AmericaBlog, who I often admire, like other liberal blogs just can’t decide whether to ridicule, ignore, or be scared of teabaggers. So they hyperventilate instead.
This is an actual trailer for a new documentary about the Teabaggers. This isn’t a joke. It’s an actual serious documentary taking the Teabaggers seriously. The trailer is bizarre. These people are insane. And dangerous.
The trailer says teabaggers are, among other things, mobilizing against too much governmental control. Seems to me that AmericaBlog has more than once railed against that too. Maybe there’s common ground here (among the obvious many differences.)
If we want to take back control of the country from the banksters and end their death grip on DC, then we need a broad-based coalition based on common goals across all political lines. By definition, coalitions are groups joined on common interests who are agreeing to not let their differences get in the way of organizing towards their shared goals.
Yes, I do think such coalitions are possible. And needed.
When I was in Hartford to interview Dodd at a healthcare reform meeting with small business people, I was talking to one of the Tea Party representatives and he asked me to repeat what I said to him on video. There are some things that are common ground. Many of the problems we both see are very real. The huge difference? Their answers to the problems are the same old free market answers that killed the economy.
Unlike the screaming and name calling, we have had what I would term as productive email exchanges since then. But I doubt there will ever be common ground in the answers.
Well, there’s some agreement that the Fed needs to be audited, and most everyone thinks the banks have way too much power.
Ok. I do agree with those points. So… I’ll send this post and see our local Connecticut Tea Party reps reaction.
I’m sure they’ll be overjoyed a quasi-socialist radical wants to seek common ground with them. 🙂
Found the video with my short comment on them screaming “socialism and communism” all the time. (about 40 seconds in) I got an email from the tea party leader later saying that:
“You seem to be the clearest voice in the entire event.
The devil is in the details however.”
No doubt, there are devilish details to be considered, as the email goes on to make clear:
“When seniors discover that medicare morphs into a big heartless government entity, they will tip the balance against the plan as proposed.
No illegal aliens!!
I prefer to pay what I’m paying now than to allow criminals better coverage than hard working American citizens.
Call me zenophobic, but I’m a patriot first.”
That was the same day I took this short video that was replayed on MSNBC over and over again and covered in the print media: Dump Dodd: Suicide Advocates and Screeching about Socialism.
I agree 100%. I’ve even blogged in the past about the benefits of the left joining forces with the teabaggers. Put aside the actual political difference and reshape the movement into a “take back our country” back movement. Force out the corporate interests and lobbyists running our country by forcing out their enablers – the members of Congress who happily hold out their hands.
Glad to hear you agree. Yes, let’s figure out how to do it. (I’d assumed I’d get flamed for the post but so far most seem to agree.)
I think the teabaggers could be a potent force for reform if they weren’t constantly whipped into a frenzy by their cynical leadership (Glenn Beck, I’m looking at you).
This reminds me of an old adage: What’s the difference between a genius and a mentally insane person? One’s been diagnosed.
When you have polar extremes, it’s not uncommon for them to both dislike the same things. The problem as not usually been convincing people that bad things are bad. The problem has historically been getting people to agree on the method of change needed to prevent the bad things. Everyone agrees that someone’s house being on fire is bad. But the house will burn to the ground as people argue if they should use water, foam, or halon to put it out.
The enemy of my enemy is not always my friend. Just because a few people feel the government is corrupt doesn’t mean they think it’s corrupt for the same reason. One thinks it’s corrupt on “moral” grounds because its allowing abortion and gay marriage. One thinks it’s corrupt in fiscal terms because of corporate bankers and lobbyists. One thinks it’s corrupt in legalistic terms because the founding principles have been altered and twisted beyond the scope of it’s initially proposed function. They all think it’s corrupt, but are by no means going to find enough common ground to propose a solution that will make them all happy.
Teabaggers agree that there are problems with the government. But what they perceive to be the cause of those problems are very different than how most of the left see things. And as a result, their solutions are going to be very different. I don’t think anything good will result in trying to mix the two to reach a common goal, because there’s little in common beyond the vague sense that somethings wrong with the status quo.
Well, I’m not suggesting we’ll be singing “Cumbaya” with teabaggers anytime soon. But they aren’t the real problem. Financial interests stranglehold on DC is. So how do we organize to change it?