TEA BAG BUST

TEA BAG BUST
In answer to the question “what if you threw a party and nobody showed?” the FOX News sponsored Tea Bag parties managed to garnish 618,000 protestors in about 800 American locales. That’s two tenths of 1% of the U.S. population, an average of 78 people per location (some sites had about ten people while others numbered in the thousands).
Put in perspective, Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel and Diana Ross each drew crowds of 500,000 in Central Park, New York, a city that drew 12,500 tea bag protestors (in Miss Ross’ case she drew the same crowd twice due to late rain out). New York is comprised of 8.36 million citizens, and borders Connecticut, New Jersey and Up State which can draw an additional 2 million from each area.
Sean Hannity of Fox News, who broadcasted from the Georgia party site of 25 to 30,000, often maligns the Million Man March hosted by Farrakhan claiming they only drew 400,000 people (the police department reported 800,000). Yet he claims the Tea Bag party to be a ground swell movement!
Where is this so called anger and uprising we were told to expect? Most viewers expecting to see the equivalent to an Abortion Rights or Pro Life march on Washington, or remember Anti War or Anti Nuke rallies, or the ground swell of the Civil Rights marches were severely disappointed.
Adding to the confusion is the mixed messages being delivered. While some were protesting taxes (although none have been raised yet and we are still under the Bush tax plan), others were against government bailouts of anybody. One sign read “Reverse NAFTA now” definitely not a conservative Republican theme, while many simply voiced their displeasure with Obama in not so polite terms.
The protestors were not the wealthy elite (they brainwash others do their dirty work) but average Americans who either retained their job due to a bailout, received unemployment benefit extensions and COBRA provisions, had their homes secured through new mortgage re-writes, and had their 401K’s further secured by TARP funding to banks. The result is we avoided a wave of bank liquidations and corporate failures along with 25% to 30% unemployment.
Not helping this “Day of Outrage” was recent polls that showed while 44% don’t want any bailouts, 39% did want some form of government intervention and 12% didn’t mind intervention at all. Add to this Obama is still polling in the low 60% favorability, and we have a new “silent majority” amused at the lost message and circus atmosphere of the Tea Bag Parties.
Of course Democrats can’t leave well enough alone. Jeanine Garofalo damned all protestors as racist, she who demands open mindedness as part of the radical liberal sect, and Pelosi belittles people who did show up as “Astroturf,” in case we needed to be reminded of what a foot in one’s mouth sounds like.
The Tea Bag turnout was laughable and reiterated most Americans are behind President Obama and the need to do what is necessary to correct the economy and economic injustice. Democrats, radical or otherwise, should have more self confidence, shut up and let the facts speak for themselves.

David DiBello