Tea Partiers showing their colors.

Started by Vekseid, March 20, 2010, 06:01:17 PM

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Vekseid

The silence on the 'right', in general, regarding actions like this speaks volumes.

Quote from: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/tea-partiers-call-lewis-nr-frank-ft-at-capitol-hill-protest.php
...

Civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and fellow Congressional Black Caucus member Andre Carson (D-IN) related a particularly jarring encounter with a large crowd of protesters screaming "kill the bill"... and punctuating their chants with the word "nigger."

Standing next to Lewis, emerging from a Democratic caucus meeting with President Obama, Carson said people in the crowd yelled, "kill the bill and then the N-word" several times, while he and Lewis were exiting the Canon House office building.

"People have been just downright mean," Lewis added.

And that wasn't an isolated incident. Early this afternoon, standing outside a Democratic whip meeting in the Longworth House office building, I watched Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) make his way out the door, en route to the neighboring Rayburn building. As he rounded the corner toward the exit, wading through a huge crowd of tea partiers and other health care protesters, an elderly white man screamed "Barney, you faggot"--a line that caused dozens of his confederates to erupt in laughter.

...


Jude

I am deeply saddened by this.  I was giving them the benefit of the doubt and just thought they were right-wing loonies.  Seems like a lot of them actually are the bigots people were claiming they were.  Even though I didn't care for their political ideology or tactics, I still feel very sad about this.

Horrifying.

The Dark Raven

I have always put myself in the right wing, and agree with most of the "getting back to basics" the tea party have been pushing but behavior like this is just wrong.

I may be a libertarian and a patriot, but that kind if behavior is not right, and does not go far with me at all.  Here's to hoping the crap mud slinging stops in Washington.  Nothing but harm gets done that way.

Check my A/A | O/O | Patience is begged. Momma to Rainbow Babies and teetering toward the goal of published author. Tentatively taking new stories.

Trieste

The fact that they are still using synonyms for minorities as insults is telling, and also disgusting.

I'm saddened, but I'm not really surprised. What else could the party that Republicans consider right-wing wackos be but backward, educated-but-unenlightened reactionaries?

Kane Gunlock

I honestly don't care about them at all I'm just pissed they are taking my flag (the "don't tread on me"one) the bastards will burn in hell for this >:(


Sabby

I'm Australian, and don't hear a whole lot for politics... anyone wanna dumb this down for me? About the only two keywords I pick up on is 'health care' and 'Sarah Palin', both of which mean bery little to me.

Doomsday

Quote from: Sabby on March 21, 2010, 03:14:18 AM
I'm Australian, and don't hear a whole lot for politics... anyone wanna dumb this down for me? About the only two keywords I pick up on is 'health care' and 'Sarah Palin', both of which mean bery little to me.

I didn't see Sarah Palin mentioned in OP or my video :P

Basically, there's a group of protesters called the "Tea Party" (a very terrible tribute to the 18th century Colonial protesters in Boston) that were protesting the new health care bill on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Instead of yelling "This bill sucks!" "Health care is not a right!" etc. they instead chose to yell "Nigger" and "faggot", proving that it's not really about health care at all, it's about being the loudest and most obnoxious.

In the video I linked to, a man with a sign that said something along the lines of "I have Parkinson's" was mulling next to some of the Tea Party protesters, who began to scream at him like children, saying "You're a communist!" "I'll decide when you get money!" "No more handouts!" etc.

September

This is disgusting...if it actually happened.  But you guys should watch some video of the confrontation before you make your mind up that all (or even these) Tea Partiers are racists.

Congressional Black Caucus 3 20 2010

Tea Party protesters mob Reps Lewis, Carson, Cummings

I honestly don't believe this crowd spontaneously erupted into racial abuse the moment these cameras stopped rolling.
Some of my ons.

Vekseid

While they're obviously not erupting into it, there are at least two people chanting it in the second video, and it's only covering one of three incidents and only 71 seconds of one at that.

Quote from: Trieste on March 20, 2010, 07:17:08 PM
The fact that they are still using synonyms for minorities as insults is telling, and also disgusting.

I'm saddened, but I'm not really surprised. What else could the party that Republicans consider right-wing wackos be but backward, educated-but-unenlightened reactionaries?

I'm not sure if educated is the word.

Trieste

I was referring to the fact that the demographics I've read on the tea party describes them as mostly white men, college graduates and middle class.

Oh yes. They are so downtrodden.

Vekseid

Oh look

Quote
...
A staffer in Rep. Anthony Weiner’s office reported a stream of hostile encounters with tea partiers roaming the halls of Congress. The less harmful stuff was mockery. But they left a couple of notes behind. One asked what Rahm Emanuel did with Weiner in the shower, in a reference to mess around ex-Rep Eric Massa. It was signed with a swastika, the staffer said. The other note called the congressman “Schlomo Weiner,” among other hate-filled words.
...

Quote from: Trieste on March 21, 2010, 08:57:32 AM
I was referring to the fact that the demographics I've read on the tea party describes them as mostly white men, college graduates and middle class.

Oh yes. They are so downtrodden.

Normalize for race, first. They're higher than the national average, but not higher than the national average for white males.

September

Quote from: Vekseid on March 21, 2010, 07:42:46 AM
While they're obviously not erupting into it, there are at least two people chanting it in the second video, and it's only covering one of three incidents and only 71 seconds of one at that.

I can't hear anybody chanting the word in either video, when does it happen?  Anyway, you must admit the actuality is nowhere near as bad as the article made it out to be.  When I first read it, I had images of a large crowd of people chanting: "Kill The Bill! Nigger! Kill the bill! Nigger!"  And I thought, that's horrifying!  Only then I remembered, politicians and journalists lie all the time don't they, and surprise surprise, ten seconds of Googling shows me the horrifying picture the journo painted never actually happened.

But I guess TWO IDIOTS SHOUT HARD TO HEAR INSULTS AT TAX PROTEST is not so good a headline as PROOF AT LAST!  TEA PARTY ARE STUPID RACISTS.

Also, the article you linked to that mocked the tea partiers for guesstimating their tax burden at 20-25% missed the chance to have a sneer at these idiots from the Congressional Budget Office, who calculated the 2006 effective federal tax rates to average at...well...20.7%.  http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/how-much-americans-actually-pay-in-taxes/
Some of my ons.

Trieste

I personally found both videos to be loud, confusing, and too garbled to really make out anything. I found myself wondering, "Was that 'kill the bill now'? Or 'kill the bill, nigger'?" The video posted by Doomsday is easily staged as well, and its credibility is also nil.

So I'm ignoring the videos.

However, Barney Frank is my district's representative and I know him a bit better than I know other politicians. He comes and regularly speaks at my school, and he works very hard on local issues. He is not perfect by any stretch, but I don't believe he'd make up a "faggot" remark. My personal experience with so-called Tea Party members both up here (in MA where the are rare) and down south (Florida and Georgia) has been negative. Every individual I have met has been more interested in shouting down everyone around them with their own asinine points of view as opposed to discourse and compromise. Given that they are grassroots, they are a movement made of their individuals.

I have no interest in seeing them gain power. None.

Vekseid

#14
Quote from: September on March 21, 2010, 12:44:59 PM
I can't hear anybody chanting the word in either video, when does it happen?  Anyway, you must admit the actuality is nowhere near as bad as the article made it out to be.  When I first read it, I had images of a large crowd of people chanting: "Kill The Bill! Nigger! Kill the bill! Nigger!"  And I thought, that's horrifying!  Only then I remembered, politicians and journalists lie all the time don't they, and surprise surprise, ten seconds of Googling shows me the horrifying picture the journo painted never actually happened.

There's a short chant starting around the 10-second mark, people are clearly interposing a two-syllable word that ends in -er. Actually listening to it again there's quite a few more people than two doing it, though no, it's not the entire crowd. It lasts for about six seconds. No, it doesn't sound nearly as bad as the initial reports made it out to be, but then again it's also a very agitated crowd.

To me it has less to do with individual antics (or even the tea party crowd specifically), but rather the fact that the leaders on the right - Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh ("Barack the Magic Negro") and kin are actively courting the racist demographic, and stuff like this shows up. They don't even bother to act surprised.

Quote
But I guess TWO IDIOTS SHOUT HARD TO HEAR INSULTS AT TAX PROTEST is not so good a headline as PROOF AT LAST!  TEA PARTY ARE STUPID RACISTS.

Because a pair of directional mics are going to pick up everything shouted away from them amidst all the clamor.

Quote
Also, the article you linked to that mocked the tea partiers for guesstimating their tax burden at 20-25%

No it does not.
Quote
The average response was 42% of GDP and the median 40%.

RubySlippers

I just have one statement on this topic.

Aren't most of these people mostly Christians so where is that duty that Christ placed on his followers to do good to those in need and to love others and God loves them. These racist attitudes and the dislike of the poor is very offensive to me as a Christian and makes me sad.

Doomsday

That's sort of a strawman. I don't think there's any number that says what % of tea partiers are Christians.

Now what's REALLY interesting? That Jesus guy was a HUUUUUUGE communist.

RubySlippers

Quote from: Doomsday on March 21, 2010, 04:17:27 PM
That's sort of a strawman. I don't think there's any number that says what % of tea partiers are Christians.

Now what's REALLY interesting? That Jesus guy was a HUUUUUUGE communist.

Mostly, I'm not saying all I assume using normal percentages of the population that the majority are Christian and others other faiths or none. And Jesus as not a Communist with the "C" but was socialist definately not a capitalist.

Doomsday

I just found out my cousin is a part of the tea party... *facepalm*

September

Quote from: Vekseid on March 21, 2010, 02:03:30 PM
To me it has less to do with individual antics (or even the tea party crowd specifically), but rather the fact that the leaders on the right - Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh ("Barack the Magic Negro") and kin are actively courting the racist demographic, and stuff like this shows up. They don't even bother to act surprised.

You admitted yourself that the report made it sound much worse than it was.  It seems like this was just a few jackasses at a demonstration.  What action would you like the right wing leaders to take?

Quote from: Vekseid on March 21, 2010, 02:03:30 PM
No it does not.

It does.  The 40% figure is in response to being asked "how much the federal government gets in taxes as a percentage of the gross domestic product".  What does this prove?  I'm going to be completely honest here and say it doesn't surprise me that your average tea partier cannot accurately nail this figure.  (I would be amazed if your average US Elliquian could.)  When asked how much the average family pays in taxes, the Tea Partiers you're sneering at said "between 20% and 25% of income" which is spot on according to the CBO.

The journalists you're linking to here are just misleading their readers, plain and simple.  The first one paints a picture of a large crowd of protestors chanting the word "nigger", and it's clearly bullshit.  The second one paints a picture of a bunch of dummies who don't know how much tax they're paying, and that's also bullshit.  I get that you don't like the right wing, but the writers of these pieces shouldn't need to stoke your disdain for them with all this bullshit.
Some of my ons.

OldSchoolGamer

I think fixating on exactly how many people used the "N" word is missing the point.  The real point to this is that this is tending to confirm my worst fears about the American polity: rather than rolling up our sleeves and getting to work solving the problems that we face, we're going to splinter into different factions, resort to base namecalling and fear-mongering.  Basically, we will behave like frightened, spoiled children.

People like the nation we appear to be turning into are ripe for exploitation by a corn-pone Hitler, Mussolini, or Mao who promise us easy answers and a return to prosperity if only "they" (liberals, free-thinkers, blacks, the rich, Jews, illegal immigrants, "socialists," fill in the blank) are dealt with.

If you are an American thinking of "getting off the grid" in whole or in part, I would recommend you begin preparations sooner rather than later.  As in, right now.  Because my gut tells me things are about to get ugly.  Perhaps, very ugly...

Trieste

Beg pardon, but do you mean ugly like the big war we had with England when we didn't like their policies?

Or do you mean ugly like when we shipped mass amounts of the native population - those we didn't kill, anyway - off to reservations?

Or maybe you mean ugly like when we had a bloody war between two halves of the country where families were divided and everyone lost family over states' rights?

How about ugly like the protests outside of desegregated schools?

'Cause I'm not clear on which ugly you're referring to, here, and would like you to clarify. It's not like our country hasn't seen difficulties and tension before, and it's not like the people who created the same racial tension of the last generation aren't still alive...

Jude

#22
Quote from: September on March 21, 2010, 06:51:28 PMYou admitted yourself that the report made it sound much worse than it was.  It seems like this was just a few jackasses at a demonstration.  What action would you like the right wing leaders to take?
Well, the Republican Party and conservatives who want to be taken seriously could start by distancing themselves from crazies in general.  All they really need to do is tell the general populace that the birthers are insane, they don't want the votes or support of bigots, and that polemics like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are to politics like cancer is to the human body.  But they refuse to do a lot of those things.  So many Republican officials and hopefuls have backed away from comments again Limbaugh, going even so far as to kiss his ass on his show.  Limbaugh:  the guy who thinks Barack the Magic Negro is apparently okay.  Glenn Beck has outright called Obama a racist.  As long as the Tea Party (and quite a few mainstream Republicans) embrace far-right icons who skirt the line of racism, why shouldn't they be conflated with racism?  You're judged by the company you keep, if someone marching with me started yelling "nigger," I'd certainly stop what I was doing and make my voice of opposition to their behavior heard.
Quote from: September on March 21, 2010, 06:51:28 PMIt does.  The 40% figure is in response to being asked "how much the federal government gets in taxes as a percentage of the gross domestic product".  What does this prove?  I'm going to be completely honest here and say it doesn't surprise me that your average tea partier cannot accurately nail this figure.  (I would be amazed if your average US Elliquian could.)  When asked how much the average family pays in taxes, the Tea Partiers you're sneering at said "between 20% and 25% of income" which is spot on according to the CBO.

The journalists you're linking to here are just misleading their readers, plain and simple.  The first one paints a picture of a large crowd of protestors chanting the word "nigger", and it's clearly bullshit.  The second one paints a picture of a bunch of dummies who don't know how much tax they're paying, and that's also bullshit.  I get that you don't like the right wing, but the writers of these pieces shouldn't need to stoke your disdain for them with all this bullshit.
A party that formulated on tax issues should probably be largely aware of what those tax statistics are, yet numerous polls have shown that the Tea Party people don't know nearly as much about taxes as they think they should.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/18/tea-party-ignorant-taxes-opinions-columnists-bruce-bartlett.html

Please don't tell me you think Forbes, a business magazine, is biased in favor of taxes.  Also there's no need for calling someone else's opinion bullshit, that's kind of rude.

DrFier

While my family already spends over 70% of their income on taxes,  I personally don't think that Healthcare reform is a bad idea. General reform would seem to let people keep more of their money, and have them spend it on other things, which may actually lower that percentage in the long run.

However, a 2700 page bill that noone has read and that was made in 6 months probably wont help anyone.
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Jecht

I think it's stupid to group all of them as saying that stuff. Not all of them say that stuff and most just wanted that stupid bill to not pass, but alas, it did because some congressmen can't hold their ground. I've been to a protest before and I can say not all Tea Party folks are like that.

And I take offense to saying anything about Glenn Beck and especially Rush Limbaugh, considering Rush is my political idol. He's one the most intelligent men around and he gets the worst rep from people that are dumber than a bag of hammers.
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