Reading about the recent TEA Party convention in Nashville made me think what an odd mix of stuff is going into this "revolution." In some meaningful ways the TEA party folks do indeed have something to be upset about, oddly they do not really know what that is but their mood and anger is sensing something that is real. At its core I think it is a fear of unsustainable deficits and a big government that essentially appears to have no regard or concern for the common good or the future of our nation. Of course mixed in with this is an almost virulent anti-intellectualism, racism, xenophobia and to put it simply, an odd sort of proud stupidity. Into this stage strides Ms. Sarah Palin. Liberals often wonder why fans do not see Ms Palin as stupid, but they are missing the point. Her supporters in the TEA party movement wear their lack of regard for any nuanced thinking or even knowledge of our country’s history VERY proudly. Her "stupidity" IS her calling card and a point of pride against the "professor of law" we now have in the White House. How else can you possible explain cheers when she derides Detroit law enforcement officers for reading the Christmas Day airplane bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab his Miranda rights! I thought it strange that a group that harbors such a deep distrust for our government would be so quick to give up rights that folks fought and died for to this very same government! OR the cheers for Mr. Tancredo when he derided "People who could not even spell the word 'vote' or say it in English" for helping to elect Obama. This is odd when addressing a country literally built on immigration (in fact he was only addressing a crowd of 600).
It is sad that this revolution is so ill-focused and dumb, all gut emotion and no intellect, for they are touching something real in their very justified anger toward our wayward government. Our leaders and their corporate handlers are ever so slowly selling our very country down the drain and that is indeed something to get mad about.
So in ending this little diatribe I was thinking that Superman had his "Truth, Justice and the American Way" and Sarah has her “Energy, Tax and Lift American Spirits.” I think Sarah’s theme for her TEA party speech should have been soul great Eddie Floyd's song "Raise your Hand" with is lyric: "Just raise your hand cause I'll understand"
Early this month President Obama submitted the largest military budget since WWII. Where is the outrage in the Tea Party movement? A non-gigantic military reduces the size of the government and helps with the deficit. Embracing the smaller-military plank should be a no-brainer for the Tea Partiers.
ReplyDelete