With gross abuse of evidence, KELO's Jon Berg resurrects the meme that the Tea Party appeals to people of all parties:
People from across the state of South Dakota were welcomed at the All Occasions Hall in Tea, for the fourth annual Tax day Tea Party.
From taxes to other issues facing the state, people who believe in the party's principles came out to hear from keynote speakers, take part in an open forum and meet with local political candidates.
...And you didn't just find Republicans or Democrats out here at the Tax Day Tea Party, because many of the issues being faced in South Dakota today impact both sides of the spectrum.
"What we saw during the last legislative session is that there was several bills that were going to work in such a way to take away local control, both over education and taxation, so there's people on the left and the right that believe government should be close to the people and it should be answerable to the people," Dykstra said [Jon Berg, "Tax Day Tea Party," KELOLand.com, 2012.04.15].
(Additional points off for sentence fragment as headline.)
Wait a minute, Jon. Reread those last two paragraphs in sequence. I will grant you that Rep. Stace Nelson and I agree that HB 1234 is bad education policy. But that doesn't prove that I brought a whole bunch of Democrats to the Tea Tea Party. What Democrats did you see there? What Democrats did you interview at the event?
Take a look at District 6 House candidate Ernie Otten's Facebook photo album of the event. Whom do you see? Stace Nelson, Lance Russell, Manny Steele, Lora Hubbel, Brian Liss, Scott Bartlett, Jim Stalzer, Mike Austad, William Beal, Jerry Erickson, Shelly Hodgkins, Ed Picardi, George Stainbrook, my crazy cousin Aaron... an assortment of Republican candidates and right-wing reactionaries, but not one Democrat.
I thought we put this false meme to bed back in 2009. Berg must be falling victim to that reporter's disease of pretending to balance and detachment where there is none. He blurts out this gentle trope about inclusiveness without making the effort to verify his empty words by simply asking around for Dems at the event.
The Tea Party is a right-wing adjunct of the Republican Party. To peddle the Tea Party's distractionary rhetoric about appealing to all parties is inaccurate and lazy journalism.
What Tea Party?
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/12/146780150/strong-in-2010-where-is-the-tea-party-now
I don't know if Democrats are turning out for these types of events. Most of them are too busy working. I do think that working class Democrats are receptive to at least parts of the economic message attributed to the tea party.
Look at the areas of Sioux Falls that carried Kermit Staggers to victory this year and supported him heavily in his past races. These are the working class Democratic areas on the north end of town. Even though these people are registered Democrats, they are receptive to supporting Republicans who run on a limited government, anti-elite message. They don't generally have any time for the GOP's social conservatism because they're not big churchgoers, but they don't generally like candidates they view as rich "pinheads" who want to spend money on fancy stuff that costs a lot of taxpayer money and that working people either can't afford to utilize or aren't interested in. Are they wearing tri-corner hats? probably not.
Rorschach,
You have it right. The only way to stand up to the establishments of both parties is for populous Dems, conservative GOPers, and libertarian independents to work together.
KELO failed to mention Koch family as big money behind TEA party organization. It is astroturf rather than grassroots. Hard to determine perhaps if KELO reporters are blithely ignorant or intentionally omit the most salient facts with careful regard for which superpacs will be providing them with a tremendous jump in ad revenue.
I must reluctantly agree. The Tea Party's sole issue is the growth of government debt. Is there one single Democrat who is the slightest bit interested in fiscal responsibility?
No Ken, not a one. I'm a Democrat and just love to spend and waste money. It's what I stand for. It's what we all stand for.
"The Tea Party’s sole issue is the growth of government debt."
Right.
That must be why they talked Boehner out of doing the deal he cut with Obama, right, professor?
If the Tea Party is concerned about the debt, why do they oppose every effort to generate revenue to pay it down?
Ken,
I can appreciate your snarky question. The question I like to ask is whether there is one single Republican who thinks millionaires ought to pay any taxes at all.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what I think it means.
But I don't think Mr. Blanchard is correct about the TEA party's sole issue. They want to jam their version of god down everybody else's throat.
The Tea Party is about a whole lot more than just growth of govt debt, although that is a great concern. Tea Party folks (Reps, independents, and yes, even Dems) are concerned with the growth of govt and its intrusion into our lives, out of control spending that goes along with govt growth, Obamacare (don't confuse this with actual health care reform which the Tea Party does agree with). And I don't know any Tea Partiers who want to "jam their version of God down everybody else's throat," but neither do they want the gov't to ignore the fact that this nation was founded on certain principles associated with God.
Linda, permit me to focus on the Dem membership issue. Name one verifiable Democrat who actively organizes Tea Party events in South Dakota.
I'm not about to name anyone on this website. Whether a Dem is an organizer is not the point here anyway. There are Dem Tea Party people who also feel the gov't is overspending and over-reaching and that the debt is out of control; this isn't a partisan issue.
No, Linda, it's totally the point. I'm not out to put a hit on anyone; I'm out to verify a claim that there is substantial Democrat participation in the Tea Party. Democrats who are serious about change and about their principles are not participating in Tea Party activities. They are fighting the destructive, uninformed rhetoric of the Tea Party.
"They are fighting the destructive, uninformed rhetoric of the Tea Party."
So Cory can dish it out, bue he can't take it.
Ted Nugent should take over Matt Michels' duties.
lying, cheating conservatism:
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/surgeon-s-income-tax-evasion-trial-moved/article_4693ae5e-940b-11e1-bf3a-001a4bcf887a.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Howie/Randazzo brain surgeon: Romney does it all the time.
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/surgeon-s-tax-evasion-trial-may-last-six-weeks/article_e7cdffed-8776-5747-99ad-ef900e0cc668.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter