AUSTIN - Inspired by a rant from financial pundit Rick Santelli, a movement sprang up to hold tea parties around the nation to object excessive spending and taxation. Santelli has since been left far behind and many others have climbed on the bandwagon, but the tea party movement carried on and today it exploded in tea parties in cities and small towns around the nation, protesting bailouts, stimulus spending and the growing deficit.
In Austin 1500 people attended a noon rally to hear speeches from local activists and politicians, including anti-tax advocate Michael Quinn Sullivan, Mike Voorhees from the Travis County chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus, Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams and Texas Governor Rick Perry. The crowd was young and enthusiastic and diverse, with Republicans and libertarians and independents all there to express their opposition to bailouts and stimulus spending and their desire for governmental reform. A second, larger rally was scheduled for after work with a reported turnout of over 5000.
Many different groups were represented, including Ron Paul's non-partisan Campaign for Liberty, the Texas Libertarian Party, the Constitution Party, anti-toll-road activists and local issue groups whose interests cross party lines. Major sponsoring groups included FreedomWorks and non-partisan conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. Despite concerns that activists from groups like MoveOn.org and ACORN would attempt to disrupt the event, they were nowhere to be seen and the mood was one of unity and calm determination.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - pablo
[Edited] The truth is that the modern tea party movement was not started by Rick Santelli at all but by the 9/11 truth movement over 3 years ago. Actually Nalle is typical of many right wing pundits of the day that are now trying to jump on the tea party bandwagon, with such esteemed company as Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannnity, and Glenn Beck. Indeed the above pundits are only now trying to jump on the bandwagon of not only the tea party movement, but the sovereignty movement as well, just as Nalle has.
I would hope since this article is written in the NEWS category and not Opinion or Satire, that Mr. Nalle would edit his article to reflect the true origins of the modern Tea Party movement, however I am not holding my breath. Below is a link to some nationwide Tea parties that originated in 2006, hardly when Santelli got on board.
True origins of the modern Tea Party movement
Although it is true that the current Tea Party movement is about taxes, this movement was originally started by 9/11 truthers [Edited].
2 - Dave Nalle
Pablo, neither I nor anyone else in the mainstream community gives a rat's ass about some 9/11 tea party in 2006. Ask anyone involved in todays tea parties and they will agree that the inspiration was the original Boston Tea Party in 1773. The 9/11 delusion movement doesn't have some special claim to that inspiration.
The truth is that the current Tea Parties got started when Santelli made his comments a couple of months ago and that is the specific moment at which this movement got started.
And you have apparently been brainwashed by the MSM to repeat the meme that this is an anti-tax movement, which is their way of minimizing its significance. In fact, taxes are a minor element. It's a fiscal responsibility and government reform movement first.
Dave
3 - Jordan Richardson
It's a fiscal responsibility and government reform movement first.
Oh. So it's not a movement based on quirky slogans and placards that compare Obama to Hitler? Is that also the MSM's fault?
4 - Dave Nalle
I'm pretty sure that in most cases the movement comes first, then the slogans. And as you can tell from the accompanying photos, these are hand made signs with the slogans people thought up all on their own on them. Like you find in any grassroots movement. I didn't see any in Austin with Obama/Hitler comparisons, but given the popularity of comparing everyone to Hitler I'm sure some exist. Perhaps they recycled all the used Bush/Hitler signs.
Dave
5 - pablo
A typical Dave rant.And as usual you are so wrong, and not man enough to admit your mistake.
6 - Jordan Richardson
I'm pretty sure that in most cases the movement comes first, then the slogans.
We're not talking about most cases, though. We're talking about this one. With FOX announcing coverage of this "spontaneous" movement across the country and others doing the same and guys like Glenn Beck virtually providing the placards on which ignorant individuals could scrawl their moronic slogans, it's a little difficult to take you at your word.
I know you want to attach some sort of significance to this notion of civil unrest, to suggest that the people are sick and tired of this, etc. But that's really not what's going on here at all.
What is going on is more desperate politics as a party grasps at straws in an attempt to figure out what to do next. This idiotic "tea party" is made all the more ironic by the fact that these people bought a million bags of tea to protest "wasteful spending."
And for the record, anyone comparing any American politician, even Bush, to Hitler is a complete and utter jackass.
7 - pablo
Jordan,
Too bad you can't ask the last statement of yours to the late Senator Prescott Bush buddy. The historical record says otherwise.
8 - Jordan Richardson
And c'mon, you've got people calling Obama a "fascist" AND a "socialist." Really?
Never mind the further irony that these protests against socialism and wealth redistribution took place in public parks that were funded by the...public using...wealth redistribution...*gasp* THAT'S SOCIALISM!!!
This is basically a game of "you can't win because I have to win." It happens all the time. The idea is to simply do the opposite of your opponent, no matter what the consequences and what the causes. But go ahead, America, show the rest of us why we should all be SO envious of how you roll.
We're all impressed, teabaggers.
9 - Jordan Richardson
Pablo, no matter how evil I find Prescott Bush, he's not Hitler. Making comparisons like that are simply silly. This isn't Political Celebrity Deathmatch.
10 - pablo
No Jordan Prescott was not Hitler, he aided Hitler, thus he was a fascist just like his son and grandkid are.
11 - Ruvy
Jordan,
Ibn-Saud and Hitler were direct creators of evil. Prescott Bush and his friends at the Union Bank were mere enablers of the ibn-Saud and Hitler. Were it not for Bush, both Hitler and ibn-Saud would have had a much harder time doing the evil they have done. So who you're going to blame, the carter that runs over the kid, or the guy who greases the wheel of the cart, knowing of the carter's intent to run over the kid?
12 - pablo
Jordan,
Incidentally Prescott bush was named by Smedley Butler as one of the co-CONSPIRATORS,(hey I like that word) of the attempted fascist coup in 1934.
13 - pablo
I might add Ruvy that the Muslim Brotherhood was and is a nazi fascist front group. For those of you that think that the nazis are a thing of the past I suggest that you google the odessa network, or the Bormann flight capital network. National Socialism (nazi) is very much alive, indeed anti fascist researcher Dave Emory has called this group the underground Reich and writes extensively about it,and its tentacles inside the US government.
14 - zingzing
so... a bunch of angry people gather together to make large batches of weak tea... and this is to protest... waste... hmm...
conclusion #1: republicans are stupid.
conclusion #2: y'all got some hopped-up river fish to fry, so it's not all bad.
conclusion #3: how funny would it be to ask a busload of angry republicans where they're going and they reply, "to the tea party, faggot." yes, that is a statement. it's not a question.
15 - El Bicho
"Reportedly the largest turnout was in Atlanta where 15,000 showed up to protest."
You failed to mention that Sean Hannity was broadcasting from Atlanta, which no doubt helped inflate the numbers. People like being on TV.
"these people bought a million bags of tea to protest 'wasteful spending.'"
Jordan, please don't discourage people from spending money. The economy needs it.
16 - Jordan Richardson
Jordan, please don't discourage people from spending money. The economy needs it.
Certainly not my intention; merely pointing out obvious irony of this notion. I certainly advocate spending more, even and perhaps especially on tea. The notion of buying a million bags of it to dump on a lawn without even having properly set it up first (no permit) is hard to ignore in its hilarity.
Pablo/Ruvy, I honestly don't care. Sorry.
17 - Jordan Richardson
Actually, I'll tell you both why I don't care.
Ruvy, you're addressing a point I'm not making. When you ask about who's to blame, all of those fucking jackasses are to blame. But where does comparing them, especially in slogan format, get you? It's cute, I'll give you that, but it certainly also downgrades the details of the atrocities to a simple "hey, you're Hitler" simplicity. As I said earlier: what's the point in that? Judge each individual on his/her own merits without comparing them to Hitler/Jesus.
And Pablo, I knew all of that already. I recently reviewed a massive tome on the Bush Dynasty by Russ Baker and have been observing that family for quite some time. Believe it or not, I do have *some* clue as to what I'm talking about here. It may not always come across that way, but hey.
18 - Ruvy
Pablo/Ruvy, I honestly don't care. Sorry.
All it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing, Jordan. So, the evil will succeed south of your border, and may infest you north of the border - because you honestly don't care.
Good work, Jordan! Good work!
19 - Jordan Richardson
Read #17 before you unload your condescension, Ruvy.
My point is about the LINGUISTIC LAZINESS of merely comparing the crimes of one to the crimes of another.
Let's just say if the "evil" sets out to "infest" us Canucks, I won't be standing around wasting time comparing it to Hitler...
20 - Jordan Richardson
Honestly, if my ability to simplistically assess various brands of evil is the last line of defence Canada has to the "infestation," I'd say we're already pretty much fucked. I do hope it's kind of like Starship Troopers, only with a little more Denise Richards and a lot less Dina Meyer.
21 - Ruvy
Jordan, you were typing your comment #17 at the same time I was typing my comment #18. Even in the vaunted electronically village, lines do cross!
22 - Arch Conservative
It's amusing watching Jordan slam the tea party people claiming all they have is slogans when we have mr media creation "yes we can" and "change we can beleive." Talk about the pot and the kettle.
[Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
King Barry's court jesters are labelling iraq war vets "dangerous rightwing extremists" while he's doing his damndest to spend us all into pauper's graves and the more than half the posts on this thread have been dedicated to bashing Prescott Bush. [Edited]
23 - Jordan Richardson
Even in the vaunted electronically village, lines do cross!
No doubt about it, dude. I should have explained myself better initially. I apologize.
It's amusing watching Jordan slam the tea party people claiming all they have is slogans when we have mr media creation "yes we can" and "change we can beleive."
This is amusing because...I'm....BARACK OBAMA? Oh my fucking Christ, secret's out! Everybody hide!
24 - Jordan Richardson
Arch, do you sincerely believe that Obama is trying to make everybody poor (apparently by cutting taxes for 95% of the population) or do you disagree with his policies?
In other words, what facts do you have to back the assertion that your president is "doing his damndest" to "spend you all into pauper's graves?" And if it's not too personal, how much poorer have you become in the past few months?
25 - Arch Conservative
I never finished that thought because Janet Noplitano has been walking around outside my house all morning in a trench coat and pair of groucho glasses.
It should have been......... "when we have mr media creation "yes we can" and "change we can believe in" in the white house pretending to lead and pretending to give a damn."
[Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
But hey don't let them get in the way of discussing the things that really matter, the things that are really current, and bearing down on the minds of all the John and Suzie Q publics out there... like comparing and contrasting Prescott Bush and Adolph Hitler.
It's only been three months but I'm sure you can muster up some [Edited] defense of King Barry's performance using some brilliant combination of the words "hope" and "change" for old time sake Jordan.
Don't dissappoint us bro!