PERSPECTIVE: A critique of the Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party of 1773 was an act of that became a symbol for the American colonies. Tired of being taxed without representation, it provided the spark needed for colonists to unite under one banner and fight the British for their right to independence. A new cohort of people came together to fight against a similar oppression 237 years later &- the Tea Party.

For their daily news, Tea Partiers turn to their favorite Fox News stars: Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly. On their way to and from work many of them tune into the enchanting radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The Tea Party members constantly listen to stories of death panels, sky rocketing taxes, anti-business policies, socialist takeover through universal healthcare and a secret Muslim conspiracy to take over the country from within the White House. They also find themselves in constant fear of a nationwide monetary collapse caused by the plummeting deficit and are convinced to buy gold with all their cash. Most importantly, they are furious at the way our country has turned away from the American Constitution. No matter how the times have changed, they fervently adore a document written in 1787. For them, 2010 is not a fight between Democrats and Republicans &- it’s a war between socialism and capitalism.

The Tea Party that marched in Washington D.C. on August 28 behind their fearless leader Beck was a force to be reckoned with. With the tens of thousands of people who attended along with signs that read, “We left our guns at home&-this time,” “We invoke the First Amendment today&-the Second Amendment tomorrow” and “America: Love it or go back to Kenya,” there was a revolutionary fever in the air. During the rally, Glenn Beck said, “Something beyond imagination is happening, something that is beyond man is happening. America today is beginning to turn back to God.” It is quotes like this that remind us that the Tea Party is not only a movement planning to rewrite the economic policies of America, but moral ones as well. Many followers of the Tea Party ideology are those who are pro-life, want prayer in public schools and question the theory of evolution. No matter that many of our founding fathers were deist, not Christian, or that the majority of the country is not &- to them the country has abandoned its Christian roots and must return to them in order to restore America’s honor.

All of these grievances would be acceptable, if not for one thing &- the money. Firstly, the net worth of Glenn Beck from his radio, TV show and book sales adds up to millions of dollars. Therefore, it is somewhat confusing how someone can claim to be a man of the working class with that much dough. But second, and most importantly, is the funding of the Tea Party and its like-minded organizations. Modern American conservatism is a movement funded by billionaires. Scientists skeptical about global warming, economists willing to declare that tax cuts for the rich are essential to growth and lawyers willing to provide defenses of torture rely on the same few billionaire families. By linking moral conservative policies to economic policies that would favor the rich, the high and mighty are able to sway public opinion. Although this policy is decades old, the powerfully rich know that the vast majority of the American public are economic democrats, so the only way for them to become Republicans is by appealing to their moral beliefs. This is in essence why the Tea Party seems completely fraudulent. The rich and powerful were able to tap into the American anger after the recession and the bailouts, amplify it with lies and deceit and then direct the anger towards the President and his administration. Where the anger should have been targeted was toward Wall Street, the movers and shakers used the Tea Party to further their own bottom line. Viva la Revolution.