For the Left: What Next to Discredit the Tea Party?
Posted on 01. May, 2010 by James Devere in Political Commentary
Liberals in the media and government are befuddled, trying to stop the Tea Party movement. At every turn they have attempted to discredit the movement, and at every turn they have failed. On tax day in 2009, the media and Democrat politicians alike turned to the slightly vulgar epithet “tea bagger” and attempted to laugh at the protesters as if they had discovered a little inside joke that showed they were smarter than the average mainstream American.
When the let’s snicker at the tea bagger approach failed, the same crowd turned to accusations of racism as if to malign one’s policy was to somehow malign one’s race. Since the Tea Party displayed little to no racial overtones, this approach ultimately failed, leaving us with priceless videos of the likes of Rosie O’Donnel and Nancy Pelosi at their best.
Faced with the failure of the racist angle, the next move orchestrated by leftist leaders was to infiltrate Tea Party protests with liberals carrying racially charged signs in order to have plenty of fodder for left wing bloggers and MSNBC commentators to further marginalize the group. Unfortunately for the left, this tactic also failed.
Though it failed, the infiltration tactic showed a new approach in the left’s tactics. Instead of attempts to define the Tea Party to be something it was not, they were now actively trying to force the movement into their predetermined narrative. For members of the fourth estate, this is a dangerous departure from journalism and a move solidly into activism.
What has the relentless assault on the Tea Party proven to date? First, it shows that leaders on left are afraid of a true grassroots movement and that they sorely miscalculated the will of the American people. Second, it proves that left-wing activist will go to great lengths to provide the mainstream media with proof to fit their preconceived notions.
With those two factors established, one needs look no further than the current narrative to venture a guess at what tactic is next to discredit the Tea Party.
The current narrative is that Tea Party members are extremists. They are a threat to society. In fact, if you listen to some pundits, it is a miracle that Tea Parties have not left a trail of death and destruction in their path. Immediately following the plane attack on the tax office building in Austin, Texas, accusations were flying that this was the first move to violence by the Tea Party. To listen to some in the media, it was just a matter of time before the Tea Parties manifested themselves as the domestic terrorist groups that they so clearly were. It must have been a let down for them to find out that it was just your average nut job and not a Tea Party member that committed that crime.
The media is salivating for images of Tea Party violence to add credence to their foregone conclusions. That being their narrative, the left seems to be willing to do anything to fit the Tea Party into that box. How, then, to accomplish that task? There is a model that fits many left wing demonstrations: protest, wait for the police to come, then push the boundaries until arrests are made. Just look at some of the recent World Trade Summits, Code Pink demonstrations and, most recently, the pro-illegal immigration open border rallies. The video below is of protesters at the Republican National Convention in 2008. If this were a Tea Party, the scenes would be everywhere in the mainstream media.
For the left it seems that the missing element to show a more extreme Tea Party may be a more aggressive police presence. Was that theory recently tested? The video below is from Barack Obama’s visit last week to Quincy, Illinois. It is understandable for the President to have the best security possible, including having riot police on hand in case protests get out of hand and threaten his or her security. But to deploy riot police in the face of a group of people singing God Bless America seems a bit provocative and intimidating.
I hope I am wrong, but the trends of how theTea Party has been treated have shown an escalation and even a desperation to discredit this group. What might be in store for future protests? And will the police response continue to become more aggressive until, ultimately, the left can claim that Tea Partiers have finally shown their true extremist colors?
This is all conjecture, but if this was an attempt to incite a reaction from the Tea Party, the Administration has once again miscalculated the spirit of the movement. By and large, these are the law-abiding people of America who, believe or not, like the police. They have no desire to push the envelope for some “Look, look I am being oppressed” photo opportunities.
Befuddled no, disgusted and sickened yes, laughing at the stupidity, but sad about the extremism.