Friday, June 25, 2010

Max Blumenthal goes inside the Tea Party

This program leans heavily to the left but it's kind of interesting. Blumenthal isn't the most charismatic on camera personality but I agree with his observations about the tea partiers that
"I think these people are hurting economically, a lot of them are, and they're seeking solutions in irrational ways and they're blaming forces that have nothing to do with their pain... but there is a grass roots rage. The question is, how can that rage be channelled into something positive that can bring a genuine populist movement that's multiracial and multi-political together and direct it against power?"
I would prefer it if he had said "apolitical" instead of "multi-political" as political factions are a major part of the problems this country faces and often the very obstacle that stands in the way of solving those problems.

Another observation made by Blumenthal regards the origins of the tea party movement:
"This tea party movement says that they're libertarian but they're clearly authoritarian. When they talk about getting the government out of their lives, they're just talking about lowering taxes even though it wouldn't actually benefit them--it would only benefit the rich--but they're happy to have the government in the bedroom."
Diehard tea party advocates would probably bristle at that accusation of authoritarianism but I think that Blumenthal is identifying the fact that this movement--which had libertarian roots--has been hijacked by right-wing extremists and the most conservative operatives of the GOP base who are in fact authoritarian when it comes to things like civil liberties, LGBT issues, prohibition and foreign policy. These are "values" that are embraced by Republicans, not true libertarians who don't think that it's government's place to infringe on those very rights that Republicans fight so hard to control.

That being said, I invite you to watch this program and, as my late mother would say, take it for whatever it may be worth--and as long as it's still online. I doubt there's permission to host the whole program here.

Max Blumenthal goes inside the Tea Party from Ram Bam on Vimeo.



FYI: The video file is 40 minutes long but the program itself is only 28 minutes. Then there's 12 minutes of blankness. You can skip that part. ;-)

Here's an extended scene hosted by IFC.com

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