Word: teas
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...easy to dismiss the movement. The Obama-as-Hitler metaphors don’t elicit respect. Signs heralding “Beck-Palin ’12” are enough to make one forswear even drinking tea. Nevertheless, it is not just these tactics that those in the mainstream decry. It is the supposed ignorance of the Tea Partiers. They don’t understand the legislation, some say. They don’t realize what’s good for them, others argue. They are misinformed, they are the product of Fox News, they have a terrible misreading...
Despite the progress the group has made, it remains mostly a punch line and the source of Rachel Maddow’s ire or Glenn Beck’s giddiness. Sure, in recent weeks, politicians have been warned by political observers to ignore the Tea Party at their own risk. But save for a handful of conservative congressmen and a certain former governor who received $100,000 to headline their convention, most still do. And even with the signs that a new political party may be brewing, too many do not understand why their condescension is unwarranted...
That’s the problem. Though many certainly did not and do not understand all the provisions of the Democrats’ healthcare prescription, it was not merely misinformation or the perceived specter of socialism-in-sheep’s-clothing that made the Tea Party boil. That’s too simple. “But what is it then?” the reformers will ask. Surely even those who did not vote for the President can appreciate the merits of the program, and surely the uninsured among Tea Partiers can see what we are doing...
This is not a defense of the Tea Party or of its tactics, but it is a word of caution to those who would ignore it or judge it quickly and harshly. The selected soundbites and posters may be outrageous, but the emotion and spirit and principle behind them are not. For at its core, it’s about a streak of proud conservatism—or perhaps a certain variation of populism—that still runs deep in this country. (Don’t forget that a December Wall Street Journal/NBC poll showed that more Americans identified...
...much. But even in exaggeration one can find a nugget of truth. This movement—for better or worse—sprung up for a reason. And it carries a much deeper message than we might like to admit. Ponder that over your next cup of tea...