Experiment for the tea partiers on mylot. (Or their supporters)

United States
April 13, 2010 10:01am CST
My friends are typically of the same political affiliation as me, so I have no need to associate with a tea partier in the offline world. My first hand glimpse of the tea partiers is the mylotters who tell me they are part of the tea party movement. I think I may be coming off as misunderstood, and people may think I am making blanket statements about the tea party, based on what I have learned of them through several mediums, including mylot. I would like to offer an open and honest review of why your endorsement or participation either sours me to the party, or convinces me of its merit. There are a few who have professed their affiliation that I do have respect for, so it could be you. If not, please note that I will be basing my answers on previous discourse and history we have had together on mylot. I think this is a fair experiment, in that I will explain exactly what it is about the tea party I am expecting, and if you do or don’t represent that. I will give it until tomorrow to round up some takers, and then dive in to this discussion.
4 responses
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
14 Apr 10
Oh how sweet you have decided to have an experiment with people like myself, who you have no need to associate with. You would also like to offer an honest and open review of my reasons for being a member of the Tea party movement, oh this is so awesome. Oh don't you have a high opinion of yourself, like I care what your views of the Tea party movement are, or even the opinions of me. I just do not care.
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
14 Apr 10
You do realize that the Tea party movement is not a political party right?
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
14 Apr 10
"they would need to attempt to gain some democratic and republican support" That would completely defeat the purpose of the tea parties. "Right now, from what I have gathered, the tea party is the mini-GOP" Well if that were true than they'd already have democratic and republican support. Instead one party is telling lies to marginalize them while the other is trying to hijack them.
• United States
14 Apr 10
I am heading out the door, but I wanted to respond a short response and will follow it up completely tomorrow after work. I am representative of the left wing in the offline world. Perhaps you would care to see why they poke fun of the tea partiers all the time? They think the tea party is a walking joke and a cluster f*ck. And, I am here, offerring a chance to get to know you tea partiers, or give you some insight into why people are turned off by the party. This is not egotism - the is me trying to extend a hand out for open discussion in a thread just about that, instead of me speaking off topic calling people out on their hypocrisies and idiotic behaviour in threads that have nothing to do about it. From your message alone, I can already see you are fairly ostracizing and polarizing. If the tea party wants to be taken seriously and mobilize, they would need to attempt to gain some democratic and republican support - you may not be so quick to dismiss people or the invite for some discussion. I have been told I am very left, but I am genuinely offering to discuss your beliefs with you, and why I either agree or don't agree with them. I have not seen too many right wingers asking democrats their beliefs, but they are the party of NO. Right now, from what I have gathered, the tea party is the mini-GOP, so its a turn off. I have met some of you online, here at mylot, and came to found we agree on quite a few issues. And you want to tell me you just don't care? Yeah, like I would vote for a representative of a party telling me they just don't care.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
13 Apr 10
A little Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes comes to mind... This sudden thread explosion seems a might fishy. Come on. Are the rest of us suckers? While extending some dried and twisted olive branch here, you're simultaneously beating the would-be recipients over the back with it in ongoing discussions. Not for nothing, but the tone seems a touch condescending. "Let's have an experiment. Tell me what you think and I'll tell you how it oughta be." Hey, far be it from me to tell someone what to post. Post 'til your heart's content! But you seem to be all over the map in terms of approach. And thinking folk might suspect your motives a tad impure if they've happened to have read the I-hate-America flame-fest you tossed out in which you basically threw everyone you're reaching out to here directly under the bus. My point: Although it seems as if your intent is innocent enough at times, and now seeming a makeshift bridge for the great divide, your ideology and view of America is so much further left than the average person--and undoubtedly even more to the left than most liberals here--that the best to hope for is probably mutual respect for dissidents and a realization that you do not think like the average tea party type. But good luck with this. I'm confused on exactly what the discussion is about, but I don't have any work today so I'm bored.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
13 Apr 10
Yeah, I'm kind of getting the "Post here so I can judge you" vibe. Not exactly my cup of tea, but we'll see how it turns out.
• United States
13 Apr 10
If members of the tea party are absolutely certain they embody what is right, they shouldn't have a problem representing themselves. I am posting that I will let you know how I feel, so you can see why I so easily dismiss your claims that the tea party is a good thing. In some rare cases, I find some people worthy in the party, oddly, maters being one of them, for his ability to be objective, though he leans to the right. Others who claim they care about people and then in other threads prove to be ignorant, intolerant, or utterly stupid, I would have to explain why I have drawn the conclusion that their endorsement does not reflect well on the party. I am being surprisingly fair, here, when I am usually on the defensive in a lot of threads. We pretend we want bipartisanship, but people don't even want to discuss in a discussion forum why some of their posts have turned people into their party's opponents? Weak.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
13 Apr 10
"If members of the tea party are absolutely certain they embody what is right, they shouldn't have a problem representing themselves." Obviously not. They're representing themselves all over these forums not to mention that they're on TV plenty. "I find some people worthy..." See, you're not going to get far with that. Who are YOU to judge people "worthy"? The whole superiority bit is why you've gotten a lot of enemies on mylot. Well, that and the insults like calling people "ignorant, intolerant, or utterly stupid".
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
13 Apr 10
I have attended a few Tea Parties and find them to be very common people. Most of the signs were about big government, taxes or spending. The signs were homemade and not racist. The closest the speeches came to social issues is those supporting States Right vs Federal Control. The people seemed to know and understand the constitution and favored strict interpretation of it. During the speeches there was very little talk of social issues. The people attending seemed to be of all incomes, based on the cars in the parking lot, and in talking to some of them there were farmers, business men/women, small business owners, union members, professional people, young families, middle age couples and elderly citizens in attendance. I did not see racial diversity but that is because in rural areas there is very little diversity. Unlike the demonstrations I attended in college these people were there to learn and get information. There was very little cheering or chanting but there was some clapping. I hope this helps you to understand the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party movement.
• United States
14 Apr 10
It is hard to put the actual "tea party" movement into a box with a label on it. It is made up of a lot of independent groups that work together on common goals and separately on things they don't. The actual "tea party"....is a (taxed enough already) group the focuses on taxes, national debt, fiscal responsibility and the stopping of our growing federal government. Several other grass roots groups like Restore the Repubic, Freedom works, and C4L show up at those rallies and help with them because they also share those common concerns. Most of what you see at the rallies are normal average people from all walks of life that are fustrated with the direction our government is taking. They don't want a bigger federal government. they don't want higher taxes...they don't want more government run programs. They WANT a balanced budget,the national debt paid off and a small fiscally responsible federal government. That is not so bad is it? Is that sooo scarey?