It all started in 2009 with CNBC commentator Rick Santelli.
The guy went nuts on air over a plan set by President Barack Obama’s administration to deal with the foreclosure crisis. Santelli struck a chord that night in America ,as people wondered where the money would come from to fund multibillion-dollar proposals.
And that’s really all it took for one of the biggest movements in the country to be born.
From then on, you couldn’t watch or read the news without hearing about the infamous Tea Party.
Glenn Beck and the rest of Fox News must have felt like they struck gold. They now had material perfect for their needs to instill fear in people.
Small government has always been a staple of American philosophy, and that can sometimes be a bit of a contradiction with the country’s love of Medicare and mortgage deductions.
So, once a Democrat came to office, it was easy for people to channel the spirit of the Boston Tea Party.
It started off simple enough. People who weren’t content with their government and were afraid of too much spending in Washington came out to express their discontent.
They rallied, protested, made signs and dressed as our founding fathers. It almost reminded us of those people who spend their weekends re-enacting the Civil War.
From there, though, the grass-roots campaign got bigger and bigger and, quite frankly, became more fragmented and disconnected.
The Tea Party now covers lots of ground, has too many contradictions and has become incredibly disorganized. Honestly, just look at the number of websites claiming to be the “official Tea Party website.”
Yet, at the same time, right before our eyes, they have become a force to be reckoned with.
On the other hand, it’s hard to take these people seriously. Some of the signs and protests seen on TV are mostly hateful messages toward Obama.
Images of him portrayed as the Joker from The Dark Knight or signs claiming things like
“Obama is a Socialist who wants a one-world government” weren’t really anything new.
We’ve seen these bizarre, fanatical conspiracy theorists emerge before. If anything, they only made Jon Stewart and The Daily Show twice as entertaining.
But in spite of that, the Tea Party is proving it can be a potent force in our government.
Members are no longer scary hate-mongerers fueled by fear and racism.
The typical Tea Party member is now male, old, wealthy, Republican and generally more educated than most.
Now we’re kind of worried.
Tea Party meetings are being held everywhere and are getting the support of many politicians. Too many if you ask us.
Even the Republican Party has something to worry about.
Just ask John McCain.
The Arizona senator could easily lose his seat Aug. 24, because his opponent, J.D. Hayworth, has enough backing from the Tea Party. The party is supporting Hayworth because of McCain’s pro-Amnesty position.
The Tea Party does not like illegal immigrants in their tea, thank you very much.
Basically, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the crazies and the people who simply believe problems are best solved through individual efforts and not government programs.
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