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Friday, April 10, 2009
Bagging Tea Bagging; Plus A New Way Forward Protest Set for Saturday in ABQ
I'll let Rachel Maddow (Rachel!) do the heavy bagging of the faux-grassroots teabagging protest being pushed by CNBC's Rick Santelli, Faux News and other right-wing teabagging aficionados that's set for April 15. (If you don't get the jokes and innuendos in Rachel's report, look up "teabagging" on Wikipedia, etc.)
Think Progress and Media Matters provide more info on the "astroturfing" aspects of the teabagging "movement." Turns out the phony "revolt" is really all about right-wingers outraged about stimulus spending (what's their plan again?) and the chance that rich people might have to pay the moderately higher level of taxes they had to cough up during the Clinton years.
If you were coerced to watch the out-of-control antics of Glenn Beck on Feigned News, you'd know that there's a revolting revolution (that WILL be televised) "brewing" amidst the teabagging extremists. Beck and others on the right are positively foaming at the mouth over ... well, over the fact that Republicans and their agenda are about as popular as Lipton teabags in London. Or worse. Beck has even suggested that President Obama is pouring gasoline on "average Americans" with his policies -- and has acted out the scenario on his show. Talk about a mini-doc on everything that's wrong with the livid right as Obama completes his first 100 days of coping with the awful aftermath of eight years of the BushCo administration.
The teabaggers are hoping turnout at their demonstrations will break a Guinness Book of World Records record for the largest multi-city demonstration in American history. Matt at New Mexico FBIHOP puts that notion convincingly to rest.
Locals will be teabagging it in Albuquerque on April 15th, according to a report by Jeff Jones in the Albuquerque Journal. Not surprisingly, Jeff's piece ignores the fact that the so-called "national collaborative grass-roots effort" is really the product of the monied, corporate right-wing noise machine.
A New Way Forward
If you'd like to attend a real grassroots event on the economy, check out A New Way Forward, which is organizing events to be held all over the nation tomorrow to demand the break-up of the "too big to fail" banks. The group is advocating that the offending banks be nationalized, reoganized and decentralized. Among the volunteer coalition that's organzing the events are Firedoglake, Mike Lux of Open Left and Zephyr Teachout of ye olde Dean campaign -- along with a myriad of bloggers and others in the progressive grassroots movement.
Albuquerque's event is set for Noon on Saturday, April 11, outside the First Plaza Galeria. Click to sign up.
April 10, 2009 at 03:00 PM in Economy, Populism, Events, Media | Permalink
Comments
Barb: The Albuquerque effort is spearheaded by a woman who has never been involved in politics. The GOP is not steering it and the organizers don't want any party involved in this event. No one bought the signs but concerned citizens who are more than a mite concerned about our $61 trillion debt and the fact that China has increasing leverage over our nation with ever additional dollar we borrow. Bush and Cheney set us on this path, but Obama is taking us over a cliff. Facing a national debt exceeding our GDP should be of concern to everyone, regardless of party or socioeconomic status. Come on by Wednesday at the Independence Grill on Montgomery, just east of Louisiana, from 4 to 7 pm and see what a grassroots uprising looks like. I'll be broadcasting for AM 1550 and you are welcome to go on the air with your opposing views if you're still of the opinion this is a sham display of outrage and alarm.
Posted by: Jim Scarantino | Apr 10, 2009 4:47:28 PM
Oh, puh-leeze Jim. The false indignation and seemingly sudden concern over our monstrous national debt by those on the right is laughable. Laughable.
I much prefer Andrew Sullivan's explanation:
"As a fiscal conservative who actually believed in those principles when the Republicans were in power, I guess I should be happy at this phenomenon. And I would be if it had any intellectual honesty, any positive proposals, and any recognizable point. What it looks like to me is some kind of amorphous, generalized rage on the part of those who were used to running the country and now don't feel part of the culture at all. But the only word for that is: tantrum."
Emphasis mine.
https://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/
2009/04/time-for-tea.html
Posted by: LopsidedMom | Apr 10, 2009 5:46:10 PM
Fair criticism when applied to the likes of Limbaugh and Beck. And Gingrich and the other Republicans who are riding this populist wave. But what you'll see at the Albuquerque rally are people who didn't like Bush's wasteful and profligate ways any better than what we're getting now. You'll hear as much condemnation of their practices as criticism of what we've seen in just 100 days. I have yet to hear anyone explain how we're going to get out of the staggering debt we're heaping on this country. All of that "stimulus" comes with interest payments. The $787 stimulus package alone, according to the CBO, requires $352 billion in interest payments over the next ten years. If you're not outraged and alarmed, you're not paying attention. You'd be surprised how many people behind this event voted for Obama. The organizers have made a point of inviting Democratic lawmakers. John Grubesic is one of the speakers in Santa Fe. And so forth. Join a tea party near you. And stop by our broadcasting booth to say hello.
Posted by: Jim Scarantino | Apr 10, 2009 7:15:46 PM
I find this amusing that Jim is blaming Obama for foolisness with our tax dollars after what we experienced over the last 8 years. IF Obama's moves are wrong they at least have not killed anybody or hurt the image of our country as Bush did.
Posted by: Terry Riley | Apr 10, 2009 7:40:32 PM
Funny, I never saw many of those people you're talking about at all the anti-war rallies I've attended over the past 6 years. Apparently it was just fine to spend money so that Bush could invade a sovereign nation but spending money for education and health care? Oh, no!
I've been outraged and alarmed for a long time. Each time I hear some right wing wacko politician (hello John McCain and Judd Gregg!) stand up and whine about how we are burdening our children and grandchildren with staggering debt, I cringe. This is not news to me. My children lived without their father for well over a year while he served in Iraq and there are thousands of children who have lived without loved ones for years at a time. My children - these children - have paid enough.
Fake grassroots aside, the video footage out there of the late February tea fiestas would point towards Obama bashing rather than a...ahem...fair and balanced fiscal irresponsibility outrage. Pace yourselves. You're 100 days in and have well over 2500 left to go.
(And really...didn't anyone have the wisdom to hire some kind of PR firm for this thing. The "tea bagging" jokes are just too easy.)
Posted by: LopsidedMom | Apr 10, 2009 7:54:04 PM
Sounds like these are some of the people Rep Frank refers to as "born again deficit haters." The phony outrage and sudden concern coming from the right IS laughable. I totally agree that what may well be the root of this sudden concern and outrage is the fact that Republican/Conservative are realizing they no longer have any power, they are rapidly becoming irrelevant, headed toward extinction, and their dream of a permanent majority in Washington is just that, a pipe dream. Probably the one thing that really befuddles many on the right is that the American People are finally recognizing that Republicans have NO ideas and total failure best describes their ideology and policies.
Posted by: VP | Apr 10, 2009 8:11:06 PM
I note Jim Scarantino came over to make sure the info on the Faux Grassroots Revolution was posted here.
Of course nobody likes that the nation must spend huge amounts of money to attempt to get us out of this hole created by 8 years of Bush and the aftermath of decades of dedication to the "magic hand of the market" fairy tale coupled with the creation of a deadly form of essentially unregulated, predator capitalism that resulted in "too big to fail" monopolies and more.
I don't know if that will work or not, but I do know that Jim and other Ron Paul-ish "libertarians" have provided not a single reasonable proposal for going forward. Come on, Jim. What do you propose we do at this juncture? Spell it out in specifics.
I also don't really care if the woman organizing this in Albuquerque has political experience or not. The point is this was organized and publicized top down by those I named. And I'm well aware it's not coming from the powers that be in the GOP. After all, the teabaggers refused to have GOP Chairman Steele participate.
No, it's coming from what used to be rightly called the lunatic fringe of the right -- what used to be known as the John Birch Society loonies, which have segued into today's version of the white supremacy - neo-Nazi - Ron Paul - pay no taxes - do away with the federal reserve - kill Social Security - black helicopters are coming to take us away - elements of the right. Sure, they suck in some ordinary people who don't know better, but notice how vague the goals are of this teabagger thing. For good reason.
On the other hand, A New Way Forward has a very specific proposal, which I agree with: The too-big-to-fail banks should be nationalized, reoganized and decentralized.
Hey Jim, what's the plan for dealing with our many crises that's being proposed by the teabaggers? And why weren't they out in force during the past eight years?
Posted by: barb | Apr 11, 2009 12:07:07 PM
Example of organizing for teabagger day-
https://www.michiganmilitia.com/SMVM/field_reports/
2007/apr007/militia_field_day_2009.htm
Posted by: JJ | Apr 11, 2009 1:18:06 PM
Read this one. Like the "war games" aspect?
https://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/
02/22/militias/index.html
Posted by: Old Dem | Apr 11, 2009 1:27:13 PM
I'm more interested in the New Way Forward. Inclement and downright nasty weather today, I know, but does anybody care to report on the New Way Forward rally here in town? I have my fingers crossed.
Posted by: bflaska | Apr 11, 2009 4:09:01 PM
I'm seriously considering going to the thing on Thursday. I'd be far better off if the government gave up on stimulus and instead reduced spending. That would certainly push us into a major depression, with 25% or more unemployment. This would cause major deflation, and prices would drop. While those out of work would still have no money, and millions would die of malnutrition or lack of health care, personally I'd do very well because I have my nest egg in cash.
I'm sure Mr Scarantino feels, as I do, that the sufferring of tens of millions of Americans is a small price to pay for making me better off.
The problem with the anti-tax people is that they are vague about how to cut spending. My plan is to go to the demonstration and hold up a sign that says "Cut taxes - Close Kirtland AFB". That's a simple suggestion that'd save billions.
Posted by: Michael H Schneider | Apr 11, 2009 7:08:31 PM
I like lopsided mom's quote from Andrew Sullivan.
The Repupblicans are having a tantrum--
a teabag tantrum.
Posted by: Ellen Wedum | Apr 11, 2009 10:02:55 PM
