| Monterey County, CA | June 5, 2012 Election |
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Is it the Tea Party or just the Me Party?By Vinz KollerCandidate for Member, Democratic Party County Central Committee; County of Monterey; Supervisorial District 5 |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Op-Ed for Monterey HeraldWith so much being written about the tea party, let's sort out fact from myth: Is it really a threat and if so, to the Democrats or the Republicans. What is it against, and is it for anything? Is it going to last? Who are its members? What are their motivations? Thanks to some recent polls, many of these questions have been answered. The overwhelming majority of Tea Party members are white. They're older and better off than most Americans. They're more conservative than even the average Republican. They have been less impacted by the recent economic downturn than the average American. And, a full 63% watch Fox News as a primary source of news. We also know something about the beliefs Tea Partiers hold. Tea Partiers are against government institutions, such as the Federal Reserve, the Internal Revenue Service, and they want social service programs eliminated. They want the United States to withdraw from the United Nations if not from the world itself. Their protest is against a society that has become more and more complex--a society where they believe they are losing out, displaced by minorities and immigrants, a society that is no longer "theirs". Perhaps it is not so much about "Tea" and more about "Me"? What prompts these privileged Americans to become angry protesters, spewing sordid tirades at lawmakers? It's easy to understand anger about lost jobs, foreclosed homes, and declining assets. Americans by some estimates lost over fourteen trillion dollars in assets in 2008; many of them cannot hope to recoup their losses during their lifetimes. They worry that their retirement is at risk. Anger needs an outlet, opening the way for opportunistic leaders in search of an audience. Movements led by false prophets typically emerge during severe economic downturns. In the 1840s and 50s the Know Nothings--direct precursors to the Republican Party-- blamed German and Irish Catholics, demanding a crackdown on immigration from Catholic countries and even advocating only Protestants should teach in public schools. Today the Tea Partiers, joined by much of the Republican leadership, respond to economic crises by railing against the poor and immigrants instead of the corporations that are actually responsible. The ultimate irony is that while Tea Partiers shout for less government we are in the midst of three devastating crises that call not for less + but for more effective government: the meltdown on Wall Street, the mining disaster in West Virginia, and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And yet, the Tea Party + in league with the Republican leadership - is balking at better regulations to curb the excesses of those industries. There is a silver lining to this story: Even though the "me first" attitude is part of a predictable backlash, it seldom carries the day. Past crises did eventually bring our country together. We usually emerged with an expanded social contract, realizing we cannot succeed as a nation if we leave segments of our society behind. Out of the Great Depression came the New Deal. Out of the civil rights struggle came the Great Society. I believe that unity will overcome division once again. In November of 2008 we chose a leader who vowed to build a future that includes all of us, not just the privileged few. We chose a leader who confronts our problems head on--even those that have defied us for generations. He has been tackling them one by one. Those are reasons why the Party of Me will not prevail. |
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