According to a report posted by Jon Ward at The Daily Caller:
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour issued a subtle rebuke Wednesday to conservative and Republican leaders who have focused on religious and social values issues this year, saying they were taking the GOP off message in an election year when voters care overwhelmingly about economic issues. . . . When asked about comments by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, that said the GOP should call a “truce on the so-called social issues” to focus on fiscal matters, Barbour said he supported the sentiment.
Elsewhere at the Caller, Alex Knepper posts that Montana’s Big Sky Tea Party gave the boot to one of its leaders over anti-gay statements. Writes Knepper:
The Tea Party has shown itself, time and time again, to be a force against those who would seek to focus on abortion and homosexuality. In fact, it has been an unmitigated blessing for those who were exhausted with the religious right’s veto stamp over Republican Party behavior. It has truly brought the party back to basic, bread-and-butter issues: size-of-government issues are unquestionably its key concern.
But read here about how “With the smug incomprehension in which it takes so much pride (can’t understand – won’t understand!), the BBC sets about the American Tea Party Movement as if it were a cross between the Klu Klux Klan and the German neo-fascist brigade.” The same could be said for MSNBC, or course.
9 Comments for “More Signs of the Tea Party Times”
posted by BobN on
Uh… “off message” means you’re not sticking to the agreed-upon marketing ploy.
posted by Jorge on
So the bee bee C and MSquitoNBC can’t or won’t understand the big 800-pound gorilla that is the Tea Party Movement.
Much like some small-minded people can’t or won’t understand how someone can be gay and moderate, or right of center.
Increasingly, it does not matter. Everyone else gets it.
posted by Bobby on
MSNBC is like PBS, completely irrelevant.
posted by Michael C. on
And the official Tea Party line is to keep asking everyone to ignore the 800 pound gorilla that is the gleeful and childish forms of racism, xenophobia, and homophobia of most of the people that are part of the Tea Party.
posted by Bobby on
“And the official Tea Party line is to keep asking everyone to ignore the 800 pound gorilla that is the gleeful and childish forms of racism, xenophobia, and homophobia of most of the people that are part of the Tea Party.”
—Have you ever been to a tea party? I guess not, if you had you’d know that there are ALL KINDS of people. Besides, if you’re looking for racism, xenophobia and homophobia, go to the NAACP convention and you’ll find plenty of that there.
posted by BobN on
go to the NAACP convention
No doubt there are many opponents of gay rights in the black community. In some ways, it’s not that different from the Tea Party organization, there are a lot of different people united behind a common goal (mind you, I’m not clear on what the TP goal is, other than to express heavily subsidized “discontent”, but that’s another story). The difference, of course, between the two organizations in regard TO US is that the national leadership of the NAACP is firmly behind us with official opposition to Prop 8 and national figures taking a stand and advocating for our right to marry.
When the chair of the national TP movement appears officially before the NJ Legislature to argue, quite eloquently, for our right to full marriage, then I’ll go making comments comparing the two organizations. Until then, your suggestion is not only wrong, it’s simpleminded, based more on stereotypes than facts.
http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2009/12/gay_marriage_naacp_chairman_ju.html
posted by Bobby on
“No doubt there are many opponents of gay rights in the black community. In some ways, it’s not that different from the Tea Party organization, there are a lot of different people united behind a common goal (mind you, I’m not clear on what the TP goal is, other than to express heavily subsidized “discontent”, but that’s another story).”
—Well, their common goal is government spending. There are all kinds of people, including liberals, who were against the bank bailouts, GM bailout, Obamacare, cap and trade, the “jobs” bill, etc. See a common thread? It’s all about money.
“When the chair of the national TP movement appears officially before the NJ Legislature to argue, quite eloquently, for our right to full marriage, then I’ll go making comments comparing the two organizations.”
—That is unacceptable, the Tea Party has to appeal to everybody, the NAACP doesn’t. The Tea Party can’t afford to offend the Christians within the movement, by the same token, the Tea Party makes an effort to avoid issues that offend secular people.
By the way, the Tea Party is a movement in itself, it doesn’t belong to any political party, in fact, some republican leaders like David Frumm hate us. We’ve got people saying we’re too libertarian while others say we’re too radical. We’re also anti-incumbent, many of us think that if you’ve served in congress for more than two terms you’ve probably served long enough.
posted by Jorge on
And the official Tea Party line is to keep asking everyone to ignore the 800 pound gorilla that is the gleeful and childish forms of racism, xenophobia, and homophobia of most of the people that are part of the Tea Party.
You are a liar, and on behalf of all the patriotic Americans of the Tea Party who doing their duty to be involved in the future of this country and are trying their honest best to make this a better country for themselves and this family, I demand you apologize immediately, put up your evidence so all can see the pettyness your trade, and ply your deceptive tongue on people who don’t know any better.
As you all know, time and time again, the opponents of the Tea Party have failed to demonstrate that the Tea Party is racist. And don’t take my word for it. Go to Media Matters and see the pathetic drivel that passes for “evidence” that the Tea Party is racist. Remember, Media Matters has an axe to grind and this is the best they can do. But we all can name a half dozen ways off the top of our heads that the NAACP is not just racist like your funny uncle Ned, but astoundingly racist, mean-spirited, hypocritical and separatist enough to make a cloak-and-dagger inam blush:
It invites Reverend Jeremiah Wright to one of its functions.
It offered zero public acknowledgement of policy attempts by the Bush administration to even the racial gap.
Zero public acknowledgement of policy attempts by the Bush administration to offer a legal status to illegal immigrants. Actually I *don’t* know their position on SB 1070.
It honors Louis Farrakhan. Need I say more?
They invited and honored an actor who just weeks (months?) before blasted out the word faggot everywhere.
Little to no condemnation of the Black Panthers, the New Black Panther Party, or their admirers and supporters.
Through myriad actions and inactions this nation has seen the true face of the NAACP: a democratic party lap dog that has chosen time and time again the expedient, the sound byte, the waffle, the quick and nasty, over a principled leadership that seriously addresses the issues facing our nation in general and the communities of color in particular.
The pleasure of seeing the NAACP twisting in agony from its own sins reflected back at them outweighs tenfold any resentment I might have seeing an alien movement taking control of the right.
posted by Jorge on
I mean the racial gap in education.