# Do you personally know someone who's been to a Tea Party or yelled at a town hall? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 20, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841 "2009-09-20T16:29:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/61 "2009-09-24T14:44:39Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > I’m sure most people here have seen [this footage](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPMjC9mq5Y) from the 9/12 DC Tea Party march. Can someone find me something equally as entertaining from the Radical Left? You’re not looking. > **[Redirect Notice](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:%2F%2Fwww.ringospictures.com%2Fphotos%2F20090816%2F7.jpg&imgrefurl=http:%2F%2Fwww.freerepublic.com%2Ffocus%2Fchat%2F2340353%2Fposts&usg=__-vPk_WGCbc73zhdOmSgDoIg7J14=&h=519&w=500&sz=91&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=PFIIFd1tKcHB6M:&tbnh=131&tbnw=126&prev=%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dliberal%2Bprotest%2Bhate%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enUS217US239%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1)** (scroll) [![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iKcZ3qcCmyo/SQngTp6z8LI/AAAAAAAAK1A/Dg826VY7W2A/s400/satan.jpg) ](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iKcZ3qcCmyo/SQngTp6z8LI/AAAAAAAAK1A/Dg826VY7W2A/s400/satan.jpg) [![](https://maaadddog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/liberals_hate_troops.jpg) ](https://maaadddog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/liberals_hate_troops.jpg) [http://viralpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/bush\_nazi\_hitler.jpg](http://viralpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/bush_nazi_hitler.jpg) [http://www.wnd.com/images/bushhitler.jpg](http://www.wnd.com/images/bushhitler.jpg) [![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/SPLGItqj_SI/AAAAAAAAWXg/U1_UIY0pOTQ/s400/palin+c-nt.JPG) ](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/SPLGItqj_SI/AAAAAAAAWXg/U1_UIY0pOTQ/s400/palin+c-nt.JPG) [![](https://marcuse.faculty.history.ucsb.edu/classes/33d/projects/media/BushHitlerPlakard053.jpg) ](https://marcuse.faculty.history.ucsb.edu/classes/33d/projects/media/BushHitlerPlakard053.jpg) [![](https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1226/1394875748_09c261a4e1.jpg) ](https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1226/1394875748_09c261a4e1.jpg) [http://www.rightwingnews.com/graphics/bushhitlerberk.jpg](http://www.rightwingnews.com/graphics/bushhitlerberk.jpg) [http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c60bf53ef0120a52b0680970c-500wi](http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c60bf53ef0120a52b0680970c-500wi) About two minutes on google… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/62 "2009-09-24T15:53:44Z")
Most of those are fairly benign (“Sarah Palin is a cunt” Boo fucking hoo), others are tongue in cheek. I can’t tell the provenence of any of them (I’m not even sure they’re all from the US). They are also exceptions rather than the rule. “Bush=Hitler” is not a sentiment that was being promoted in the media. That kind of horseshit is mainstream on the right. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/63 "2009-09-24T16:03:27Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The anti-Iraq War protests really were a grass roots response to real events, not the kind of fake, media created fan-cons that the teabag parties are. How were they any more grass roots? You are forgetting all the huge anti-war protests organized by left wing groups like Ramsey Clark’s socialist group ANSWER with all their Workers World Party retreads. Doesn’t mean the people protesting were any less serious in their anti-war beliefs. But, it shows you that there HAS to be some organizing to put together a protest. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/64 "2009-09-24T16:16:30Z")
Yes, but the organizing was still done by the protesters, not by media outlets. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/65 "2009-09-24T16:24:42Z")
And you’d find only a very few people there who even knew what a Trotskyite _is_. What’s so hard to understand about protesting a march to war based on lies? Does it require being ordered by the Central Committee of The Left, via subliminal messages transmitted by Rachel Maddow’s eyebrows or something? ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/66 "2009-09-24T16:27:29Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Yes, but the organizing was still done by the protesters, not by media outlets. Still seems like astroturf to me. Not just a collection of protesters putting together a protest. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/67 "2009-09-24T16:30:37Z")
You think the protests were _fake_??? ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/68 "2009-09-24T16:31:58Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > And you’d find only a very few people there who even knew what a Trotskyite _is_. > > What’s so hard to understand about protesting a march to war based on lies? Does it require being ordered by the Central Committee of The Left, via subliminal messages transmitted by Rachel Maddow’s eyebrows or something? What’s your point? I didn’t claim that the protesters were any less sincere or even knew who was behind the organization. What’s so hard to understand about protesting a quadrupling of the deficit and the government trying to nationalize multiple industries? Does it require being ordered by the Central Committee of The Right, via subliminal messages transmitted by Glenn Beck’s eyebrows or something? ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/69 "2009-09-24T16:33:36Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > You think the protests were _fake_??? Are you capable of reading? If so, go back and read my last few posts again. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/70 "2009-09-24T16:45:35Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > What’s your point? I didn’t claim that the protesters were any less sincere or even knew who was behind the organization. What’s \*your \*point in bringing it up? :dubious: Just another desperately failed _tu quoque_? > [@](#): > > What’s so hard to understand about protesting a quadrupling of the deficit and the government trying to nationalize multiple industries? What’s so hard to understand about why that wasn’t being protested the last 8 years when all that was actually happening? What’s so hard to understand about an alleged “fair and balanced” “news” organization actually creating and promoting the very events they are purporting to cover? What’s so hard to understand about their lying grandiosely about something so simple as the attendance there, in an attempt to be able to claim it’s actually a grassroots movement and not a ratings-pumpup stunt? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/71 "2009-09-24T16:45:51Z")
The anti-war protests were organized by war-protesters. The Teabag parties are organized by Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/72 "2009-09-24T16:52:30Z")
But Clinton got a blowjob, don’t you remember? A blowjob! ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/73 "2009-09-24T17:07:39Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > What’s \*your \*point in bringing it up? :dubious: Just another desperately failed _tu quoque_? Okay, so you can’t read and you think you’re clever. Bad combination. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/74 "2009-09-24T17:12:37Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The anti-war protests were organized by war-protesters. The Teabag parties are organized by Fox News. Do you really believe ANSWER is an anti-war protest group? ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/75 "2009-09-24T17:28:10Z")
Regarding double standards, I think it’s also worth noting that the right wing absolutely pounced on demonstrations (and reactions to them) that didn’t even remotely approach the magnitude of what we’re seeing with the anti-Obama rhetoric. Remember that utterly benign pro-McCain demonstration on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that was pointed to as an illustration of the depravity and ruthlessness of liberals because a few people said, “Boo, McCain” and said “No, thank you” to McCain t-shirts? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/76 "2009-09-24T17:55:15Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Do you really believe ANSWER is an anti-war protest group? Do you really believe they were behind it all? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/77 "2009-09-24T19:20:53Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The anti-war protests were organized by war-protesters. The Teabag parties are organized by Fox News. They’re organized primarily by FreedomWorks. They get a lot of coverage by Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/78 "2009-09-24T19:22:42Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Do you really believe they were behind it all? ANSWER, along with United for Peace and Justice, were the primary organizers of the anti-war protests. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/79 "2009-09-24T19:37:01Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > ANSWER, along with United for Peace and Justice, were the primary organizers of the anti-war protests. What “organization” did you see in them? Hell, what awareness did you see among any of the millions upon millions of participants of those people’s role, to the extent that there was any? And what difference would it have made anyway? [Just “coverage” by Fox, you say?](http://mediamatters.org/reports/200904080025) > [@](#): > > While discussing the April 15 protests on his April 6 program, Glenn Beck suggested that viewers could “[c]elebrate with Fox News” by either attending a protest or watching it on Fox News. Beck stated that in addition to himself, hosts Neil Cavuto, Greta Van Susteren, and Sean Hannity would be “live” at different protests. While Beck spoke, on-screen text labeled those protests as “ **FNC Tax Day Tea Part** ies.” > > [TaxDayTeaParty.com](http://TaxDayTeaParty.com) lists Fox News contributors Michelle Malkin and Tammy Bruce as “Tea Party Sponsors.” The sponsors section also lists American Solutions for Winning the Future, whose general chairman is Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich. Gingrich filmed a video “invitation” to attend the April 15 protests. According to [TaxDayTeaParty.com](http://TaxDayTeaParty.com), “Gingrich will be a featured speaker” at the April 15 protest in New York City Astroturf. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841/80 "2009-09-24T20:00:44Z")
> [@furt](#): > > You’re not looking. Yeah yeah, everyone’s a Hitler. I’m still waiting for Dubya as an African witch doctor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-someone-whos-been-to-a-tea-party-or-yelled-at-a-town-hall/510841.md?page=5)