Year: 2010

Origins of the Tea Bagger Movement: Santelli’s Rant, Ron Paul’s Fundraiser or a 1974 Pro-Segregation Rally in Boston?

Jon Ponder

There is a debate out there about the origins of the tea bagger movement. Some say it was during a rant by CNBC’s Rick Santelli on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009, about the new administration’s plan to help mortgage holders who were underwater:

RICK SANTELLI: The government is promoting bad behavior. Because we certainly don’t want to put stimulus forth and give people a whopping $8 or $10 in their check, and think that they ought to save it, and in terms of modifications… I’ll tell you what, I have an idea.

You know, the new administration’s big on computers and technology– How about this, President and new administration? Why don’t you put up a website to have people vote on the Internet as a referendum to see if we really want to subsidize the losers’ mortgages; or would we like to at least buy cars and buy houses in foreclosure and give them to people that might have a chance to actually prosper down the road, and reward people that could carry the water instead of drink the water?

TRADER ON FLOOR: That’s a novel idea.

(Applause, cheering [by employees of the exchange behind him on the trading floor])

JOE KERNEN: Hey, Rick… Oh, boy. They’re like putty in your hands. Did you hear…?

SANTELLI: No they’re not, Joe. They’re not like putty in our hands. This is America! How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor’s mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can’t pay their bills? Raise their hand.

(Booing)

President Obama, are you listening?

TRADER: How ’bout we all stop paying our mortgage? It’s a moral hazard.

KERNEN: It’s like mob rule here. I’m getting scared. I’m glad I’m…

CARL QUINTANILLA: Get some bricks and bats…

SANTELLI: Don’t get scared, Joe. They’re already scaring you. You know, Cuba used to have mansions and a relatively decent economny. They moved from the individual to the collective. Now, they’re driving ‘54 Chevys, maybe the last great car to come out of Detroit.

KERNEN: They’re driving them on water, too, which is a little strange to watch.

SANTELLI: There you go.

KERNEN: Hey Rick, how about the notion that, Wilbur pointed out, you can go down to 2 percent on the mortgage…

SANTELLI: You could go down to -2 percent. They can’t afford the house.

KERNEN: …and still have 40 percent, and still have 40 percent not be able to do it. So why are they in the house? Why are we trying to keep them in the house?

SANTELLI: I know Mr. Summers is a great economist, but boy, I’d love the answer to that one.

REBECCA QUICK: Wow. Wilbur, you get people fired up.

SANTELLI: We’re thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July. All you capitalists that want to show up to Lake Michigan, I’m gonna start organizing.

(Whistling, cheering)

The Ron Paul wing of the right-wing fringe believes the tea bag movement was born a year earlier, in December when Paul’s quixotic campaign for the presidency surprised Beltway types by breaking single-day fundraising records — taking in $6 million — on the 234th anniversary of the actual Boston Tea Party.

The third possibility — shown in the video at the top — comes from another libertarian source, Reason magazine:

While submerged in the WGBH archives, watching old clips on the busing battles that gripped South Boston in the 1970s, I came across this “The 10 O’Clock News” coverage of a September 9, 1974, rally at Government Center denouncing Judge W. Arthur Garrity, who ordered the desegregation of Southie schools. Sen. Ted Kennedy attempts to calm the crowd, but is shouted down and pelted with newspapers and tomatoes.

The WGBH anchor notes a “new touch” to the protest movement, “the abundance of teabags, apparently to signify that the demonstrators were in the same vein of those who tipped the tea into the harbor.”

Verbatim

Buck Banks

The things he wanted to do weren’t going to be natural for continued public life anyway. He honestly cares about poverty.

— Elizabeth Edwards, in an interview with Politico, on her husband’s sex scandal and volunteer work in Haiti and El Salvador.

Chavistas Say U.S. Caused Haiti Disaster with ‘Earthquake Weapon’

Buck Banks
Chavez warns Ahmadinejad about HAARP.
Chavez warns Ahmadinejad about HAARP.

State-run newspapers and television channels in Venezuela are “reporting” that last week’s earthquake in Haiti was the result of the United States deploying a secret “weapon of earthquakes,” according to ElDiarioExterior.com. The reason? To make it a protectorate, silly, which explains why we’ve been quick with the troops and slow with the soup.

But wait, that’s not all!

The reason the U.S. military would shoot an earthquake at Haiti is because Haiti made a nice target to practice on before we turn our doomsday gun on our absolute worst enemy in the world. But more on that later.

On the website of Radio Nacional de Venezuela (RNV) are published statements of the university professor, Vladimir Acosta, a regular contributor to the media controlled by the government of Hugo Chávez, accusing the U.S. of wanting to make Haiti a protectorate under the guise of the natural disaster. But to further the conspiracy theory, Acosta argued that “we have the worrisome suspicion that this earthquake may be associated with the project called HAARP, a system that can generate violent and unexpected changes in climate.”

In the same line of “reporting,” live public television delves into the theory to say that the aim was to test the weapon for later use against Iran.The television station is defined on its website as “a means of communication of the Venezuelan state, educational, cultural and information that promotes participatory democracy, solidarity and Latin American integration from a new paradigm of communication in line with the new model political, economic and social system established in the constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

— online Google translation from Spanish

And how do the Venezuelans know this? The Russians told them, so you know it’s true.

As the channel Vive, a case report of the Russian Northern Fleet “would indicate that the earthquake that devastated Haiti was the ‘clear results’ of a test of the U.S. Navy through one of its ‘weapons of earthquakes.'”

And how do they know it’s true? Because why else would the U.S. Southern Command have Gen. P.K. Keen on the ground in Haiti at the time of the attack, er, quake? Because they knew it was going to devastate the country, and we could then move in troops and military material under the guise of humanitarian aid.

And, if one is to believe President Hugo Chavez’ media operatives, the Russian Navy also blamed the October 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, on the United States. Seems to me, we’re getting pretty handy with this HAARP thingy that’s able to create “climate anomalies to cause floods, droughts and hurricanes.”

So why are we taking potshots at China and Haiti with this incredibly powerful weapon (and could Katrina have been a ricochet?)? If you’re a chavista, it’s obvious:

The objective “end” of all the alleged evidence would be “the destruction of Iran through a series of earthquakes designed to topple the current Islamic regime.”

What do you say we make our next practice target, oh, I don’t know — Venezuela???

Olbermann Apologizes for Forgetting to Call Sen.-Elect Scott Brown a ‘Sexist’

Jon Ponder

Earlier this week, Keith Olbermann sparked howls of derision from tea baggers and their ilk when he called now Sen.-Elect Scott Brown (TBP-Mass.) “an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude model, tea-bagging supporter of violence against women and against politicians with whom he disagrees.” In this video segment, Olbermann apologizes — because he left out “sexist.” He also offers proof for each of his charges and dares those who are complaining to refute any of them.

Tea Party Patriots, Stand Up, Don’t Be Counted! Boycott the 2010 U.S. Census

Dr. Democrat

Dear Dr. Democrat:

Is it true that Tea Partiers are boycotting the 2010 Census, and if so, why should I join them?

– A. Hugh Patriot

Dear Hugh:

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, one of the heroes of the Tea Party movement, called for a boycott of the Census last year. Now, as Obama prepares to send out 2010 Census forms, many true Tea Party patriots are considering protesting via non-participation.

Here are five reasons Tea Party activists might object to the Census, written in the style of the paranoid emails that our friends on the right send each other. Please feel free to email this list to every Tea Party patriot you know:

1. Obama and the entire Democrat Party support the Census, which is sufficient cause for suspicion among Tea Party activists on all other issues.

2. Many libertarians believe the Census should not be under government control, not just because it is bona fide socialism, but also because, unlike private industry, government is inept. Who knows what mistakes the government has made in censuses over the past two centuries? Libertarians believe the Census should be outsourced to a private company with experience collecting data, like Equifax, Experian or other credit reporting companies, which hardly ever make mistakes.

3. According to World Net Daily, the popular conservative news site, Obama seized control of the Census from the Commerce Department within weeks after he assumed the presidency. The fact that the 2010 Census will be taken under the direction of the Obama White House worries Rep. Bachmann, who has raised concerns that Americans’ personal data could end up in the hands of ACORN. What ACORN might do with it is anyone’s guess.

4. Bachmann also pointed out that the government has used Census information in the past to round up Americans and force them into concentration camps. She cited the example of the internment of thousands of patriotic Americans of Japanese descent by FDR’s Democrat socialist government during World War II.

5. The Obama administration has already put patriots on notice that it will fine anyone who refuses to submit to the Census. However, boycott supporters say that if the government can’t round up 20 million illegal aliens, how could it possibly find millions of real Americans who boycott the Census because they choose to exercise their rights to be free of government intrusion?

For these reasons, true Patriots believe it is crucial that their fellow activists boycott the 2010 Census — so that their voices will not be heard by the career politicians in Washington.

I can’t say I agree with them, but it is fine with me — and better for the country — if the tea party folks leave governing the United States to the smart people.

In Victory Speech, New Tea Bagger Senator Offered His Daughters to ‘Anybody Who’s Watching’ – Even Glenn Beck Is Offended

Jon Ponder

Most Americans were introduced to Scott Brown, the Tea Bagger Massachusetts elected to fill Sen. Ted Kennedy’s seat, when he delivered his victory speech Tuesday night. But near the top of the speech when he was introducing his family, Brown went rogue, abandoning the speech for an ad lib that was extremely inappropriate.

Transcript:

SEN. SCOTT BROWN (TBP-Mass): And as always, I rely on Gail’s love and support and that of our two lovely daughters. So I want to thank Ayla and Arianna for their help as well. And just in case anybody who’s watching throughout the country — yes, they’re both available.

No, no no. Only kidding. Only kidding. Arianna is definitely not available, but Ayla is.

GAIL BROWN (wife of senator): STOP!

SCOTT BROWN: (Grabs Arianna’s arm.) This is Arianna. (Grabs Ayla’s arm.) This is Ayla. Well, I can see I’m gonna get in trouble when I get home.

Right-wing pols who tout “family values” but cheat on their wives with impunity are so commonplace that regular Americans are seemingly inured to their philandering. But Brown’s unfunny use of his victory speech to pimp his daughters like he was on an Internet porn site even upset Fox News’ Glenn Beck — who once called Pres. Obama a racist, and so should know from inappropriate:

“I want a chastity belt on this man. I want his every move watched in Washington. I don’t trust this guy. This one could end with a dead intern.”
– Glen Beck

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck slammed Brown’s acceptance speech on his show Wednesday — specifically for broadcasting on national television that his two daughters are currently “available.” Beck appeared to compare Brown to Gary Condit, the former Democratic congressman who some suspected was involved in the disappearance of his mistress and congressional intern Chandra Levy, who was found dead.

“I want a chastity belt on this man,” Beck said. “I want his every move watched in Washington. I don’t trust this guy. This one could end with a dead intern.”

Beck has questioned Brown before, writing in his Fox News column recently: “I don’t trust Scott Brown yet. Americans don’t know him.”

Bonus Video: A Cutesy Ad with Scott Brown & Daughters

H/t: Keith Olbermann on Countdown

For Tea Baggers, the Future Looks Dumb

Trish

tea-bag-signOne thing tea baggers object to is “government schools,” or as normal people call them, public schools. You see, at the government schools, kids are forced to learn science, to associate with others not exactly like them, and every now and then, be subjected to an address from their president asking them to do their homework and become successful. And you know where all this leads. That’s right, buddy, the big “S.” Socialism with a capital…Well anyway. So following Trish’s Law of Coincidences, which states that there are no coincidences, a recent increase in home schooling must be correlated to rising numbers of tea baggers. In fact, one unscientific (how fitting!) online poll shows just that.

The people at the whyhomeschool blog came up with a poll that asks first if you support the Tea Party movement. Of the 99 people who responded in the affirmative, 88 percent selected this answer: “Yes, and I currently homeschool, have homeschooled in the past, or plan to homeschool my child(ren).” Slightly more than 5 percent (five votes) went with, “Yes, and I send, have sent, and plan to send my child(ren) exclusively to public school.” Another 4 percent checked, “Yes, and I send, have sent, or plan to send my child(ren) to private school.” And finally, 3 percent said that although they support tea bagging, they have no children.

On the other hand, only 36 readers said they do not support the Tea Party movement, but most of them also home school, and what with this being a blog for home schoolers, that’s not a huge surprise. Of those who felt negatively toward tea bagging, 89 percent still home school, and 3 percent each use private and public schools. A final 6 percent (two people) who don’t have kids also don’t like tea parties.

tebow-verseThe Orlando Sentinel recently published a story about the new-found popularity of home schooling, and linked it to the rock star popularity of home schooling’s most famous alumnus, University of Florida football quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow, who sports a New Testament bible verse citation in his eye-black, was home schooled by his missionary parents until he showed promise in football. At that point, they enrolled him in a public high school, followed by a big fat football scholarship and four years at a public university.

This kind of self-reliance (yes, I’m being facetious) inspires both religious zealots and tea baggers alike, according to another poll published with the story. It asked, “If you home-school your children (or plan to), what is the primary reason you chose to do so?” While 18 percent answered that they would never consider such an option, the numbers were almost equal (16 percent each) for these three responses: “I want my child to receive an education that addresses spiritual issues that are important to my family,” “Traditional schools stifle creativity and frown upon nonconformists,” and most worrisome, “I don’t want the government involved in my child’s education.”

Anyone who has seen the movie Idiocracy knows where this is going. Over time, with even less exposure to challenging ideas, tea baggers will become stupider and stupider, until finally they will drown in a sea of dumb. The question is whether we will all get pulled under with them.

Verbatim

Buck Banks

It’s like in Roman times, they’d be trotted out to the coliseum and the lions would be brought out. I mean, they’re wanting blood and they’re not getting it so they want to protest, and, you know, you can’t blame them. But frankly, the fact is we inherited this mess and it’s becoming ours.

— Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-MA), quoted by Politico.