Ernie : We are on the same page again, it would seem. What I'd add is that the Tea Party movement is the latest version of American populism, but in a special sense since there was a populism of the Left at work in parts of the electorate in 2008. This is a populism of the Right, but not the "classic" poor people's Right of past populist uprisings, but of the middle class Right, which is fairly well-educated and has libertarian leanings. The free speech dimension of libertarianism I am 100 % in favor of, of course, even if libertarian economic "theory" leaves me very cold. Anyway, long way to say, I agree with the basic thrust of the article also. Billy =========================================================== In a message dated 11/1/2010 9:42:10 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
I completely agree. I couldn't have said it better myself... _http://foxandhoundsdaily.com/blog/joe-mathews/8173-my-secret-love-for-tea-p arty_ (http://foxandhoundsdaily.com/blog/joe-mathews/8173-my-secret-love-for-tea-party) My Secret Love For the Tea Party Published on Fox & Hounds Daily (_http://foxandhoundsdaily.com_ (http://foxandhoundsdaily.com/) ) This entire political year, I feel like I've been living a lie. I feel like I haven't leveled with you, my readers. I feel like I've been in the closet, unable to express a love that dare not speak its name. Now I've mustered up the courage to admit it: Yes, I love the tea party. It's not a blind love. They do have a tendency to invent their own facts. They tell a story of American history that is not supported by any reasonable scholarship. They do seem to have bought into bogus stories about President Obama. There are more than a few racists among their number. But still, I can't help loving them, for all their flaws. Part of my love is selfish. I'm a journalist, and these are bad times for our profession. And the Tea Partiers and their candidates are great copies. Witches. Masturbation opponents. Nazi re-enactors. Alaska lawyers who have private security guards put handcuffs on reporters. Everything Sarah Palin says. Those are fun topics that build website audiences and sell newspapers. And they're a hell of a lot easier to explain to readers than the pros and cons of the federal health legislation. But part of my love is real and profound. The Tea Party people, for all of their faults, are asking big, uncomfortable questions about the structure of America's constitutional system. And they seek big, fundamental changes. In this desire for big change, they are right. This is especially true here in California. Establishment Republicans, Democrats and independents are all worshipping at the altar of incrementalism, even in the face of evidence that incremental changes won't fix a broken system. Our banking system, our tax system, our entire economic system, our election system - none of it seems to work. And incremental improvements don't seem to work. Now of course, the specific answers that the Tea Partiers offer to these big questions are, well, out there. Possibly destructive to the economy, the government and the country. And crazy. But it's not so bad being crazy in times like these. Everyone, even the hard-headed realists, seem crazy too. Would-be reformers of the left, center and establishment right should stop shunning the Tea Partiers - and start engaging them. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
