Tag Archives: tea party

The Culture/Politics Thing (again)

Posted on November 18, 2010 by David S. Meyer

I thought that I was done writing about either Bristol Palin or Dancing with the Stars.  Dancing voters, however, sent her along to the show’s final round, at the expense of singer, Brandy, a somewhat older single mother.  The decision … Continue reading →

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Bristol: Tea Party Test of Strength

Posted on November 12, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Is the fix in for Bristol Palin on Dancing with the Stars?  Despite notching relatively weak scores from the judges, the viewers’ votes have kept Bristol on the dance floor–and the show–week after week.  She is now one of the … Continue reading →

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The Uses of History

Posted on November 6, 2010 by David S. Meyer

It’s not that those who don’t know history are condemned to repeat it.  Rather, those who don’t know about the past become victims of the waves of enthusiasm perpetrated by others.  History provides context for the present; it’s not that … Continue reading →

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Taking the Tea Party Indoors

Posted on November 4, 2010 by David S. Meyer

It was an extremely crappy election for Democrats.  The 60 seat loss (thus far) in the House is historic, but it’s not all.  Democrats lost seats in the Senate and across the states.   You may be able to find the … Continue reading →

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Is the (Tea) Party Over?

Posted on November 2, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Mostly, yes.  On election night, before any results come in, I feel confident in saying that the influence of the Tea Party as a mass movement peaked 6-8 weeks ago, with the end of the primary season. The Tea Party … Continue reading →

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What Glenn Beck knows (part II)

Posted on October 29, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Again, it’s not American history.  Beck does know, however, that people like to find authorities who agree with them.  The fact that people who like what Glenn Beck, uh, teaches, can log onto Amazon and find real books (bound and … Continue reading →

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What Glenn Beck knows

Posted on October 28, 2010 by David S. Meyer

It’s not what he says he knows: American history or the  Constitution.  The factual errors in his history lessons appear routinely, draw criticism or correction, and then vanish into the ether.  They don’t appear to bother him, audience, or his … Continue reading →

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A March is not a Movement

Posted on October 19, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Fifteen years after the Million Man March, it’s hard to find any kind of substantial effect.  At The Root, Jon Jeter writes that Black community is more divided than it was in 1995, and that, as a group, Black men … Continue reading →

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Tweet the Revolution?

Posted on October 2, 2010 by David S. Meyer

People either seem to overestimate or underestimate the potential impact of internet-based social media on social and political change.  I think it’s because they are confused about just what something like Facebook is replacing. As example:  Malcolm Gladwell ( New … Continue reading →

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Can Activists Become Politicians? (Hint: Jeannette Rankin)

Posted on September 18, 2010 by David S. Meyer

On Congress.org, Ambreen Ali  ascribes some of Christine O’Donnell’s electoral difficulties to her background as an activist: It was shortly after college when the Delaware Republican embraced an identity aspiring politicians usually avoid: She became an activist. Though political candidates … Continue reading →

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