The other revolution is made up of people who believe that both government and those who are successful in life owe them something; that the United States should be a nation of equitable distribution, and not one of free enterprise. Sadly, the polling tells me that these two nations within one are meeting in the middle. They don’t share beliefs, but they are sharing similar frustrations.
A president with a class-warfare mindset has joined with the likes of some predictable people and organizations that typically benefit from economic envy. They have set the stage for a growing uprising of frustrated people who now occupy Wall Street and other cities in America. This strange collection of multicolored hair, anti-everything signs and demands for a basic redistribution of the nation’s wealth is gaining more momentum, thanks at least in some measure to a sucker press. This is the same media that for so long refused to recognize another movement of frustrated Americans, the tea party, until many months and countless rallies into it.
Here is the problem: These two entirely different movements want completely different “revolutions.” The “Wall Street Protesters” want, at the least, Barack Obama and his redistribution of America’s wealth returned to the fore of public policy. At the worst, they want a genuine revolution, hoping that frustration turns to anarchy. They set up a warren of tents, leave behind piles of garbage and in some cases engage in threatening or even violent behavior.
On the other hand, the tea party groups bring their folded chairs, patriotic hats and their young kids to public assemblies. They gather peacefully, have their say — and clean up after themselves.
Sounds like they have nothing in common. But they do.
They’ve all been left without a pot to pee in, if you’ll pardon the expression, by a Bush administration that let spending get totally out of control and saw plenty of friends and lobbyists get filthy rich off cozy connections instead of hard work.
Then “The Accelerator” arrived on the scene. President Obama wants to tax the rich, but more, he wants to use some of that tax money to feather the nests of “clean energy” companies that raised him big bucks in his own presidential campaign. President “Spread the Wealth” has spread nothing but fear, resentment and huge government “stimulus” contracts to everyone in his loyal orbit.
But do you think those fools trying to find a place (we hope) to take a shower on the hard pavement of the streets they occupy have a clue that they are being manipulated by labor, MoveOn.org and others who will sleep soundly in their own mansions while the protesters raise hell in the streets? It’s not likely.
We have all been taken for complete suckers. We have a ruling political class, cozy with book deals, foundations, fancy fundraisers, and we have a rotten-to-the-core political electorate. The combination has allowed this to happen.
Even more incredibly, the mainstream media constantly try to portray the tea party as a bunch of nuts, while gingerly referring to the whacky collection of “street protesters” as people fed up with corruption in the business world.
Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to give a boot to the behind of many of these “bailout” bluebloods. And yes, I think it is about time that huge corporations start investing in America rather than hiding their cash in case the whole darn free market system collapses. But that doesn’t mean that what belongs to someone else should be mine; or, as one lunatic group among the “Occupy” crowd advocates, that it would be the right thing to do to force professionals, like physicians, to take salaries of $30,000 a year. Can’t you just see people lining up to attend medical school for that?
Trust me. We are in for one wild ride. All we can hope is that the revolutionaries who carry the folding chairs and sing “God Bless America” can hold on long enough for this other crowd not to totally destroy our country. And please: No more George W. Bushes or Barack Obamas. We can’t take another four years of our “ruling political class” and their likes.
Matt Towery of Atlanta is heads the polling firm InsiderAdvantage.
In April of 2010 at the height of the Tea Party demonstrations part of the Tea Party agenda was the threat of 2nd amendment solutions touted by Tea Party Candidates. In Washington DC Tea party demonstrators spat upon congressmen as they entered the Capital building. Tea Party advocates called for the smashing of Democrat campaign headquarter windows. Tea Party demonstrators showed up at demonstrations carrying side arms and assault weapons. The message was clear. Give us our way or we will start a violent revolution in which people will die.
Now Tea party organizations have a foothold in congress so they feel the need to clean up their act. They believe that they should disavowal the violence they advocated in 2010 because they want to avoid responsibility for planting the seeds of revolution which is now happening. They are counting on Americans to have a short memory.
However, extremists within the Tea Party keep reminding us of the rhetoric that propelled the Tea Party to its current level of popularity.
Fox News having Tea Party blogger Mike Vanderboegh on recently to analyze Operation Fast and Furious. This same guy who called for people to break windows of Democratic party offices during the health reform process, and took credit when people did so.
Michelle Bachman and Sharon Angle have promoted 2nd amendment solutions to our political problems. A favorite slogan on Tea Party signs and banners was "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” Just where did the Tea Party think that this type of rhetoric would lead us to?