RSS Feed MenuI attended the premiere of this film hoping that it would be dismal, or at least corny enough to be entertaining. Yet despite its many faults, Tea Party: The Documentary Film managed to do well in capturing the energy behind the Tea Party protests, and skilfully presented profiles of individuals driven by frustration to rally against government overreaching.
The narrative is clear: the Tea Party Patriots are all ordinary people with ordinary lives and ordinary ambitions. Among the protagonists: Jack, a baseball coach and father of two; William, a former government employee who is now a pastor; and Jenny Beth, a former small business owner.
The movie follows the paths of Tea Party movement from the nascent irritation over TARP; from there to frustration over the stimulus; which continued to aggravation at cap and trade; then to dissatisfaction with czars; finally culminating in an paroxysm of irritation at the 9/12 tea party protests.
“Why am I going to D.C.? I’m going to get on the bullhorn. I’m going to yell, I’m going to scream,” said Nate, an African American who voted for Obama for reasons of race but was soon turned off by rampant government spending.
The message, if you haven’t gotten it yet, is that they’re pissed off. With everything. And who could blame them?
Jenny Beth tells a poignant story about the repossession of her home, located on a busy street. One can’t help but feel pity for someone who had to bear the humiliation of having their earthly possessions strewn haphazardly across their front yard for all the passing traffic to see.
Their fury is palpable – and understandable. A government which intervenes to save bankers – among the most well off in society – while allowing people like Jenny Beth to lose their homes inspires resentment easily. The old adage “socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor” rings especially true for these Tea Partiers.
However, once you get beyond the visceral emotion, a second look reveals a glaring flaw in the film: a failure to acknowledge the real problem of undesirable nuts in the movement.
William, a white pastor for a predominately black church, emphasizes that he’s not racist, and you know what? I believe him. But neither he nor the other protestors make much of an attempt to denounce the movement’s real extremists: the birthers, the truthers, the conspiracy theorists, and the real racists in their camp.
The film’s largest shortcoming is its revisionism – not a single odious slogan is chanted, not a single offensive sign is to be seen. Having reported from numerous tea partiers, I can say that this is highly unrealistic. It takes no effort to find an extremist at a Tea Party.
As such, it seems highly likely that the documentary’s producers deliberately left out footage of controversial persons and signs. After all, had you only seen the movie, you would be under the impression that this is a completely reasonable group of people, out exercising their democratic rights. The crazies may not have been in the mainstream of the movement, but they were certainly commonplace enough that it would have taken a contrived effort to leave them out of this film.
The film leaves the impression of a movement which can mobilize with amazing speed and enthusiasm, yet lacks the will to mobilize against the extremist elements within it. United only by a sense of frustration over government spending, the Tea Party movement appears to splinter over most other issues.
In fact, the movement can’t even decide if it represents a mainstream majority or a small but admirable group of principled radicals. Obviously you can’t be both, and yet this movie tries to circle that square.
A constant argument through the movie was that the Tea Partiers weren’t a fringe element in American political life, but rather a “sleeping giant” of the mainstream that had been awoken – that in reality their positions were now the new center of the political spectrum.
Yet in his introduction of the film, Congressman Tom Price proudly characterized the movement as a resilient but small band of brothers, quoting Samuel Adams: “It doesn’t take a majority to prevail, but an irate and tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom.”
Whether or not they’re a minority, the metaphor is apt. Tea Partiers across the country have indeed set off brushfires – but irate individuals don’t handle matches very well.
This Tea Party film misses all the instances in which extremists in their camp have set off dangerously wild fires. In a way, this documentary is a perfect reflection of the movement’s failure to denounce the evil amongst them. Even worse, this movie pretends it doesn’t exist. And isn’t that a crime of its own?
PracticalGirl // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Otto:
Probably not any “box office records”. But propaganda producers aren’t after anyone new. This is simply a vertical marketing technique designed only to speak to those who already believe it and just want to hear it again at the MOVIES!!
LFC // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:25 pm
MI-GOPers metric is… If FoxNews is Pravda, BarryS, why does FoxNews continue to gain more market share, have higher rated news shows than liberally-biased, conventional MSM cable shows and hold a more diverse audience than any pro-Democrat cable show on the air?
By the metric of popularity, Abba is only second to the Beatles over the past 50 years or so. MI-GOPer, do you feel that Abba is the second greatest musical group every to be assembled since 1960? Using your style of metric, you do.
Follow-up Question: And just how many times have you seen “Mamma Mia”?
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:28 pm
“BarryS:
Haven’t you noticed? This is MiGOPers download time. He’s spending some quality time with Glenn Beck and Fox News so he can figure out a new word for “troll”.”
Nope he is hiding out in the Uncertain trumpet thread. I just found him and asked the same question there. I guess he will then run away to another thread. He can run but he cant hide forever. As Bush said I want him dead or alive. Hope I am more successful than Bush!
PracticalGirl // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:30 pm
LFC:
Shhhhh…MiGOPer already has glenn Beck turned up as loud as he can. Have some resppect for his education hours.
PracticalGirl // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:32 pm
As the kids say,, OMG.
MiGOPer can post AND get reeducated at the same time? Newfound respect for him
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:39 pm
MiGOPer.
I know you are peeking here and not responding. Now come out and give us your supreme wisdom oh great one. You have an opinion on everything under the sun. Give us the fruit of your great knowledge on the birther issue. Are you a true believer oh troll chaser.
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:41 pm
MiGOPer can post AND get reeducated at the same time? Newfound respect for him
Nope he gets “Independent” to learn for him while he blogs. It’s a great advantage of having multiple personalities.
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I found the missing MI-GOPer.
He was searching for his gonads somewhere in Detroit. He lost those important appendages sometime about 12.23 and has not found them. Last I heard they had been turned into a pair of Trucknutz (TM) and were on the freeway to Lancing.
CentristNYer // Dec 4, 2009 at 2:00 pm
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:54 pm
“I found the missing MI-GOPer. He was searching for his gonads somewhere in Detroit. He lost those important appendages sometime about 12.23 and has not found them.”
Are you sure he EVER had them, Barry?
ottovbvs // Dec 4, 2009 at 2:01 pm
PracticalGirl // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Otto:
Probably not any “box office records”. But propaganda producers aren’t after anyone new. This is simply a vertical marketing technique designed only to speak to those who already believe it and just want to hear it again at the MOVIES!!”
…..sure it’s preaching to the choir but it’s not going to bring any new adherents is it?
CentristNYer // Dec 4, 2009 at 2:02 pm
But wait, BarryS — you’re me and I’m you and we’re both Otto and ten others and we’re really just sock puppets for Nancy Pelosi.
Damn, I’m so confused…
LFC // Dec 4, 2009 at 2:06 pm
But wait, BarryS — you’re me and I’m you and we’re both Otto and ten others and we’re really just sock puppets for Nancy Pelosi.
To quote an old line:
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I’m a schizophrenic,
And so am I.
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 2:17 pm
“But wait, BarryS — you’re me and I’m you and we’re both Otto and ten others and we’re really just sock puppets for Nancy Pelosi.
Damn, I’m so confused…”
I was Otto last night, Balcon this morning, guess I will be you later and practical girl at dinner…. All this typing in different threads all at the same time sure is hard.
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 2:33 pm
HMM looks like the powers that be do not wish us to know that there are birthers here. Wonder why?
MI-GOPer // Dec 4, 2009 at 2:39 pm
BarryS, you’re part of the multiple named troll tribe that balconesfault uses to manage the threads and appear the discussion is 100% far Left, anti-Bush all the time. You know that. You’ve never been as addled brained as Otto. Otto’s schtick is to just irritate and try to sound faux-European. I think he’s claimed to have more lives and lived in more places than a bedbug on RosieODonnell’s back.
I’ve never thought of you as a sock puppet. For that, you’d need your own original thoughts.
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Welcome back Birther boy.
You found your gonads yet?
Ok then Mi-Goper just answer one straight question as three are so hard for you.
Was the President born in the USA Yes/NO
Pretty simple question, should not need a great deal of research or thought.
Give it to me birther boy.
CentristNYer // Dec 4, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Barry, don’t rush him — he’s waiting to hear what the voices in his head tell him.
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Yep, Cent. It’s only taken 4 hours for him to think up an answer for a yes/no question. I did get a no to the question was the president born in the USA but it was he now says ambiguous ( No can be ambiguous I guess!) so I ma asking again in plain language so there is no question what he believes.
Classing Up The Tea Parties // Dec 4, 2009 at 3:24 pm
[...] The Tea Party Documentary has premiered and it seems that the framing of the issue is perfect… unless you’ve actually followed the tea party movement. From my favorite conservative blog, FrumForum: [...]
MI-GOPer // Dec 4, 2009 at 3:49 pm
BarryS, joined by CentristNYer, and egged on by the twin dykes of PracticalGrrrl and txAnnie, bait: “Mi-Goper come in your time is up…”
So true in so many ways. I have answered your question, BarryS at least three times now and helped clarfiy for you what “no” means through all your childish tantrums and attention-grabbing highjinks. It matters not to you because, like you’ve done here repeatedly, slurring with gonads, coward and calling someone yellow is the best you can do on your better days. I’m gay, BarryS; we always know where our manhood lies.
It doesn’t help that your echo chambered pals egg you on as the short, dim-witted skewl boi bully with an oversized neck and a mouth that tries to write checks his brain & body can’t cash. But if you want to be their tool, so be it.
I answered you as I’ve volunteered an answer in the recent past when you were using the same issue to hammer someone else. It seems you can’t contain a simple answer –it might be that for you, like others in the echo chamber of the far Left here, simply drawing attention to yourself by being a pest is the ultimate goal of your time here… on this blog… the one about rebuilding the conservative movement and returning the GOP to its majority status.
Tantrums don’t help disavow the perception you’re junior-class dimwit, BarryS… or balconesfault… or Mr Face… or, what is the next troll up from the tribe?
CentristNYer // Dec 4, 2009 at 4:00 pm
BTW, while we’re on the topic of the birthers, did you see where the mayor of Arlington, TN posted a complaint on facebook that Obama’s speech pre-empted “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” thereby confirming that he’s really a Muslim?
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/dec/04/mayor-fires-at-obama-online/
BarryS // Dec 4, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Please Mi-Gopher can you point me to the threads and the post number where you answered my question. I am aware of only one where you answered no to the question Was the President born in the USA.
Then you jumped off that particular bridge and retreated. I just want a simple answer to a simple question then I will leave you alone.
chinagreenelvis // Dec 4, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Fighting fire with fire, folks? Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny… or at the very least FrumForum.
cpanza // Dec 4, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Elvis is right. Don’t take the bait. Many of the posters here, on all sides, make quality contributions to FF. Let’s tune out the noise and focus on signal.