Tea Party on the left

Blazer Bob
Topic Author
Mountain Legend

03 Oct 2011 10:17 #1 by Blazer Bob

Tea Party on the left was created by Blazer Bob

Can the left stage a Tea Party?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ ... ml?hpid=z1

By E.J. Dionne Jr.
Columnist
The Washington Post

Why hasn’t there been a Tea Party on the left? And can President Obama and the American left develop a functional relationship?

That those two questions are not asked very often is a sign of how much of the nation’s political energy has been monopolized by the right from the beginning of Obama’s term. This has skewed media coverage of almost every issue, created the impression that the president is far more liberal than he is, and turned the nation’s agenda away from progressive reform.

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Residenttroll returns
Mountain Legend

03 Oct 2011 10:55 #2 by Residenttroll returns

Replied by Residenttroll returns on topic Tea Party on the left

The Original TeaBaggers are from the Left....the Human Rights Campaign, Gill Foundation, Gay Lesbian Fund of Colorado, GLADD, PFLAG....all Teabagging left organizations.

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ScienceChic
Mountain Champion

03 Oct 2011 11:28 #3 by ScienceChic

Replied by ScienceChic on topic Tea Party on the left

I especially liked this paragraph:

A quiet left has also been very bad for political moderates. The entire political agenda has shifted far to the right because the Tea Party and extremely conservative ideas have earned so much attention. The political center doesn’t stand a chance unless there is a fair fight between the right and the left.

Uh huh.

And these caught my attention:

Obama’s victory, in the meantime, partly demobilized the left. With Democrats in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, stepped-up organizing didn’t seem quite so urgent. The administration was complicit in this, viewing the left’s primary role as supporting whatever the president believed needed to be done.

Resting on your laurels isn't good enough, and should never be good enough - there's too much work to be done. Not only that, but to assume that you can do whatever you want just because you have control of Congress and the White House, no matter which party, is arrogant to the extreme. And creates bad policy, period.

The idea is not to pretend that Obama is as progressive as his core supporters want him to be, but to rally support for him nonetheless as the man standing between the country and the right wing.

I disagree. If he's not doing what we elected him to do, then there's no need to support him if there's another candidate who would be more effective. It's a shame that our selecting our candidates to vote in has gotten to the point of being a lesser of two evils - have we as a country always settled for less like this?

A real left could usefully instruct Americans as to just how moderate the president they elected in 2008 is — and how far to the right conservatives have strayed.

I don't think anyone's ever going to believe this with all the spin and misinformation put out there.

"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill

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Residenttroll returns
Mountain Legend

03 Oct 2011 11:41 #4 by Residenttroll returns

Replied by Residenttroll returns on topic Tea Party on the left

Science Chic wrote: I especially liked this paragraph:
A quiet left has also been very bad for political moderates. The entire political agenda has shifted far to the right because the Tea Party and extremely conservative ideas have earned so much attention. The political center doesn’t stand a chance unless there is a fair fight between the right and the left.
Uh huh.

And these caught my attention:
Obama’s victory, in the meantime, partly demobilized the left. With Democrats in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, stepped-up organizing didn’t seem quite so urgent. The administration was complicit in this, viewing the left’s primary role as supporting whatever the president believed needed to be done.
Resting on your laurels isn't good enough, and should never be good enough - there's too much work to be done. Not only that, but to assume that you can do whatever you want just because you have control of Congress and the White House, no matter which party, is arrogant to the extreme. And creates bad policy, period.

The idea is not to pretend that Obama is as progressive as his core supporters want him to be, but to rally support for him nonetheless as the man standing between the country and the right wing.
I disagree. If he's not doing what we elected him to do, then there's no need to support him if there's another candidate who would be more effective. It's a shame that our selecting our candidates to vote in has gotten to the point of being a lesser of two evils - have we as a country always settled for less like this?

A real left could usefully instruct Americans as to just how moderate the president they elected in 2008 is — and how far to the right conservatives have strayed.
I don't think anyone's ever going to believe this with all the spin and misinformation put out there.

Excellent analysis SC! I think the left has too many issues to overcome...a White House that will bend over for them during the election cycle and then turns the table on them when elected. I also believe that most Americans understand that Obama as a lame duck would not be a pretty picture.

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FredHayek
Mountain Legend

03 Oct 2011 11:42 #5 by FredHayek

Replied by FredHayek on topic Tea Party on the left

I am wondering if the current Wall Street protestors become the Left Tea Party. Or will they declare a pox on both houses? IIRC, both parties supported the 2008 Wall Street bailout.
If they do stay with the Dems, will they become powerful enough to have uber-lefties win primaries?

Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.

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Nmysys
Mountain Legend

03 Oct 2011 12:37 #6 by Nmysys

Replied by Nmysys on topic Tea Party on the left

Can you lefties call it something else? Like the Kool-Aid Party?

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PrintSmith
Mountain Legend

03 Oct 2011 14:28 #7 by PrintSmith

Replied by PrintSmith on topic Tea Party on the left

Science Chic wrote:
A real left could usefully instruct Americans as to just how moderate the president they elected in 2008 is — and how far to the right conservatives have strayed.
I don't think anyone's ever going to believe this with all the spin and misinformation put out there.

The main reason it won't be believed is because it simply isn't true, and never has been. Tell me SC, what was the dream from Obama's father that he is trying to bring to reality?
How can a man who said that the Warren Court really wasn't radical because it "didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution" hope to be seen as a moderate?

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