If imitation is the highest form of flattery, the "tea party" movement must be honored.As blogger and Law Professor Ann Althouse points out, there is no mention of the "Coffee Party".
In an effort to replicate the tea party's success, 170 liberal and civil rights groups are forming a coalition that they hope will match the movement's political energy and influence. They promise to "counter the tea party narrative" and help the progressive movement find its voice again after 18 months of floundering.
The large-scale attempt at liberal unity, dubbed "One Nation," will try to revive themes that energized the progressive grassroots two years ago. In a repurposing of Barack Obama's old campaign slogan, organizers are demanding "all the change" they voted for -- a poke at the White House.
The best paragraph in the story is this one:
The effort has a historical parallel in a story that Obama has told on the campaign trail. According to the story, when labor organizer and civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph met with President Franklin Roosevelt to press his issues, Roosevelt told Randolph he agreed with him but that Randolph should "go out and make me do it."On the other hand, the article talks about unemployment in terms of race and not in terms of gender. Women are the ones who have the lowest unemployment rates, regardless of race. Looking at people over 20 years of age: Caucasian Men 9.2% and Women 7.3%. For Blacks it is 17.1% for men and 11.7% for Women. Sadly, for the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, it appears, there is no gender difference for Asians and Hispanics don't exist.
But, back to the article, the Tea Party movement is bottom up. If "One Nation", like the "Coffee Party" is top down it will fail.
Regards — Cliff
Cliff, the less effective regional slices of the Tea Party are, from all accounts, bottom up. What PAC would hire Dale Robertson?
ReplyDeleteThe crowds you see in DC and flocking around Mama Gristle are well funded offshoots of conservative machines like Freedom Works.
Again a h/t to Sandi Martinez. She kicks it ol' skool.
PS. The Coffee Party has faded? They are active on FB.
If the Tea Party movement had better distanced itself from party partisanship early on, and better insisted on its small government roots when the social agenda/ideology began to creep in, (e.g. what does immigration have to do with small government???) this discussion would be moot, and there'd be no need for a second anything.
ReplyDeleteFor myself, I'll say that sheep's clothing looks just as ridiculous on liberal D party partisans it does on conservative R ones, and I can't help but scoff at how ridiculous this sort of posturing is, from both sides. "A rose by any other name", only, with apologies to Bill Shakespeare, "a turd by any other name"...
Broder has an intersting take on what the Tea Party must do, taking a lead from Reaganism. In part he says: "But this is not enough, he says. The new conservative populists, Olsen says, need their own positive vision, one that can "turn an intense but transient public sentiment into an enduring political force."
ReplyDeleteThe opinion is entitled: Making Reaganism fit for a tea
It is only the lowly San Jose News, but here is the site:
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_15479484?nclick_check=1