That Monolithic Tea Party Just Wasn’t There

That Monolithic Tea Party Just Wasn’t There

By Kate Zernike
Published August 1, 2011

Few Republicans or Democrats would disagree that the Tea Party and its designs loomed over the debate on the debt limit. But the power of the Tea Party as a singular force may be more phantom than reality.

While Tea Party groups and members of the Tea Party caucus in the House loudly insisted that they would not support any increase in the debt limit, many rank-and-file Tea Party voters did support it. In interviews and in recent polls, many voters said they backed the Tea Party in the midterm elections because they wanted a change from the status quo, or because they felt that the government spent too much money, but not because they considered reducing the federal debt the nation’s biggest concern.

They did not want to risk damaging an already-fragile economy with a potential government default. The majority of Tea Party supporters, in fact, wanted an agreement.

“I wanted it over, one way or the other, because of the impact it would have had on the stock market,” said Dan Prosser, 60, a consultant and a Tea Party supporter in Texas. “I thought they were playing with my future.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/02/us/politics/02teaparty.html?ref=politics

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I essentially believe we've all been had. Our political betters give us whatever bogeyman will work in order to do what they want to do. The American people wanted the rich taxed more and didn't want SS and Medicare touched. But, if you pay too much attention to what they do and demand more they give you a boogeyman to distract you...it's all slight of hand. They'll use whatever works...Black people, illegal immigrants, gay people, Christians, Muslims, atheists, rich people, obese people, poor people, sick people, teachers...whatever will work.

I believe both parties have sold us out and now a handful of senators and reps may have our best interests at heart. When we tire of the Tea party boogeyman, and start holding representatives responsible for helping people, they'll find another suitable distraction for us for us to hate. And, while we hate each other they'll continue to pass bad bills because the forced their hand.

But, it never fails...years later we'll discover Sen. So and so made millions off some sweet deal. Or, this Reps cousin received a no bid contact. And, all it took was the right boogeyman at the time to distract us from the truth.

40 years ago, the mass media was screaming about (tiny little ) N Vietnam attacking US warships in Gulf/Tonkin- an incident immediately exposed as fake, but the Johnson admin. was forced to begin murdering almost 4 million people, for absolutely no reason, except bully boy shreiking by the t party of the time. The amer. people should be ashamed of themselves, but aren't because pigmedia covers up and tells us we're nice little angels