Tea Party protester threatens interviewer in front of the U.S. Capitol March 2010, in Washington D.C.
Angry Teabaggers against a counterprotester, in Washington D.C.
A year ago, a new political movement, the Tea Party, appeared. Begun as local protests over taxes and federal government spending, the self-styled Tea Party movement was aggressively promoted by Fox News.
The Tea Party movement is a far-flung coalition of conservative groups angered by Washington and Obama's government. The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released in April 2010. They are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public.
In front of the U.S. Capitol April 15 2010, in Washington D.C.
Tea Partiers hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as "very conservative" and Obama as "very liberal." And while most Republicans say they are "dissatisfied" with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as "angry."
It takes its name from the Boston Tea Party in 1773, when colonists dumped tea off English ships to protest what they considered unfair taxation by the British crown.
Today, the tea partiers spend most of their energy fighting a health-care reform bill. They call President Obama as a socialist, a Nazi, a communist, a dictator.
An extract of the article "The Rage Is Not About Health Care". Published: March 27, 2010 By Frank Rich in the New York Times.
".....If Obama’s first legislative priority had been immigration or financial reform or climate change, we would have seen the same trajectory. The conjunction of a black president and a female speaker of the House — topped off by a wise Latina on the Supreme Court and a powerful gay Congressional committee chairman — would sow fears of disenfranchisement among a dwindling and threatened minority in the country no matter what policies were in play.....When you hear demonstrators chant the slogan “Take our country back!,” these are the people they want to take the country back from. They can’t........"
An extract of the article "With No Jobs, Plenty of Time for Tea Party". Published: March 27, 2010 By Kate Zernike in The New York Times.
".... (Tea Party's) activists often tell a similar story in interviews: they had lost their jobs, or perhaps watched their homes plummet in value, and they found common cause in the Tea Party’s fight for lower taxes and smaller government... The Tea Party vehemently wants less (government involvement)— though a number of its members acknowledge that they are relying on government programs for help..."
Ohio, Tea Partiers Mock And Scorn A Parkinson's Victim, Bob.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, on March 17th 2010, teabaggers mocked and scorned a man, Bob, who had a sign stating that he had Parkinson's. They told him "he's in the wrong end of town to ask for handouts", called him a communist and threw dollar bills at him to "pay for his health care".
Bob, the man with Parkinson's who was targeted by the Tea Partiers, sat down with Progress Ohio for an interview. He is 60 years old and was first diagnosed with Parkinsons 15 years ago. He has two masters degrees and a Ph.D. from Cornell. He taught at the University of Michigan and worked as a nuclear engineer. Bob was able to have a $150,000 surgery that greatly increased his quality of life. He attended the event in Columbus because he believes in giving back and thinks everyone should have access to affordable health insurance and quality health care.
Angry Teabaggers against a counterprotester, in Washington D.C.
A year ago, a new political movement, the Tea Party, appeared. Begun as local protests over taxes and federal government spending, the self-styled Tea Party movement was aggressively promoted by Fox News.
The Tea Party movement is a far-flung coalition of conservative groups angered by Washington and Obama's government. The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released in April 2010. They are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public.
Tea Partiers hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as "very conservative" and Obama as "very liberal." And while most Republicans say they are "dissatisfied" with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as "angry."
Today, the tea partiers spend most of their energy fighting a health-care reform bill. They call President Obama as a socialist, a Nazi, a communist, a dictator.
An extract of the article "The Rage Is Not About Health Care". Published: March 27, 2010 By Frank Rich in the New York Times.
".....If Obama’s first legislative priority had been immigration or financial reform or climate change, we would have seen the same trajectory. The conjunction of a black president and a female speaker of the House — topped off by a wise Latina on the Supreme Court and a powerful gay Congressional committee chairman — would sow fears of disenfranchisement among a dwindling and threatened minority in the country no matter what policies were in play.....When you hear demonstrators chant the slogan “Take our country back!,” these are the people they want to take the country back from. They can’t........"
An extract of the article "With No Jobs, Plenty of Time for Tea Party". Published: March 27, 2010 By Kate Zernike in The New York Times.
".... (Tea Party's) activists often tell a similar story in interviews: they had lost their jobs, or perhaps watched their homes plummet in value, and they found common cause in the Tea Party’s fight for lower taxes and smaller government... The Tea Party vehemently wants less (government involvement)— though a number of its members acknowledge that they are relying on government programs for help..."
Ohio, Tea Partiers Mock And Scorn A Parkinson's Victim, Bob.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, on March 17th 2010, teabaggers mocked and scorned a man, Bob, who had a sign stating that he had Parkinson's. They told him "he's in the wrong end of town to ask for handouts", called him a communist and threw dollar bills at him to "pay for his health care".
Bob, the man with Parkinson's who was targeted by the Tea Partiers, sat down with Progress Ohio for an interview. He is 60 years old and was first diagnosed with Parkinsons 15 years ago. He has two masters degrees and a Ph.D. from Cornell. He taught at the University of Michigan and worked as a nuclear engineer. Bob was able to have a $150,000 surgery that greatly increased his quality of life. He attended the event in Columbus because he believes in giving back and thinks everyone should have access to affordable health insurance and quality health care.
