Teabagged!
So, just hours after I make my Teabagger in Turmoil prediction, it seems the cup is off the saucer. Just as I had hoped, the rank and filers are beginning to feel that itchy corporate feeling on their noses, and they ain’t liking it.
A Tea Party convention billed as the coming together of the grass-roots groups that began sprouting up around the country a year ago is unraveling as sponsors and participants pull out to protest its expense and express concerns about “profiteering.”
The convention’s difficulties highlight the fractiousness of the Tea Party groups, and the considerable suspicions among their members of anything that suggests the establishment.
Well, when you’re led by Dick Armey, a former Republican House Majority Leader and corporate hack that led the charge to undo Glass-Stegall, which was the biggest gift to bankers of all time and helped lead to the gigantic robbery and recession that we now face, you damn better believe that this is really just a corporate, establishment ploy all dressed up in astroturf.
And when you’re supposed to be a group for the un-represented, struggling masses who are just so tired of tone deaf leaders in Washington, this probably comes off as a bit of an insult:
The convention, to be held in Nashville in early February, made a splash by attracting big-name politicians. (Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech.) But some groups have criticized the cost — $549 per ticket and a $9.95 fee, plus hotel and airfare — as out of reach for the average tea partier. And they have balked at Ms. Palin’s speaking fee, which news reports have put at $100,000, a figure that organizers will not confirm or deny.
Yes, an overall cost of about a thousand dollars to attend a convention that bills itself as the economically downtrodden common man’s haven is probably not very feasible for its members, aside from, you know, the hidden lobbyists that really run the show.
Philip Glass, the national director of the National Precinct Alliance, announced late Sunday that “amid growing controversy” around the convention, his organization would no longer participate. His group seeks to take over the Republican Party from the bottom by filling the ranks of local and state parties with grass-roots conservatives, and Mr. Glass had been scheduled to lead workshops on its strategy.
“We are very concerned about the appearance of T.P.N. profiteering and exploitation of the grass-roots movement,” he said in a statement. “We were under the impression that T.P.N. was a nonprofit organization like N.P.A., interested only in uniting and educating Tea Party activists on how to make a real difference in the political arena.”
Mr. Glass said he was also concerned about the role in the convention of groups like Tea Party Express, which has held rallies across the country through two bus tours, and FreedomWorks, a Tea Party umbrella. He called them “Republican National Committee-related groups,” and added, “At best, it creates the appearance of an R.N.C. hijacking; at worst, it is one.”
Well, FreedomWorks is an RNC-backed group — it’s the one run by that former Republican House Majority Leader, Dick Armey.
So what does this mean?
One, a lot fewer opportunities for mass teabagging jokes, which is a shame. But more importantly, perhaps it is the beginning of the unraveling of a movement, just as it seemed to be gaining traction. Hmm, should sound familiar to some Democrats.
But what can we do to take advantage? There are two real options here. One, Democrats can continue on their own pro-corporate path and let Washington languish in hatred for both parties, as populists from both sides suffer the consequences. To be honest, that’s the most likely situation.
Or, starting with President Obama’s State of The Union speech tonight, they can take a decidedly pro-populist tone that brings the angry and disaffected aboard to create a real ruling majority and a new mandate for change.
How can they do that? A few ideas include finishing healthcare with reconciliation that makes it a good bill that people can support, push back harder and harder against the universally hated banks, fight back against the Supreme Court ruling that legalized corporate hijacking of our elections, and work every single goddamn day to bring as many jobs as possible to the desperate people of this nation.
If they do that, November can be a positive time for Democrats, not the lashing they expect. We’re 10 months away from elections, and already Democrats are bracing for big losses. To me, that says they know they’re doing a shit job and people hate them for it, but instead of changing course and making the big changes people demand, they’d rather serve their corporate daddies and suffer the consequences. I’m pretty sure that’s the way it seems nationwide, too.
So those are the two choices. This tea party unraveling gives the Democrats another shot at delivering on their campaign promises and, if only the self-interest appeals to the swamp creatures, hold onto their power. Which will it be?
Yesterday, one or two people at Daily Kos took issue with my essay, saying I seemed a little bit sympathetic to teabaggers. I loathe all that the movement stands for, but I can say that I understand where the teabagger’s anger is coming from. Like us, they feel ignored by their government.
They want it to stop serving special interests, and start serving their interests. Do I think they have the wrong solutions? Yes, 99% of the time. But I think we can find common cause in ending the corporate choke hold on our Democracy, and real progressive ideas always poll well. If we could deliver real healthcare and jobs and hope for the so many people without both right now, I’m pretty sure party allegiances will shift.
In the end, people just want what’s good for their families, what helps them dream bigger and feed kids and send them to college. The little D or R doesn’t matter much, and we need to realize we can create a lasting movement in this country if we fight for progressive principles. I’m not for Obama bi-partisanship, giving up the house for so-called comity that will never actually happen. I believe in reconciliation and fighting and fighting — there’s a difference between Republicans in Washington and the rest of the nation. The ones everywhere else don’t get corporate donations, and if we fight for them, they will fight for us.
So, how do we do this? How do we communicate and work together to deliver the message to our leaders?
