Origins of the Tea Party

[L Ron Cupboard]

So more of a fag party then, as we British would say?

[Obamacult]

So, a study has recently concluded, determining once and for all how the unholy mess known as the Tea Party started. Astroturfed? I knew that. Koch Brothers? Not a surprise at all. Big Tobacco in the 1980's? What the fuck?

A new academic study confirms that front groups with longstanding ties to the tobacco industry and the billionaire Koch brothers planned the formation of the Tea Party movement more than a decade before it exploded onto the U.S. political scene.

Far from a genuine grassroots uprising, this astroturf effort was curated by wealthy industrialists years in advance. Many of the anti-science operatives who defended cigarettes are currently deploying their tobacco-inspired playbook internationally to evade accountability for the fossil fuel industry's role in driving climate disruption.


The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institute of Health, traces the roots of the Tea Party's anti-tax movement back to the early 1980s when tobacco companies began to invest in third party groups to fight excise taxes on cigarettes, as well as health studies finding a link between cancer and secondhand cigarette smoke.

More at the link.

Long story short, it's being bankrolled by Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity because the tobacco industry hates getting taxed and having regulations put on their cancer sticks. What's interesting to me is that although they didn't get really popular until 2008, they've had a website as far back as 2002. I had honestly thought the major backers scooped up a fledgling movement because they were pissed about the possibility of a black democrat becoming president. That this has been around for so long, and was the focus of so much planning is downright scary. Even scarier is the apparent fact that they are going international to spread this anti-democracy infection of a "movement" to other countries.

So, what say you NSG? Surprised? Alarmed? Pleased? Indifferent? Hungry?

Bullshit,

You can't discredit the truth and freedom.

The Tea Party was inspired in opposition to crony capitalism, more specifically the Federal government bailout of the banking and finance industry -- plundering Main Street to save campaign contributors on Wall Street.

Indeed, the revolving door of corruption between Washington and Wall Street remains to this day and it was one of the primary causal mechanisms for the financial crisis of 2008 The bad actors on Wall Street knew they would get bailed out because they are Washington are one in the same.

In sum, it is amusing when someone tries to tell me why me and my friends side with the Tea Party --- I mean how the hell do you know?

[Neutraligon]

So, a study has recently concluded, determining once and for all how the unholy mess known as the Tea Party started. Astroturfed? I knew that. Koch Brothers? Not a surprise at all. Big Tobacco in the 1980's? What the fuck?

More at the link.

Long story short, it's being bankrolled by Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity because the tobacco industry hates getting taxed and having regulations put on their cancer sticks. What's interesting to me is that although they didn't get really popular until 2008, they've had a website as far back as 2002. I had honestly thought the major backers scooped up a fledgling movement because they were pissed about the possibility of a black democrat becoming president. That this has been around for so long, and was the focus of so much planning is downright scary. Even scarier is the apparent fact that they are going international to spread this anti-democracy infection of a "movement" to other countries.

So, what say you NSG? Surprised? Alarmed? Pleased? Indifferent? Hungry?

Bullshit,

You can't discredit the truth and freedom.

The Tea Party was inspired in opposition to crony capitalism, more specifically the Federal government bailout of the banking and finance industry -- plundering Main Street to save campaign contributors on Wall Street.

Indeed, the revolving door of corruption between Washington and Wall Street remains to this day and it was one of the primary causal mechanisms for the financial crisis of 2008 The bad actors on Wall Street knew they would get bailed out because they are Washington are one in the same.

In sum, it is amusing when someone tries to tell me why me and my friends side with the Tea Party --- I mean how the hell do you know?

I don't see anything in the post that mentioned why you joined, just why it was created in the first place.

[Condunum]

So, a study has recently concluded, determining once and for all how the unholy mess known as the Tea Party started. Astroturfed? I knew that. Koch Brothers? Not a surprise at all. Big Tobacco in the 1980's? What the fuck?

More at the link.

Long story short, it's being bankrolled by Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity because the tobacco industry hates getting taxed and having regulations put on their cancer sticks. What's interesting to me is that although they didn't get really popular until 2008, they've had a website as far back as 2002. I had honestly thought the major backers scooped up a fledgling movement because they were pissed about the possibility of a black democrat becoming president. That this has been around for so long, and was the focus of so much planning is downright scary. Even scarier is the apparent fact that they are going international to spread this anti-democracy infection of a "movement" to other countries.

So, what say you NSG? Surprised? Alarmed? Pleased? Indifferent? Hungry?

Bullshit,

You can't discredit the truth and freedom.

The Tea Party was inspired in opposition to crony capitalism, more specifically the Federal government bailout of the banking and finance industry -- plundering Main Street to save campaign contributors on Wall Street.

Indeed, the revolving door of corruption between Washington and Wall Street remains to this day and it was one of the primary causal mechanisms for the financial crisis of 2008 The bad actors on Wall Street knew they would get bailed out because they are Washington are one in the same.

In sum, it is amusing when someone tries to tell me why me and my friends side with the Tea Party --- I mean how the hell do you know?

----- What the OP said.



--- What you decided the OP said so you could rant.

[Wikkiwallana]

So, a study has recently concluded, determining once and for all how the unholy mess known as the Tea Party started. Astroturfed? I knew that. Koch Brothers? Not a surprise at all. Big Tobacco in the 1980's? What the fuck?

More at the link.

Long story short, it's being bankrolled by Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity because the tobacco industry hates getting taxed and having regulations put on their cancer sticks. What's interesting to me is that although they didn't get really popular until 2008, they've had a website as far back as 2002. I had honestly thought the major backers scooped up a fledgling movement because they were pissed about the possibility of a black democrat becoming president. That this has been around for so long, and was the focus of so much planning is downright scary. Even scarier is the apparent fact that they are going international to spread this anti-democracy infection of a "movement" to other countries.

So, what say you NSG? Surprised? Alarmed? Pleased? Indifferent? Hungry?

Bullshit,

You can't discredit the truth and freedom.

The Tea Party was inspired in opposition to crony capitalism, more specifically the Federal government bailout of the banking and finance industry -- plundering Main Street to save campaign contributors on Wall Street.

Indeed, the revolving door of corruption between Washington and Wall Street remains to this day and it was one of the primary causal mechanisms for the financial crisis of 2008 The bad actors on Wall Street knew they would get bailed out because they are Washington are one in the same.

In sum, it is amusing when someone tries to tell me why me and my friends side with the Tea Party --- I mean how the hell do you know?

You seem to be confusing the Tea Party with OWS.

Either that, or you are saying that the Tea Party was founded by psychics who knew the bailout was coming six years in advance, yet decided to instead focus on taxes:


And don't try to claim that's photoshopped, Internet Archive dates it as far back as September 13, 2002.

[Choronzon]

Bullshit,

You can't discredit the truth and freedom.

The Tea Party was inspired in opposition to crony capitalism, more specifically the Federal government bailout of the banking and finance industry -- plundering Main Street to save campaign contributors on Wall Street.

Indeed, the revolving door of corruption between Washington and Wall Street remains to this day and it was one of the primary causal mechanisms for the financial crisis of 2008 The bad actors on Wall Street knew they would get bailed out because they are Washington are one in the same.

In sum, it is amusing when someone tries to tell me why me and my friends side with the Tea Party --- I mean how the hell do you know?

Please, fell free to dissect the study. Tell us what was wrong with its methods.

Because right now we have a peer reviewed study on one hand and the angry shrieking of pissed off tea partiers on the other. Guess which has more credibility outside the FOX echo chamber?

[Stanisburg]

FINALLY somebody gets it!

Well, no, in fairness, the Tea Party as an entity is more that corporate shills. It's corporate shills and people too unaware to recognize they're being manipulated by corporate shills.

Alright, let's say that's the case, the Tea Partiers are being manipulated by corporations. So? They're being manipulated by Americans, and Tea Party is a true American movement. Meanwhile, traitorous OWS'ers are being funded by regimes hostile to the US, like China and Russia.

Like my man JC Denton once said,

"Do you have a single fact to back that up?"

You think the Chinese are bankrolling protests against the US outsourcing jobs to China, importing products from China, and borrowing money from Chinese banks? Damned Inscrutable Yellow Bastards!

I assume most people in the Tea Party are sincere, just like most people at OWS were sincere. I thought the Tea Party was about being pissed that the GOP wasn't delivering enough tax cuts. OWS was about being pissed at Obama over his handling of the recession. Neither of them are going to get what they want any time soon, so naturally they're pissed and they each think their dissatisfaction is the result of a big conspiracy against them (and of course against "the people," who they assume to agree with them) by the other side. It's always amusing when there's two radically opposed groups thinking that way at the same time. (Because it means the actual majority are somewhere in the middle and don't think there's any reason for either extreme to be yelling so much.

The main difference is that OWS was really adamant about not just turning into a disposable of the Democratic party, so they didn't bother trying to get involved in elections. The Tea Party decided to run primary candidates and lap up money from big-time GOP powerbrokers, but their backers were really just looking for an attack dog to help unseat Obama. Now that the Tea Party has o utlived its usefulness to the GOP leaders in Washington, they're being thrown under the bus just like the evangelicals got thrown under the bus in 2008. I'll give OWS a bit more credit for understanding how politics actually works.

[Cevalo Nacio]

FINALLY somebody gets it!

Well, no, in fairness, the Tea Party as an entity is more that corporate shills. It's corporate shills and people too unaware to recognize they're being manipulated by corporate shills.

Alright, let's say that's the case, the Tea Partiers are being manipulated by corporations. So? They're being manipulated by Americans, and Tea Party is a true American movement. Meanwhile, traitorous OWS'ers are being funded by regimes hostile to the US, like China and Russia.

Look Hippo, your mistake is honest but I dont think you get what the Tea Party stands for. Alot of these people vote for Ron Paul a man who advocates isolatyionism in politics. Most Tea Partier cling to the constitution as though it were written by god and are the worst kind of paleoconservative. They would more likely vote for the Bourgeois Party or that other farther right party in Hippostania rather than the NP.

[Brickistan]

The entire so-called "study" is nothing but an exercise is left-wing mendacity. But that's typical with the extreme left, and indicative of how much they fear that patriotic Americans will eventually take effective action to reduce or, hopefully, eliminate the political power of the left once and for all.

Am I the only one who finds such attitudes downright scary? I mean, Mitanni is basically arguing for the end of democracy and the abolishment of free speech.

Besides, I'm wondering just what he would term as "extreme left" seeing as US politics is so massively biased towards the right that I'm not even sure that OWS is to the left. If you can even talk about such a diverse movement having a particular political leaning in the first place...


In any case, as for the Tea Party, I'm frankly surprised than anyone else is surprised that they're funded by corporations. I though it was pretty obvious from the get-go, that they were under corporate control.

[Risottia]

FINALLY somebody gets it!

Well, no, in fairness, the Tea Party as an entity is more that corporate shills. It's corporate shills and people too unaware to recognize they're being manipulated by corporate shills.

Alright, let's say that's the case, the Tea Partiers are being manipulated by corporations. So? They're being manipulated by Americans, and Tea Party is a true American movement. Meanwhile, traitorous OWS'ers are being funded by regimes hostile to the US, like China and Russia.

Well, you're a foreigner to America, and you're trying to manipulate Americans into believing OWS, the Democrats and also the PotUS are traitors.

Expect a drone strike.

[New Chalcedon]

Neu Mitanni, is that you? It's been a long time.

Anyone citing HuffPo for anything immediately sets his credibility circling the bowl.

As someone who has been involved with Tea Party since April 15, 2009, and who was at the 9/12 March with about a million or so of my best friends, I submit that the OP speaks of what he does not know.

As someone who is part of the Tea Party, you must acknowledge that you are biased - no-one likes the idea of essentially having been duped.

To address just a few points, I can say with little fear of contradiction that nobody paid, prompted or encouraged me to join,

The underlined is unlikely, but the rest I'll grant.

that nobody I know in any Tea Party organization gives a rat's rear about tobacco (I don't even know any smokers who are in Tea Party) other than a general opposition to excessive government regulation of any aspect of citizens' lives

By which you mean "any" regulation - if you're Neu Mitanni, I recall you well.

and that for every dollar the dreaded Koch Brothers contribute to conservative causes, an order of magnitude more, at the least, goes to extreme-left causes from a whole rogues' gallery of extreme-left, anti-American individuals, groups and foundations.

[Citation needed]

The entire so-called "study" is nothing but an exercise is left-wing mendacity.

Because your anecdotal case - even assuming you're telling the truth - is absolute, Simon-pure proof that the studies - and the archived Web pages and payment records - are all faked. Of course.

But that's typical with the extreme left, and indicative of how much they fear that patriotic Americans will eventually take effective action to reduce or, hopefully, eliminate the political power of the left once and for all.

Ah, typical conservative dreck. Piously declaiming any desire for power whilst praying for their opponents to lose it all.

[Defensor]

*sigh* These NSG post are so predicatable.

Someone says "Liberal something, yeah!" and 10 others go "Yeah I agree but let me refine your view" then 2 others say "Conservative something, YEAH!" and then 20 other people go "Dude screw you, you're just an ignorant something!". At this point it just loops for 11 pages until it tires out and everyone finds a new post to scream about.

Nationstates General is a virtual NASCAR race...with words...ugh...

[Democratic Koyro]

here i thought that the Tea Party was funded by Kim Jong-il's (and later Kim Jong-un's) drug and arms trade profits in order to create a generally detestable organisation which would be hated by the American public. Thanks to the Tea Party and their hijacking of terms associated with America and applying them only to themselves as "true" Americans, and labelling everyone else as some form of degenerate hippie, this would cause the American People to become disillusioned with Capitalism. Which in turn would cause the collapse of America and that horrible, horrible Homefront game would become a reality. Those North Koreans are crafty individuals.

Sadly it appears i was wrong.

[Dyakovo]

Meanwhile, traitorous OWS'ers are being funded by regimes hostile to the US, like China and Russia.

[Citation needed]

Silly Chrono... Hippo never sources his outrageous claims...

[Free South Califas]

In sum, it is amusing when someone tries to tell me why me and my friends side with the Tea Party --- I mean how the hell do you know?

If that sums up your argument, it can safely be dismissed as completely irrelevant to the topic at hand.

[Spiritwolf]

I disagree.

I wouldn't.
"An entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights or by legislation. A "right" is itself an entitlement associated with a moral or social principle, such that an "entitlement" is a provision made in accordance with legal framework of a society."

Get this much straight at least......... the government OWNS NOTHING. Anything the government GIVES to anyone first has to be TAKEN from someone else. In essence, you (the government/entitlements) are taking away my rights and freedoms and GIVING them to whoever the fuck you feel like giving them to (to include illegal aliens/immigrants currently living in America tax free because they get paid under the table WHILE THEY ARE TAKING JOBS AWAY FROM REAL TAXPAYING AMERICANS). The TEA Party is saying "FUCK THAT!!!" and this is why I support the TEA Party!!!! Screw the Left!!! Screw the Liberals!!! It's time we lived in a FREE America!!!

[Spiritwolf]

The entire so-called "study" is nothing but an exercise is left-wing mendacity. But that's typical with the extreme left, and indicative of how much they fear that patriotic Americans will eventually take effective action to reduce or, hopefully, eliminate the political power of the left once and for all.

Am I the only one who finds such attitudes downright scary? I mean, Mitanni is basically arguing for the end of democracy and the abolishment of free speech.

Besides, I'm wondering just what he would term as "extreme left" seeing as US politics is so massively biased towards the right that I'm not even sure that OWS is to the left. If you can even talk about such a diverse movement having a particular political leaning in the first place...


In any case, as for the Tea Party, I'm frankly surprised than anyone else is surprised that they're funded by corporations. I though it was pretty obvious from the get-go, that they were under corporate control.

Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Vice President Biden, President Obama, just to name a few........ any more dumbass questions?

[Dyakovo]

I wouldn't.
"An entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights or by legislation. A "right" is itself an entitlement associated with a moral or social principle, such that an "entitlement" is a provision made in accordance with legal framework of a society."

Get this much straight at least......... the government OWNS NOTHING. Anything the government GIVES to anyone first has to be TAKEN from someone else. In essence, you (the government/entitlements) are taking away my rights and freedoms and GIVING them to whoever the fuck you feel like giving them to (to include illegal aliens/immigrants currently living in America tax free because they get paid under the table WHILE THEY ARE TAKING JOBS AWAY FROM REAL TAXPAYING AMERICANS). The TEA Party is saying "FUCK THAT!!!" and this is why I support the TEA Party!!!! Screw the Left!!! Screw the Liberals!!! It's time we lived in a FREE America!!!

[Dyakovo]

Am I the only one who finds such attitudes downright scary? I mean, Mitanni is basically arguing for the end of democracy and the abolishment of free speech.

Besides, I'm wondering just what he would term as "extreme left" seeing as US politics is so massively biased towards the right that I'm not even sure that OWS is to the left. If you can even talk about such a diverse movement having a particular political leaning in the first place...


In any case, as for the Tea Party, I'm frankly surprised than anyone else is surprised that they're funded by corporations. I though it was pretty obvious from the get-go, that they were under corporate control.

Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Vice President Biden, President Obama, just to name a few........ any more dumbass questions?

What imagined question do you think you're answering?

[Brickistan]

Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Vice President Biden, President Obama, just to name a few........ any more dumbass questions?

What imagined question do you think you're answering?

To be honest, I was wondering the same.

But boy, is he angry...

[Dyakovo]

What imagined question do you think you're answering?

To be honest, I was wondering the same.

But boy, is he angry...

I mean there's only one question in the post he responded to...
" Am I the only one who finds such attitudes downrightscary? "
" Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Vice President Biden, President Obama, just to name a few....... "

The answer doesn't seem to fit the question...
Although they might find Mitanni's attitude scary...

[Brickistan]

To be honest, I was wondering the same.

But boy, is he angry...

I mean there's only one question in the post he responded to...
" Am I the only one who finds such attitudes downrightscary? "
" Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Vice President Biden, President Obama, just to name a few....... "

The answer doesn't seem to fit the question...
Although they might find Mitanni's attitude scary...

Seeing as they're probably part of Mitanni's "extreme left", you might have a point there.

[Dyakovo]

I mean there's only one question in the post he responded to...
" Am I the only one who finds such attitudes downrightscary? "
" Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Vice President Biden, President Obama, just to name a few....... "

The answer doesn't seem to fit the question...
Although they might find Mitanni's attitude scary...

Seeing as they're probably part of Mitanni's "extreme left", you might have a point there.

They are... His comment about the possibility of Obama being re-elected was "Remember Fort Sumter!"...
Which struck me as amusing... Hey! Remember that time a bunch of traitorous asses started a war they couldn't win!

[Mavorpen]

So their organization was created around the 5 year old mentality of, "mommy why do you love me if you keep me from setting things on fire?"

[Mavorpen]

Bullshit,

You can't discredit the truth and freedom.

The Tea Party was inspired in opposition to crony capitalism, more specifically the Federal government bailout of the banking and finance industry -- plundering Main Street to save campaign contributors on Wall Street.

Indeed, the revolving door of corruption between Washington and Wall Street remains to this day and it was one of the primary causal mechanisms for the financial crisis of 2008 The bad actors on Wall Street knew they would get bailed out because they are Washington are one in the same.

In sum, it is amusing when someone tries to tell me why me and my friends side with the Tea Party --- I mean how the hell do you know?

----- What the OP said.



--- What you decided the OP said so you could rant.

"Son I think you should eat more vegetables."

"You're not my real mom! Stop being a fascist! Why do you hate me!?"