Shuck and Jive


Friday, April 17, 2009

Karl Rove's Tea Party

What was this tea party about again? It appears it was a pathetic display by the right wing (Fox Noise et al) to tap into the frustration and worry Americans have about the economy and channel it toward two minutes of misdirected hate at the Obama administration.

Who is fueling this nonsense? Karl Rove, for one. What is his agenda? He writes in the Wall Street Journal:

If that anger persists, it may give Republicans a leg up in the 38 gubernatorial elections over the next two years, as well as in key state legislative races that will determine which party redraws congressional and state legislative districts after the 2010 census.
Thanks to Southern Beale for this link to Sinfonian who took advantage of 'open mic' at his local party:



"Cheer if you make less than $250,000 per year!"

"YEA!!"

"Your taxes are going to be cut under the current budget! Congratulations!"

"YEA!! Huh? Wait...what'd he say?"

"If you are going to argue about more taxes and less spending, place the blame where the blame belongs, and that is squarely in the hands of the Republican Party and the Bush Administration."

Beautifully done.


18 comments:

  1. Obviously they were booing him in a very non-partisan way, right? I wish he hadn't handed the mic off and run so quickly, but I'm also delighted that he did as much as he did.

    I saw on the Daily Show that Fox Noise was referring to the nation-wide events as the FNC Tea Parties. As in "Fox News Channel Tea Parties". As in "Tostedos Fiesta Bowl" or "Fed Ex Field". As in "Corporate Sponsorship".

    Yet another wonderful example of their fair and balanced reporting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The funniest thing is that some folks on the right are actually trying to sell these events as "non-partisan" and not anti-Obama, when in fact ALL they were was partisan and anti-Obama!

    Judging by the various and often conflicting messages on display ("Stop Socialism!" "Stop Fascism!" "Stop Taxes!" "Stop Gov't Waste!" "Stop Abortion!" "Save Christianity!"), the most important thing I learned from these tea parties is that the conservative base is unable to coalesce around a specific issue save their Obama Derangement Syndrome.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You know this shows how sadly prejudicial you really are, John. These people were practicing their first amendment right to assemble and freely protest, something that you often ask people to do for LGBT groups and peace marches.

    As for Fox's fair and balanced reporting, it was nothing compared to CNN reporter saying this was an anti-CNN protest - what arrogance!

    We live in a free country where free speech and protest of government is respected. For the last 8 years, we experienced anti-Bush rallies all over the place and you didn't speak out then. Get used to it and thank God that we live in a country where political opposition is tolerated and not squashed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It isn't about free speech, Stushie. Heaven knows we've practiced our rights here, involving the war. The issue is that the events have been sold as non-partisan, yet clearly are not. As I said earlier, Fox News has been pushing them all week with their name attached to it, as though they are a proud sponsor of the MD Telethon, yet at the same time packaging themselves as "fair and balanced".

    These things amount to propaganda. Those who think government is too big and taxes too high have a right to speak out. But they should be honest to themselves and the rest of us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stushie,

    I am not against speaking out. Absolutely. Go for it. I am all about it.

    My critique had to do what exactly are they speaking out about?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Also, Stushie, you may want to read "Manufactured Consent" by Noam Chomsky. And ask the Library Connection of Connecticut about squashing opposition.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Common Stushie!

    For a right winger I don't think you are too bad. Often I enjoy what you say and rarely find it offensive.

    But this time, it was naive at best.

    The reason I was opposed to Bush all these years was not because I am a Democrat. I'm not. Or a liberal. I wasn't.

    It's because he trashed everything that America holds sacred and did it with the blessing of the Christian fundamentalists.

    A can't forgive either of them for that.

    They lied, they cheated, they stole, they spent, they tortured, they did something in Iraq that can only be compared in the 20th Century to Hitler's invasion of Poland or the Soviet Union's multiple invasions of its satellite countries. They invaded a small country on trumped up charges to take their oil. I never once imagined that America under my watch would stoop so low. Never.

    They were anti-American and anti-Christ.

    And until they confess their sins and repent, I will never vote Republican again, nor will I ever set foot in a Fundamentalist Christian church again.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The tea parties weren't set up by Fox news...they were started way back in October by disgruntled taxpayers.

    And just for the record, I don't agree with what the tea parties represent. I'm willing to pay more in taxes if it means better health care for all.

    This is about free speech, whether or not we agree with it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm all for freedom of speech.

    But the airwaves are public property. The FCC should go back to the principle of equal coverage that was there before the Bush administration took it away to make room for the Fox propaganda network and Rush Limbaugh and such.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I know Fox News didn't start these events. They just co-opted them. They're like the BASF of propaganda.

    And if it were about free speech for you, Stushie, I'd think you would be more concerned that this man was essentially booed off the stage than that John called the group out for it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I really don't think Iraq was about oil at all. If it was only about oil, they could have made a sweatheart deal with Saddam for it. There are easier ways to get oil than invading a country and having to completely rebuild it. It is simplistic thinking at best to blame it all on oil. How much oil have they gotten out of Iraq since the invasion? Not near as much as they could have gotten even if they had been willing to lie and cheat like UN officials for it(remember that scandal?)! Comparing the US to Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia is also more than just a bit over the top.

    ReplyDelete
  13. sweetheart, rather. I suppose that is what "review" is for.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Joel,

    In the strictest sense the invasion of Iraq was not just about getting Iraq's oil. It was about getting Iraq's oil and Iran's oil, and the control of the supply chain of oil. Here is a link to a book that will give you some good background: http://www.thebushagenda.net/.

    And before anyone suggests that this is a biased account because it calls to task the Bush Administration, understand two things:
    1) it started long before Bush, and it included Clinton. However, Bush, with Big Oil people in the top three positions in our government, had all the resources at his fingertips, and all the impetus, as well, to actually put forth the effort to gain that control.
    2) if we wait for an "unbiased" account, we will wait forever. The right wing will countenance no criticism without hitting back with an accusation of bias. It's been quite an effective tool to deflect criticism, beginning with the Reagan Administration through today.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Of course it was about oil. We never would have given them a second thought it they didn't have so much of it.

    But it didn't work out the way they hoped. At least not as fast. We may still eventually get it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. How typical.

    Disagree with what a conservative has to say and you're denying them "free speech."

    Just another tactic used to try to stifle disagreement, which is rather ironic, isn't it, Stushie? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Tea Party! What a joke. It is just as irrelevant as the English today--most drink coffee! revdan

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey, thanks for the link -- glad you liked the video.

    I only relinquished the mic because I'd pretty much said all I'd gone up there to say. I think that the booing is proof of the partisan nature of this event and, by extrapolation, all those around the country: those folks weren't there to protest taxation so much as to hate on Obama. They love them some Bushie spending, though.

    And although I understand that Fox News may have co-opted the Tea Parties (and pissed off some organizers, libertarian types, in the process), it's instructive that none of the organizers, to my knowledge, ever publicly stated that Fox ought to back off and mind their own business.

    ReplyDelete