Who's Pouring That Tea

Anger and rage can be a double-edged sword.  It can rouse a person to stand and fight, or consume a person whole  It can also be misused and misdirected.  

This is what I see going on within the "Tea Party" wing of the Republican Party.  A situation where anger, perhaps justified, is being directed out instead of up.  Let me explain what I mean. 

To me the "Tea Party" for all of its claims to be independent is a corporate creation.  The roots of it, to me, came from opposition to the bailouts and to the health insurance reform package.  In the case of the bailouts, the fact that those corps would be subject to more oversight and regulation, especially in CEO and executive compensation.  With the Health Insurance reform, which the; insurance, prescription drug, and perhaps low-wage service sector, managed to severely water down, it was a case of profits being threatened.

So, these corporations see a threat, but lack the numbers in and of themselves to achieve their aims.  Simple solution, turn to an echo chamber.  Rely on AM-Radio and it's cable news affiliate FOX.  You now seem to have factual backing for the opinions of folks like Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh.  Throw in the "down-home" charm of folks like Sarah Palin and you can keep a lot of people in the dark.  

Rand Paul's recent gaffes on the Civil Rights Act hits at another potential component of the "Tea Party"  movement.  The fact that not only is a Democrat in the White House, but a Democrat who's a member of a Republican/conservative outgroup. 

The idea of an "outgroup", an "other", has throughout history been a key component of right-wing thinking.  How else will you get folks to override their economic interest and support corporate power.

All of this brings up a simple question, how do we get the Tea Partiers to see that they're being manipulated.  That is what this hub is hopefully going to answer.