’s refusal to be tamed. Even esteemed Yale professors, who shall go unnamed, have taken the time in class to attack the “vile” Tea Partiers.
I don’t write today, however, to debate the merits of a particular belief of the Tea Party.
Instead, I have one simple question: Who’s been to a Tea Party?
In April 2009, I attended my first Tea Party and was surprised by what I found. While one can judge the Republican or Democratic parties based on what their leaders say or what policies they espouse, the Tea Party is a decentralized movement with no single leader, no official leadership structure and no party platform. The name itself often trips people up. It’s not a political party at all. It’s a movement whose namesake is the Boston Tea Party. There is no “Tea Party” party (except in a few small towns). References to “Tea Party” candidates are inventions of the media — they are all running as Republican candidates.
Still, I wanted to be sure I wasn’t mistaken. So, with camcorder in hand, I took the train down to Washington and spent this past Sunday talking to and interviewing hundreds of Tea Partiers.
And, folks, you’ve got to get out more because the Tea Party you’re talking about isn’t the Tea Party I found.
I had to put this here because a Yalie defending people who belong to the Tea Party is obviously a sign of the coming Apocalypse. Read the whole thing. :eek:
Yale Daily News (http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/sep/15/scrudato-going-to-tea/)