I Am a Tea Party Participant!!

So, just what does that mean?

Anyone who has read some of my past posts know that I am convinced that the majority of the news media is totally biased in the opposite of the political spectrum than what I am. I am unabashedly conservative, so, if they are considered “unabashed,” most would be considered liberal. And, based on Bernard Goldberg’s book, “Bias” (shortened title from the actual one), their bias leads them to believe that they are the “mainstream” and that anyone even remotely to the right in the political spectrum are “radicals.”

That leads me to this story from The Weekly Standard. Rather than bore you with a preview of the story, I will only say that there are several “traits” they have applied to those of us who are “Tea Party” participants. (A link to the story is at the end.)

MSNBC Host Guest Consider Whether Tea Partiers Are Addicts, ‘Delusional'

Michael Warren

August 3, 2011

The Weekly Standard

MSNBC host Martin Bashir interviewed Stanton Peele, a psychologist and an "expert on addiction," this afternoon. Bashir urged Peele to psychologically evaluate supporters of the Tea Party. "It reminds us of addiction because addicts are seeking something that they can't have," Peele said. "They want a state of happiness or nirvana that can't be achieved except through an artificial substance and reminds us of the Norway situation, when people are thwarted at obtaining something they can't, have they often strike out and Norway is one kind of example to one kind of reaction to that kind of a frustration."

Bashir later asked: "So you're saying that they are delusional about the past and adamant about the future?"

"They are adamant about achieving something that's unachievable, which reminds us of a couple of things. It reminds us of delusion and psychosis," Peele responded.

Yesterday, Democratic House members and Vice President Joe Biden reportedly called Tea Partiers "terrorists," apparently following the lead of many liberals. And Maureen Dowd in today's New York Times compared supporters of the Tea Party and their allies in Congress to "cannibals," "vampires," "zombies," and "the metallic beasts in 'Alien.'"

Here's Bashir's full exchange:

BASHIR: What is the effect giving people their way all of the time? How does it shape our thinking behavior if by being adamant and dogmatic we get our way?

PEELE: Well, the way I think about it is they are pursuing goals that can't be achieved. It's sort of like a child who has some kind of fantasy, and they keep asking you to give them things to acquire that, but it's impossible to arrive at the goal that they want. The idyllic paths that they are pursuing probably never existed and certainly not something we can reach right now.

BASHIR: So you're saying that they are delusional about the past and adamant about the future?

PEELE: They are adamant about achieving something that's unachievable, which reminds us of a couple of things. it reminds us of delusion and psychosis. It reminds us of addiction because addicts are seeking something that they can't have. They want a state of happiness or nirvana that can't be achieved except through an artificial substance and reminds us of the Norway situation, when people are thwarted at obtaining something they can't, have they often strike out and Norway is one kind of example to one kind of reaction to that kind of a frustration.

BASHIR: But going back to the Tea Party in this country. Do you think that having achieved their goal, no new taxes. instead of this actually making them think about compromise in the future? It's actually simply going to harden them so this kind of battle this, kind of standoff, this kind of face-off is just going to become routine in Washington.

PEELE: Well, i'm looking at one beyond. they want no new taxes because they seek some kind of idyllic past. No new taxes won't bring them, won't bring them economic recovery so they will have to turn their attention to some other supposed method of attaining that until they go through all of them. Perhaps they can push through all of them. perhaps people become discontented and perhaps they will become discontented and people are likely to get riled up, and it could become a very angry movement could, potentially become a violent movement.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/msnbc-host-guest-call-tea-partiers-addicts-delusional_581987.html

I have an online friend who is inclined to be more to the “left” than I am. I don’t know him well enough to have a more definitive way to describe him, so I won’t even try. In one statement made by him, he referred to the “Tea Party” as “instilling trouble.” (I’ve asked for an example of that movement being involved with instilling trouble.)

Now, I have been to all but one of the Tea Party rallies that were held in Oklahoma City. In all of those gatherings, there was NO ONE that was trying to instill trouble. If the idea of getting Washington D.C. to be fiscally responsible is “reckless,” then maybe we are troublemakers.

However, on one occasion, I watched a young reporter for one of the local TV stations come with her cameraman and walk around the crowd for a few minutes. Without even setting up the camera for video, she spoke to him and they walked away from the event. She had been looking at the signs being held by people more than the people themselves. I suspect that because she didn’t see ANY signs that were expressing hatred, racism, or anything really negative about President Obama, she felt that the whole event was a non-story. So, there was no story on the rally, which garnered roughly 5000 participants, from that TV station.

Now, let’s get back to the story from The Weekly Standard. Joe Biden (according to some in that closed door meeting) called us “terrorists.” Maureen Dowd of the New York Times called us and our counterparts in Congress “cannibals," "vampires," "zombies," and "the metallic beasts in 'Alien.'"  My online friend is being nice to us, especially when compared to Joe Biden and Maureen Dowd. And, of course, we can’t forget that Stanton Peele and Martin Bashir think we are “addicted” and “delusional.”

Either these people are “biased” or they never attended any of the Tea Party rallies. Perhaps Bashir and Peele should remember that the Tea Party influence led to the changeover of the House of Representatives by a record number of 63 seats from Democrat to Republican. In addition, they also captured 5 more seats in the U.S. Senate, 19 state legislative chambers (more than a total of 600 actual seats) from Maine to Colorado, and a net gain of 5 state governors.

With those kinds of gains in 2010 and projections yet of more gains in 2012, can we really be delusional? So, we will simply stick to our principles and then ignore the babbling, biased members in the news media who are desperately trying to portray us as something we aren’t.

The underlying message from the Tea Party rallies, with young and old, singles and families participating.  Photo cropped so as to not show faces from people who have not signed waivers.