Tag Archives: tea party

Bankrolling Tea Party radio

In the expansive and fragmented media universe, each of us can find the news and entertainment we want.  And, if you have the money, you can make sure others have access to your favorite news, views, and entertainment as well.  … Continue reading

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Tax Day protests

April 15 is a great day to stage an anti-tax protest.  Federal taxes are due, forms are complicated, and many people procrastinate.  Few of even the strongest supporters of a strong well-funded government are enthusiastic about filling out forms and … Continue reading

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Tea Party State of the Union response

After President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and after Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (from Washington state) gives the Republican response, Senator Mike Lee (Republican from Utah) will give the Tea Party response.  Senator … Continue reading

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Activism in office

Kshama Sawant joins the Seattle City Council this week, and her support for socialism seemed newsworthy to the editors of the New York Times. The headline notes that the election makes Sawant “a rare elected voice for socialism.”  Sawant campaigned … Continue reading

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Same as it ever was?: Budget politics and the Tea Party

Successful politicians sell out the movements that give them leverage, visibility, and power.  Until yesterday, when the House of Representatives passed a rather mundane two year budget bill that disappointed virtually everyone, the House Republican leadership, particularly Speaker John Boehner, … Continue reading

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Who’s running the immigrant rights movement?

Lots of people. No one. In this regard, the immigrant rights movement isn’t very different from virtually every other social movement in recent American history. While I’ve been awed by the bravery and commitment of the DREAM 9, subjecting themselves … Continue reading

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Can the IRS resurrect the Tea Party?

By allowing mid-level bureaucrats to dump on local Tea Party groups, the Internal Revenue Series provided the movement a chance to regroup and re-emerge on the public stage. Particularly at the grassroots, the Tea Party has mostly severely diminished, divided, … Continue reading

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Immigration divides the Tea Party

Or not?  Conventional wisdom among Republican regulars was that the Party’s harsh “self-deportation” posture was costly in the last election.  Party establishment figures pushed for quick action on immigration reform to put the issue behind them so that they might … Continue reading

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Auditing the Tea Party: One style of American repression

Another example of the old joke: just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you: The revelation that the Internal Revenue Service targeted groups with “Tea Party” or “Patriot” in their names for strict scrutiny tells us … Continue reading

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The Tea Party versus the Republican Party (again)

The Republican Party in Congress is riven between legislators who want to represent their politics clearly and consistently and others who want to govern.  We often score the first group as acolytes of the Tea Party, but it’s a little … Continue reading

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