PrintOctober 19, 2010
Tea Party Portrayed Responsibly in the NYT
It sure looks like Ross Douthat, writing in The New York Times, does a not-too-terrible job of painting the Tea Party in a responsible light, destroying the standard liberal narratives in the process.
"[J]ust 5 percent of the 250 signs [at rallies] referenced Barack Obama's race or religion, and 1 percent brought up his birth certificate. The majority focused on bailouts, deficits and spending -- exactly the issues the Tea Partiers claim inspired their movement in the first place."
Douthat goes on to say that most Tea Party candidates are not kooks, Tea Partiers are not puppets of the sinister rich and the Tea Party is not a new John Birch Society. He also finds, rightly so, that the "Tea Partiers are racists" theory is not only inflammatory, but not even worthy of analysis.
I have one point of contention with Douthat on the few Tea Party candidates he finds a bit too much on the fringe: O'Donnell, Paladino and Iott. Each could be defended in his or her own right. But what bothers me is the double-standard. You want to call these folks kooks? Have you ever seen some of the Democrats already in office?
You don't even have to go as deep as Representative Hank Johnson who thinks Guam might tip over if too many people are on it. Just look at some of the Democrat stars: Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. These folks should fit almost any definition of "kook."
Christine O'Donnell played with a Ouija board as a teenager? Barney Frank's male prostitute boyfriend was bringing his clients to Frank's house. And Frank was no teenager at the time, but a sitting Congressman.
You think Carl Paladino is a little uncouth or too angry at times? Have you ever listened to Congressman Alan Grayson or Anthony Weiner? Paladino says things on the spur of the moment under pressure. Grayson's and Weiner's rants are on the floor of the House, with prepared cue cards and visual aids.
Apparently, Iott is disqualified from office for taking the role of a Nazi in a war re-enactment. Then I guess Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List) better not pursue public office.
Dennis Kucinich, John Conyers, Pete Stark, etc., etc. All kooks, in my book. Did Christine O'Donnell once discourage masturbation? Senator Robert Byrd (may he rest in peace) encouraged membership in the Ku Klux Klan as a recruiter and Grand Kleagle.
I'm not even sure O'Donnell, Paladino, Iott, etc. are all that kooky. But please, if kookiness is the new litmus test, the current Congress needs a major flushing.
