The New Fringe

The groups going under the name “Tea Parties” have been sprouting up all over America since the election of Obama. While some write these people off as simply out of work lunatics or the extreme fringe of the right wing—groups that should not be feared in the least, they utterly terrify me.
These groups began founded on a false notion that the United States has strayed from its principles, the notion that the founding fathers wanted to have small government, that the men that took part in the Boston Tea Party were some how patriotic. So, I would first like to deal with the notion that they are acting after the founding fathers.
When the Colonists threw the tea into Boston Harbor, they were acting as spoiled children, who while throwing off the shackles of colonialism, were also not acting out of anything other than self interest. In 1773 when the British Parliament passed the Tea Act, it was the only tax that was being levied upon the Colonists of the United States. Otherwise, they enjoyed what would be considered a great deal of government subsidizing by the British government, which came from British taxes and goods. Basically, the Colonists were rebelling because they were upset about having ONE tax levied against them, something that seems relatively simple considering how much money the British were pouring into the development of the colonies. In many ways, I suppose, they are like the original Colonists that took part in the tea party. They are a group of angry, spoiled people, who in a lot of ways enjoy government programs and yet complain about the size of government. The Medicare that you want us to “keep our government hands off” is- well, a government-run healthcare program, that unemployment benefit that you are receiving? That’s another government run program. Yet, this group rebels against that same government that provides them with necessities during this time of economic turmoil.
Next, I’d like to deal with the notion that the founding fathers were perfect. The founding fathers were bright men who were able to set up a good system of governance. They are worshipped in this country as perfect men, as if they were touched by the hand of God and put on this earth in order to do give the United States some kind of divine mandate. They were not. They were men; just as fallible as you or I. Blind faith in anything is bad, following something without questioning its content is stupid and the best way to get someone in trouble.
The Constitution of this country was made to have the ability to be amended for a reason. When the founding fathers wrote the constitution they counted African Americans as 3/5 of a person. Women could not vote. The people that were entitled to dictate how the country proceeded forward were a group of rich, land-owning, white men who trusted the country to move forward in the right direction, as long as they were the only ones who had say in the matter. However, they UNDERSTOOD the notion that they were fallible, which would explain the necessity for amendments to the constitution. They knew that they would not be able to foresee the future and predict the Civil War, the industrial revolution, women’s suffrage, etc. so they made the constitution malleable. Thomas Jefferson even advocated rewriting the entire constitution every twenty years or so, so as to stay current with the times.
In the 1930’s during the time of the Great Depression, there were similar populist outcries about what had occurred. However, this period was greatly influenced by what had been a large wave of socialism that had been spreading all over the globe. This can be seen in the leftist movements that swept Northern Europe during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, culminating in the Russian Revolution. These people that had been put out of work advocated large government intervention and a move toward a more egalitarian society. This helped to lead to the New Deal, the period of Roosevelt, etc.
What has been born now in this time of economic unrest is some kind of bizarre populism- one that could be the dying gasp of Reaganism- or it could be the birth of some other kind of monster.
Tea Parties are largely white, male, older, and unemployed. A large number of them are old enough to be receiving social security checks and Medicare, ironically, given their opposition to big government. One need only to look at this article recently published in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/us/politics/28teaparty.html) to see the hypocrisy of their crusade. In one glance, it appears that these groups are older white men who have nothing better to do with their time. It also appears to be misguided anger; the same anger that helped to bring about the Reagan Revolution and the Contract with America seems to have taken root in these people. This same, relatively impoverished populous, who have somehow been convinced that their interests lie with the richest 1% of this country, in the hopes that lower taxes and less government will somehow alleviate the economic hardship that they live with daily. It is hard for me to comprehend the anger that these people feel toward a President who wishes to re-regulate the financial industry (helping to avoid further problems), give them all healthcare, and slowly erode the class divide. This is all in their interest- why would they be so adamantly against it- calling the President a terrorist, amongst other things?
The truth of the matter, I fear, is that Tea Parties are not this organic group that people seem to believe they are. Rather, I believe them to be an instance of astro-turfing, in-organic movements, sponsored by hate groups or by the extreme right political groups and media outlets (Fox News). It is logical to be angry about the destruction of the middle class, the erosion of our financial system, and the great separation between rich and poor. There is certainly reason to be angry about all these things. But I fear that the violent and racial undertones of the movement are going to soon reach a fever pitch- the armed members of the protest, the right wing militia groups that have been associated with the Tea Parties, the racial slurs that have been thrown during the parties, even the violent language that Sarah Palin uses to support the Tea Party rallies. The findings on how many fringe groups exist is enough to make someone’s head spin: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/15/extremism.report/index.html , or one can look at the Hutaree Militia to see what kind of groups right-wing extremists breed.
Rebel groups- fringe groups- largely tend to peter out. Yet, we can look through history at examples of fringe groups that have been successful and see the danger that can come from taking them lightly. The first one that comes to mind came from a boat called the Granma in 1956. It landed in Cuba, a country that had a dictator, Fulgencio Batista, who was in firm control of the country and was also backed by the American government. Eighty-two, count them, eighty-two men and women landed in Cuba with the intent of overthrowing the government. They were intending to take on an organized fighting force, among other things. On January 1st, 1959 the remnants of that fighting force marched into Havana Cuba to install a new government. From their beginnings they were nothing more than a fringe group, a bunch of radicals with an idea. But radicals can be very persuasive, persistent, and extremely difficult to defeat.
I can already hear the clamoring from the Fox News talking points. Yes, the July 26th Movement was a left wing movement. Well, it has nothing to do with political ideology. It has to do with fervent belief in an ideal, especially when it is a radical notion. Am I saying that the latest upshot in right-wing extremist militia groups means that they could overthrow the government? Well, I hope not. But given the growing Tea Party movements, not unlike the way in which Castro & Che Guevara were able to drum up support in the highlands of Cuba, I fear that something similar to that could spread like wild fire.
The Tea Parties are such an odd hodge-podge of ideologies that is hard to deconstruct them head-on. But I fear that they will cause a gigantic rift in our society, and only hope that something can be done to quell their anger in the near future. I fear that these people that are involved in the Tea Parties are a stupid people, a silly people, and not only that- they are a smug people. One need only to listen to one interview with one of the movement’s co-founders, Nicole Loesch, to see how sure she is in her views and how wrong others are, or look at enormous Rush Limbaugh to see how sure these people are in what they believe and how wrong everyone else is. As these Tea Party movements become increasingly violent, increasingly supported by entities like Fox News and other right wing talk-boxes, I worry about what will come of this country.