The Tea Party: Populism of the privileged - "race definitely part of what's going on" (E.J. Dionne)

The Tea Party: Populism of the privileged

By E.J. Dionne Jr.
Monday, April 19, 2010; A15

The Tea Party is nothing new. It represents a relatively small minority of Americans on the right end of politics, and it will not determine the outcome of the 2010 elections.

In fact, both major parties stand to lose if they accept the laughable notion that this media-created protest movement is the voice of true populism. Democrats will spend their time chasing votes they will never win. Republicans will turn their party into an angry and narrow redoubt with no hope of building a durable majority.

The news media's incessant focus on the Tea Party is creating a badly distorted picture of what most Americans think and is warping our policy debates. The New York Times and CBS News thus performed a public service last week with a careful study of just who is in the Tea Party movement.

Their findings suggest that the Tea Party is essentially the reappearance of an old anti-government far right that has always been with us and accounts for about one-fifth of the country. The Times reported that Tea Party supporters "tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45." They are also more affluent and better educated than Americans as a whole. This is the populism of the privileged.

And the poll suggested something that white Americans are reluctant to discuss: Part of the anger at President Obama among Tea Partiers does appear to be driven by racial concerns.

Saying this invites immediate denunciations from defenders of those who bring guns to rallies, threaten violence to "take our country back," and mouth old slogans about states' rights and the Confederacy. So let's be clear: Opposition to the president is driven by many factors that have nothing to do with race. But race is definitely part of what's going on.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/18/AR2010041802724_pf.html

"The Times reported that Tea Party supporters "tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45." They are also more affluent and better educated than Americans as a whole. This is the populism of the privileged."

Maybe the guys that are promoting it but not the ones at the actual rallies. We've seen what they're like.

I think that it was Dylan Ratigan's show, a pollster showed a split in the Tea Party movement. I wish that I had paid more attention.

Anyway, about half of them are Ron Paul types, according to the pollster. You know, libertarians. Generally those folks aren't very interested in race, although almost all of them are white. They're interested in lower taxes and less government and they don't care about much else.

The other half are Palinite social conservatives. Dionne must be talking about them, but I wish that he'd address the Paulites, not just the Palinites.

no point in being a republican party activist when the teabaggers' faux "grassroots movement" has a chokehold on the media spotlight...

and still more are racists, and have found the perfect little mainstream "shield" to work under...

I'm in the minority here.

I don't automatically accuse Republicans of racism because I know too many of them who clearly aren't. They don't like Obama, but their beef isn't about race. Not that I think that you'd believe it.

Racism is a big word. I'm careful about using it.

demonization of others is a tool to rationalize fear

as i live in a red state. More them half of them are obvious bigots. Maybe im rushing to judgment or maybe im just quick to see.

It would be the Party of "White Privilege" and "Entitlement".

The "privileged" ones (if he meant that class-wise) are only holding the puppet strings and paying the money. The rest of the tea baggers are fighting change so that their "white privilege" and "entitlement" can stay the same. The Teabag foot soldiers are being funded to keep the social/racial caste in this country intact so that the "privileged" ones don't have to do the leg work except to sip mint juleps on the porch during Confederate History Month.

Other than that, yes it is about race. It's as plain as day. And felt across the country and the world like being hit with a sledge hammer. Although Mr. Dionne is right about the movement being small, it says so much more about how "racial equality" is being defined in this country by the dominant culture. The commentary also gives a picture of who is fighting to deny "equality" to people of color simply because of the notion of preserving superiority.

The notion of equality is much more complex than what it is being touted to be by one race of people.

in the paper this morning. It is a nice overview of what the teabaggers are about.

Thank you E.J.