Tea Party Devil and Holy Cause redux: "I hope he fails!"

Once again, I assert that the "devil" of the fanatical Tea Party movement is Barack Obama - and Limbaugh's 2009 rallying cry of "I hope he fails!" is their primary identity, their fanatical "Holy Cause" and their one true political goal. There is nothing about this movement rhetoric that is rooted in reality and reaching toward a better future for all Americans. This is once again, as always, about demonizing and obstructing the "un-American" "tyrannical" "socialist" "dictatorial" President of the United States, Barack Obama.

(The democratically elected, majority-winning POTUS, mind you - but, hey, let's not let that annoying fact get in our fanatical way).

Their "Baracknophobia" and fanatical Holy Cause to defeat Obama the devil doesn't get any clearer than this:

"Tea Party Nation urges businesses to stop hiring in order to hurt Obama"

Right Wing Watch writes:

"Tea Party Nation sent to their members today a message from activist Melissa Brookstone urging businesspeople to “not hire a single person” to protest the Obama administration’s supposed “war against business and my country.” Brookstone writes that business owners should stop hiring new employees in order to stand up to “this new dictator,” the “global Progressive socialist movement,” Hollywood, the media and Occupy Wall Street."

Brookstone writes:

Resolved that: The Obama administration and the Democrat-controlled Senate, in alliance with a global Progressive socialist movement, have participated in what appears to be a globalist socialist agenda of redistribution of wealth, and the waging of class warfare against our constitutional republic's heritage of individual rights, free market capitalism, and indeed our Constitution itself, with the ultimate goal of collapsing the U.S. economy and globalizing us into socialism.

Resolved that: President Obama has seized what amount to dictatorial powers to bypass our Congress, and that because the Congress is controlled by a Progressive socialist Senate that will not impeach one of their kind, they have allowed this and yielded what are rightfully congressional powers to this new dictator.

Resolved that: By their agenda and actions, those in our government who swore oaths to protect and defend our Constitution have committed treason against the United States.

Resolved that: The current administration and Democrat majority in the Senate, in conjunction with Progressive socialists from all around the country, especially those from Hollywood and the left leaning news media (Indeed, most of the news media.) have worked in unison to advance an anti-business, an anti-free market, and an anti-capitalist (anti-individual rights and property ownership) agenda.

…

Resolved that: Our President, the Democrats-Socialists, most of the media, and most of those from Hollywood, have now encouraged and supported "Occupy" demonstrations in our streets, which are now being perpetrated across the globe, and which are being populated by various marxists, socialists and even communists, and are protesting against business, private property ownership and capitalism, something I thought I'd never see in my country, in my lifetime.

I, an American small business owner, part of the class that produces the vast majority of real, wealth producing jobs in this country, hereby resolve that I will not hire a single person until this war against business and my country is stopped.

And there you have it . . . bat-shit-crazy redux. The Tea Party fanaticism is back and more hyperbolic and vitriolic than ever. Now our democratically elected President - in cahoots with OccupyWallStreet - has created a war within America - "I...resolve that I will not hire a single person until this war against business and my country is stopped."

This will surely be interpreted as a call to the Holy Cause (and most likely violence) for the nuttiest wingnuts - mark my words.

This.is.not.good.

GO(tea)P

http://www.nationalconfidential.com/20111012/democrats-plan-war-on-tea-party-economics/

Democrats are circulating a memo in which they make it clear they plan to brand the GOP as the party of “Tea Party economics” in the months ahead. The memo makes the case that the unpopularity of the Tea Party skyrocketed after the debt ceiling fight, and that America risks a “Tea Party recession” if the GOP continues to obstruct jobs bills from the President and other Democrats.

The Democratic memo argues that “Tea Party economics” are hurting the economic recovery, citing economists from the left and right who have supported solutions like tax cuts, revenue raisers, and jobs bills that Tea Party-influenced Republicans have rejected.

Well, duh!!!

"The Tea Party of the Left"?

Very early in the #occupywallstreet movement, liberal friends of mine were advocating support and calling it "The Tea Party of the Left". While I understand their growing frustrations and desire to be part of something as powerfully destructive to the goals of the political Right as the Tea Party movement has been toward the goals of the political Left, I am troubled by that comparison and goal, and it's definitely not a selling point for me to jump on their bandwagon. (And the Tea Party doesn't like this comparison much either!)

For one thing, the needs of "the 99%" are - or should be - nonpartisan. No political party has a claim on these problems and issues - and they affect people of all parties. The core OWS protestors seem to understand this, but their message has been co-opted by the Left and Liberals in an attempt to serve THEIR political goals. Thus, what could have been an awesome opportunity to build common ground among American people in these troubled times becomes simply another tedious, non-productive instance of "us vs. them".

Second, strategically speaking, for the Left to embrace this movement but not make the connections between what President Obama stands for and has fought for and the OWS gripes is politically short-sighted and just plain puzzling. Instead of championing their candidate, they are championing the movement - and I guess they are assuming this will magically result in positive outcomes in 2012. I don't think that's a given, and to stop being strategic about 2012 in order to jump on the OWS bandwagon seems ridiculously, pathetically, politically stupid for Democrats. (And again, note, OWS is NOT clearly pro-Obama - indeed some indict him along with the Wall Street crooks - fair or not, is this really a comparison Dems want to encourage? What kind of strategy is THAT?) Likewise, it isn't very rhetorically smart to put BO in the position of following the movement thus diluting his image as a leader.

This political and rhetorical chaos astounds me. Because Wall Street is going to suck a whole lot worse if the GOP wins. Just sayin'

I am neither a supporter or an opponent of #occupywallstreet. (Likewise, I am an independent voter). As a rhetorical critic, I find myself standing back and trying to think critically and be academic - objective - appropriately skeptical - and yet coming up frustrated more often than not about the utter lack of practicality and the gleeful rhetorical chaos this movement seems to celebrate. But as the OWS movement evolves, so does my thinking, and I am not closed to hearing different interpretations, analyses and criticisms. I read their forums (but so far these are not a selling point) and listen to different perspectives and the discussions of students and friends on both sides of the political divide.

Nevertheless, I keep coming back to this quote from Eric Hoffer about Mass (fanatical) Movements:

“A rising mass movement attracts and holds a following not by its doctrine and promises but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, barrenness, and meaninglessness of an individual existence. It cures the poignantly frustrated not by conferring on them an absolute truth or remedying the difficulties and abuses which made their lives miserable, but by freeing them from their ineffectual selves – and it does this by enfolding and absorbing them into a closely knit and exultant corporate whole.” (p. 41)

In that sense, they ARE like the Tea Party. Hmmm....

Tea Party Cartoons - US News and World Report

Tea Party Cartoons - US News and World Report

Is the Tea Party Over?

Article from the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/opinion/is-the-tea-party-over.html

UPDATE (10-19-11): Obviously not! http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/tea-party-nation-urges-businesses-stop-hiring-order-hurt-obama