'Tea Party' is over: Ex-activist says racism, hypocrisy killed the movement

[TruthOut10]

I always defended the Tea Party against charges of racism. And then last week, someone with whom I am Facebook “friends” posted something extremely racist and I called her out on it. Immediately, her friends jumped down my throat, calling me a liberal and saying I wasn’t a real tea partier, despite the fact that I was one of 10 people on the first Tea Party conference calls back in January of 2009.

That was just one of many wake-up calls.

Sadly, what began as a genuine opportunity to make this country more free has deteriorated to racist name calling, fear of anyone with brown skin, and an irrational focus on Sharia law.

A chance for Libertarians to reform the GOP

Nobody has been a bigger supporter of the Tea Party than I have been.

In Orlando, I think we had one of the best organized groups. Along with Cincinnati and Houston, Orlando was one of the cities that saw the biggest rallies, the most active tea partiers, and attracted the biggest names to speak at our events. When the left would point to the one nut-job in a crowd of 6,000 with a racist sign and call all 6,000 people racists, the more Libertarian tea partiers like me, would always use ourselves and our groups as examples of of the real, average tea partier.

At our events here in Orlando I met people who said they had never come to a political rally. Even when the left insisted that the Tea Party was just a bunch of GOP activists, I knew better. The people I talked to at our rallies were usually more independent. Of course there were lots of Republicans and some even more conservative members of the Whig Party and Conservative Party, but there were also lots of Libertarians, independents, and Constitution Party members.

I always felt like the Tea Party was going to be the chance for Libertarians to do two things:

First, I thought it was a golden opportunity to show Republicans the hypocrisy of their platform.

Secondly, I thought it was a great chance for us to talk to apolitical, independent folks who were genuinely angry about the bank bailouts: folks who work for a living or own a small business and felt like, “hey, I employ 25 people and no one is going to bail me out. To hell with GM and Lehman Brothers!”

These are people who vote for president every four years but don’t vote in midterm elections. They don’t really care if gays get married or if college kids smoke pot. They also do not want to have their paychecks confiscated to pay for Obamacare. They voted for the GOP in 2010 and made John Boehner Speaker of the House.

?Tea Party? is over: Ex-activist says racism, hypocrisy killed the movement | theGrio

 

[Katzndogz]

Sounds more like liberal wishful thinking.

 

[Daktoria]

Sounds more like liberal wishful thinking.

I don't know about that. Liberals are some of the biggest racists around who insist on "keep it simple, stupid". They believe in affirmative action and oversimplifying people's needs and wants in terms of social programs.

It sounds like the Tea Party was hijacked, and those who hijacked it are trying to excuse their own hijacking.

Coincidentally, the Tea Party was something else before the neocon GOP establishment took over, GOP neocons who are really liberals in disguise. They're the ones who advocate rugged individualism as if people are obligated to be judged by others they don't approve of being judged by. They're the ones who use foreign policy to compensate for the deconstruction of social policy. They're the ones who advocated bank bailouts despite how mortgage backed securities were subsidized by Fannie and Freddie.

 

[PredFan]

There was and is no racism or hypocrisy. it exists ONLY in the minds of the Tea Party obsessed left.

 

[Katzndogz]

Criticism of the Tea Party has always been misplaced, mostly it's deliberate. The Tea Party is concerned about taxes. Nothing else. They aren't given to street protests, nor violence, nor occupy type tactics. They just organize to vote and vote on issues of taxation.

The connection between over taxation and racism is easily made. The Tea Party doesn't want excessive taxes because blacks and hispanics are the primary beneficiaries of over taxation. Wanting lower taxes is taking the bread out of these poor babies mouths. It is easily figured out.

 

[emilynghiem]

I always defended the Tea Party against charges of racism. And then last week, someone with whom I am Facebook “friends” posted something extremely racist and I called her out on it. Immediately, her friends jumped down my throat, calling me a liberal and saying I wasn’t a real tea partier, despite the fact that I was one of 10 people on the first Tea Party conference calls back in January of 2009.

That was just one of many wake-up calls.

Sadly, what began as a genuine opportunity to make this country more free has deteriorated to racist name calling, fear of anyone with brown skin, and an irrational focus on Sharia law.

A chance for Libertarians to reform the GOP

Nobody has been a bigger supporter of the Tea Party than I have been.

In Orlando, I think we had one of the best organized groups. Along with Cincinnati and Houston, Orlando was one of the cities that saw the biggest rallies, the most active tea partiers, and attracted the biggest names to speak at our events. When the left would point to the one nut-job in a crowd of 6,000 with a racist sign and call all 6,000 people racists, the more Libertarian tea partiers like me, would always use ourselves and our groups as examples of of the real, average tea partier.

At our events here in Orlando I met people who said they had never come to a political rally. Even when the left insisted that the Tea Party was just a bunch of GOP activists, I knew better. The people I talked to at our rallies were usually more independent. Of course there were lots of Republicans and some even more conservative members of the Whig Party and Conservative Party, but there were also lots of Libertarians, independents, and Constitution Party members.

I always felt like the Tea Party was going to be the chance for Libertarians to do two things:

First, I thought it was a golden opportunity to show Republicans the hypocrisy of their platform.

Secondly, I thought it was a great chance for us to talk to apolitical, independent folks who were genuinely angry about the bank bailouts: folks who work for a living or own a small business and felt like, “hey, I employ 25 people and no one is going to bail me out. To hell with GM and Lehman Brothers!”

These are people who vote for president every four years but don’t vote in midterm elections. They don’t really care if gays get married or if college kids smoke pot. They also do not want to have their paychecks confiscated to pay for Obamacare. They voted for the GOP in 2010 and made John Boehner Speaker of the House.

?Tea Party? is over: Ex-activist says racism, hypocrisy killed the movement | theGrio

Wow can I team up with you?
I tried to help with Occupy, and all the working people who were carrying the projects one by one got bullied out by people just wanting to protest for media attention but not do the work. The sincere effective activists left behind were already working with the Green party and peace and justice community, so I just keep working with them. I have one friend still working with occupy but he has to travel to catch the groups actually working sustainably. the houston group got dismantled after evicting them from the park. I tried to set up locations to work from nearby, but there was so much bullying going on I fell victim also.

I feel for you and would like to work with you tofind the sincere people still wanting to organize and make a difference. I do want to work with tea party so we could start our own chapter if you want to team up! I do want to reach out to independents with both occupy and tea party on ideas for constitutional corrections, restitution to taxpayers and investing microloans into sustainable solutions to govt economic and environmental problems. would like to work with all parties, depending who will work with everyone else.

let me know ok?
will start a thread for consensus on govt or representation by party.

thanks for posting
this same thing happened when people with
political divisive agenda hijacked occupy
but there are still sincere people still working as always
we just don't hear about the good work they are doing in the media.

what issues do you still want to address?
can you post here or start a new thread and I will join you!
thanks,
emily

 

[Stephanie]

awww how cute..

a ex activist says so

from theGrio

sounds like it was written by some 12 year old liberal.............waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[editec]

the TEAPARTY may be a dying orgnization but the ZIETGEIST that created it is surely NOT.