Tax Day Tea Parties
Posted by dorian on April 19, 2009
Pelosi: Tea parties are part of an ‘astroturf’ campaign by ‘some of the wealthiest people in America.’
Ryan Powers, Think Progress
This morning on San Francisco’s KTUV News, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) explained that today’s tea party protests are not by any means an organic grassroots movement. Rather, she said, they are a deliberate astroturf campaign organized by two well-funded right-wing think tanks intent on obstructing the Obama agenda:
PELOSI: What they want is a continuation of the failed economic policies of President George Bush which got us in the situation we are in now. What we want is a new direction. … This [tea party] initiative is funded by the high end — we call call it astroturf, it’s not really a grassroots movement. It’s astroturf by some of the wealthiest people in America to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of for the great middle class.
Watch it:
As ThinkProgress has documented, the principal organizers of the local tea party events are the well-funded right-wing think tanks Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Works. Both of which provided logistical support and public relations assistance, including “sign ideas, sample press releases, and a map of events around the country.”
pictures courtesy of Jesse Russell in Madison, WI.and Mathieu Young, Fresno, CA
A Different Kind of Blog 
Pelosi: This is how dumb she thinks we are. Video said
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dorian9 said
i’ve never seen such ugly and ignorant messages in grassroots protest signs, ever. that’s all i can say about this for now…
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Galen said
These tea parties were originally started by Republican Ron Paul and they were kind of hijacked by the Neo conservatives. But in all actuality the tea parties were suppose to be a bi partisan issue but you can thank Fox for helping the Neo conservatist hijacking the tea parties. The tea parties were never a protest about race or hate as many have said but in fact about enslaving the whole American public with huge debts for years to come by our government.None of these being Obamas fault as it has been going on for years unchecked but what is frigtning is Obama is carrying on the same directions of the Bush administration with the bail outs, Originally a Bush idea. Keeping many of the Bush adminisration like a cancer to his administration, continuing and even stepping up domestic wire tapping and protecting Bush and Cheney from prosecution. The economic problems America are in are due to the federal reserve prininting money at its own whim is why America is in trouble and its both Republicans and Democrtats faults for letting it happen. With the economy like it is, the one thing no American needs is more tax hikes or defecit spending that only compounds interest for our children to pay in the future. People are going to have to see past the whole left right paradigm to fix this nation and to not support leaders when they are wrong even if its your party. That was the mistake of the true conservatives for the last eight years minus a view people in the Republican party like Ron paul.
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Enkill_Eridos said
Well said. But I do have to point out that these tea parties are a mockery of what we did to the Brits. The Boston Tea Party was a sign to the King of England that we did not approve of him taking so much money in taxes from the colonies. As it stands the government really is not taking too many taxes on the middle class but raised taxes for the upper class. These so called tea parties are only told apart of the big picture and they refuse to see the big picture. The bail outs in some cases was a needed thing. You are forgetting the G20 summit that was about helping the Global economy which affects us. The bailouts was just a small part in Obama’s plan of which started at the end of the old administration but was presented in Congress by someone not in the Bush Administration. The bailouts are a Congress thing not a Bush thing. Part of the reason we are in this mess is the Government did not keep a tighter leash on the corporations, and banks. What people do not understand is the amount of work Obama has inherited. With our nation not in good standing with a lot of our old allies and not just with the muslim countries either. Bush borrowing money from China, and the world breaking because of this war and the needless spending he spent in this war. It is a lot for the new administration to deal with. Change does not happen overnight. We will not start to see any improvements on our economy for another year year and a half. The mess is just too big to be fixed in four years. We will start to be on the right track in four years. Even though things does not seem good at the moment does not mean these actions will help in the long term. The problem with Americans is we have no patience we want things now. This is why fast food is thriving in America we are way too impatient. Americans need to slow down and look from a more patient perspective. Good things will happen in time.
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bettyslocombe said
Did thingy leave while I was away? Good.
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Enkill_Eridos said
lol I do not know…
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dorian9 said
betty’s come down to have tea
with e_e galen and me
along came a caravan
of angry chimpanzees
the king’s got no bananas
they’re putting him out to sea
good morning, blog! nice to see friends among the neocon placards. my dogs need walking so i have to obey. read you all later!!
d
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Princess said
tea parties. i didn’t attend, but i watched on tv. thank god for the man that invented the wide angle lens. they all were so fat. sure it looked like a big crowd, but 40 morbidly obese people can appear to be a crowd of 250, easily.
now, if these jackasses don’t want to pay taxes, they should start their own online churches and become 501(c) charities. then they can be as hateful as they want to be.
i am apolitical and have never voted a day in my life.
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Princess said
and i only prayed once in my life, and that was so i could have the nipples that jesus was sporting in “Corpus Hypercubicus”. -Dali.
my prayer was answered the very next morning.
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