TODAY WE BEGIN A BRIEF TOUR of the territory of the tea party, of its origins and angels, its philosophical depths and the sweep of its broad analyses of the issues of our day.
It becomes clear, by the way, that in any survey of the role of the Koch brothers in guidance of the nation, one surely ought never to underplay the powerful, central role they have played in the creation and the care and feeding of the most powerful of the tea party groups.
Perhaps you are one of those who denigrated the tea partiers for being “off the wall”; “bat—- crazy”; or, more mildly, as just plain “clueless.” If so, pause and please note below some of the tea party’s considered contributions to our national debate.
From Huffington Post, “Tea Party Speaker: Hang Patty Murray,” May 25, 2011:
“A tea party gathering in Asotin County, Washington turned more than a bit ugly on Saturday when a featured speaker actually called for the hanging of Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
“The event, which about 500 people attended, was organized by Lewis and Clark Tea Party Patriots, a group that (somewhat appropriately) advocates “freedom of speech” as a cherished principle.” (!)
Then there is the rich content and profound messaging of the signs displayed at a recent tea party rally:
“Obama’s Plan — White Slavery”
“The American Taxpayers are the Jews for Obama’s Ovens”
“Our Tax Dollars Given to Hamas to KILL Christians, Jews and Americans”
“No Taxes — Obama Loves Taxes — Bankrupt USA”
“Loves Baby Killing”
“Barack Obama: The New Face of Hitler”
“Guns Tomorrow!”
“Barack Obama supports ABORTION, SODOMY, SOCIALISM AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER”
(Please note that these are among the less graphic messages!)
Unfortunately, there are those upon whom the power and profundity of such sentiments is lost in the mists of their foggy grasp of potential dire peril at the hands of The Obama.
Exciting as these bulletins from Tea Party Reality are — and there are many hundreds more; actually thousands, but I tire easily these days — it is necessarily time to return to boring, everyday reality.
Perhaps you are one of those who, like me, was fascinated by the apparent 2009 emergence of the tea party, colonial customed and all. Not exactly startling news, but intriguing to learn that this was more like the second or third rendition; that back in the ’90s, and even the ’80s, there were tea partiers practicing their anti-tax and anti-government rites as designed and shaped through skillful tobacco industry guidance. All this on behalf of the beleaguered tobacco firms engaged at the time in their dedicated battle against taxation and for the right of patriotic Americans to choose their own pathways to the grave.
From John Mashey, “TEA Party: Tobacco Everywhere Always,” February 2013, we note the following:
“Climate change doubt is a key belief in the Tea Party, sparked by the Koch-related Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks. Big Tobacco was heavily involved from the 1980s onward, and by 1992 the ‘Tea Party’ was already in play (!). Extensive new research has unearthed the real history.
“‘To quarterback behind the scenes, third-party efforts’: the tobacco industry and the Tea Party,’ by Amanda Fallin, Rachel Grana and Stanton A. Glantz, was published online last week in BMJ Tobacco Control, a high-impact peer-reviewed journal. They write:
“‘Rather than being a purely grassroots movement that spontaneously developed in 2009, the Tea Party has developed over time, in part through decades of work by the tobacco industry and other corporate interests.
“‘Starting in the 1980s, tobacco companies worked to create the appearance of broad opposition to tobacco control policies by attempting to create a grassroots smokers’ rights movement. Simultaneously, they funded and worked through third-party groups, such as Citizens for a Sound Economy, the (Koch-sponsored) predecessor of their AFP and FreedomWorks, to accomplish their economic and political agenda. There has been continuity of some key players, strategies and messages from these groups to Tea Party organizations. As of 2012, the Tea Party was beginning to spread internationally.’
The title “Quarterbacking Behind the Scenes; The Tobacco Industry and the Tea Party” came from a 1995 Philip Morris strategy memo by Beverly McKittrick:
“A. Long-term — To create political environment where ‘moderates’ of both parties can vote for legislation that divests FDA (Food & Drug Adm.) of any power to regulate tobacco because they are convinced that FDA is already failing miserably in accomplishing its ‘core mission.’
“B. Short-term – To quarterback behind the scenes, third-party efforts to launch, publicize and execute a broad non-tobacco-based attack on the many failings of the FDA with respect to its currently authorized statutory activities.
“THIRD-PARTY GROUPS INVOLVED
“A. (CSE) Citizens for a Sound Economy – Monitor and help direct multi-front action plan.” (Enter the Kochs — big time!)
“B. Washington Legal Foundation – Monitor and help direct multi-front action plan
“C. (CEI) Competitive Enterprise Institute – Work with Borelli to help tie their activities more into congressional efforts re timing, focus, and venues ….”
“CEI’s well-known efforts in climate anti-science feature Myron Ebell, Chris Horner, (and) their Cooler Heads Coalition … but CEI had a long involvement with tobacco. Note the following telling communication: ‘On behalf of everyone here at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I would like to thank you for Philip Morris’s $150,000 contribution.’ — Fred L. Smith Jr, President
“However, CSE was tobacco’s favorite, taking at least $5.3M 1991-2002. It was founded in 1984 by David Koch and his key lieutenant, Richard Fink, ex-economics professor at George Mason University (GMU), home of the Mercatus Center, the Institute for Humane Studies … CSE later reorganized into Tea Party sparkplugs Americans For Prosperity and FreedomWorks.”
By now the reader might find him or herself trapped in the intricacies of this encompassing web of complex relationships revolving around the fierce protection of the God-given right to profit without let or hindrance — a riveting scenario of an embattled “band of brothers” allied against Big Science and Big Government! The sheer gallantry of this quest!
The tobacco/climate anti-science relationship was highlighted in “Merchants of Doubt” and has been noted by others. Tobacco interests created many of the tactics and fostered the machinery inherited by other anti-science efforts. As per RJ Reynolds’ memo, “The Importance of Younger Adults,” they needed to addict children, not adults, to create lifelong customers.
From that memo: “Realistically, if our Company is to survive and prosper, over the long term we must get our share of the youth market. In my opinion this will require new brands tailored to the youth market.”
Few start smoking after age 18, and later starters find it easier to quit, because addiction really is best entrenched while brains are still developing. Perhaps “gallantry” was not quite the right word for that quest!
Higher cigarette taxes especially deter children from smoking, so they pose an existential threat to tobacco companies, to be fought at all costs — but hidden among larger groups. As Fallin, Grana and Glantz wrote:
“In 1990, Tim Hyde, RJR director of national field operations, outlined a strategy for RJR to create ‘a movement’ resembling what would later emerge as the Tea Party by ‘build(ing) broad coalitions around the issue-cluster of freedom, choice and privacy …’
“Another RJR field coordinator later described the company’s motivation for involving and organising third-party organisations: ‘… anti-tax groups were a natural. You didn’t have to defend your position on tobacco because a tax is a tax is a tax to these guys.’”
The authors found an even more specific Burson-Marsteller proposal from 1992:
“Grounded in the theme of ‘The New American Tax Revolution’ or ‘The New Boston Tea Party,’ the campaign activity should take the form of citizens representing the widest constituency base mobilized with signage and other attention-drawing accoutrements such as lapel buttons, handouts, petitions and even costumes.”
It took decades, but they got that, including the costumes. Perhaps few members of the tea party realize it was created to help the tobacco industry addict kids to behavior that kills multitudes, very slowly and very painfully.
But perhaps their enlarged view of freedom encompasses all.
Jerome Page is a Benicia resident.
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Jerry if I was you as a very Liberal Socialist I would also write about the Tea Party. Sure cannot write about Obamacare. Not working Jerry you are all alone even here in Liberal Benicia.
No, he is in the majority, here and everywhere else, too. You are in the minority, Bob. A very small, and shrinking, minority.
“I would also write about the Tea Party.” Uh, that’s what he just did.
Sorry Hank diversion does not help the Liberals cause. Try defections now and more to come. Presidemt Obama, Reid, Pellosi, Durban and many more Liberals are the Liberals real Problem. Rubio, Lee , Cruz and the House Tea Party folks are just an issue that gets the Liberals feathers all ruffled up. Sorry Liberals they were right and the Liberals are and were wrong. Paying big time for it now. You Liberals can comment all you want but you are on a sinking ship. It is not going away like the Government shutdown quickly disappeared and is long forgotten. Was not a major issue or will it be in the future. Liberals are the on going real problem. Get use to it Hank.
Liberals are the backbone of this country. Conservatives are and always have been the real problem. Your ship is sinking fast and the big guns at the top know it. Sorry Bob to be the bearer of bad news. Get used to it Bob.
It’s not a diversion to point out that you are confused and making no sense. And nothing I could say helps the liberal cause as much as you do every time you sit down at a keyboard.
Stop it Hank. You are on a losing streak that does not appear to have an end in site. Just man up and admit it is not good for the Liberals. 55% of all elected officials ARE Republicans that does not sound like Liberals are the backbone of the country maybe the broken wing of A left leaning Liberal party.
Stop it Bob. What does the number of elected officials have to do with the people? Liberals move this country forward, conservatives do nothing but drag their heels and fight progress. They are fighting the future and they cannot win. Just admit it.
An apology from President Obama
Mr. Page,
Thanks for your energy, time and well researched article on the history of the tea party and their machinations over many years. As you remind readers of the past deeds of the Koch brothers and their ilk, it is also important to know that there is always two sides to the political debate.
Since you don’t ever mention the democrats in your articles (or their machinations or ilk) I thought to be fair it would be prudent to provide some balance — on issues such as: healthcare; TPP and Whistle-blowers– from the article below for the larger reading public, i.e. the community to consider as we go forward into a very uncertain future.
“… I want to apologize for stifling the debate we should have had in developing a national healthcare system. When we began this process we had the opportunity to look at three very distinct systems currently operating in the United States – a market-based system dominated by the insurance industry with healthcare provided for-profit; a single payer system, Medicare, where the government is the only funder of healthcare and private providers deliver healthcare services; and, a completely government-run healthcare system for Veterans (VA) where the doctors, hospitals and healthcare providers all work for the government. This would have been a great debate that would have resulted in the United States putting in place the best national health plan based on our experience, and the empirical evidence, of what has worked and what has not, in US healthcare. I suspect if we had that debate the market-based system would have been shown to be the weakest of the three alternatives and a combination of Medicare and the VA would have been the most cost-effective way to provide healthcare for every person in the United States.'”
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-healthcare-fix-the-obama-apology-that-is-needed/5358456
Beyond the Koch Brothers
Mr. Page,
Thanks for your energy, time and well researched article on the history of the tea party and their machinations over many years. As you remind readers of the past deeds of the Koch brothers and their
ilk, it is also important to know that there is always two sides to the political debate.
Since you don’t ever mention the democrats in your articles (or their machinations or ilk) I thought to be fair it would be prudent to provide some balance —
Excerpts from the insightful the article below for the community to ponder…
“On Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee conducted hearings to decide whether Janet Yellen would be confirmed as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. Yellen, who was nominated by President Obama, is in line to replace acting Fed chairman Ben Bernanke in January 2014.”
And;
“Do we really want someone running the Fed who argued “against” deflating the housing bubble because she thought it would only be “a good-sized bump in the road, but that the economy would be able to absorb the shock”?
“How’s that for poor judgment? By my estimate, that “bump in the road” amounted to more than $8 trillion in home equity losses, 5 million foreclosures, 14 million jobs, and a thoroughly decimated US economy. That was a bad call on Yellen’s part, and in a sane world it would have disqualified her from contention. But we don’t live in a sane world. We live in a world where failing upwards is a reality and where the best jobs go to the apple-polishers who nose their way to the front of the line by doing what they’re told and keeping their mouths shut.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/11/18/the-coronation-of-janet-yellin/
Will I’m looking for some help. Do you support the Green Party or the Peace and Freedom Party or some other party? Please tell me who I should throw away my vote on. Thank you Will.
Beyond the Koch Brothers
“So, if you liked Barack Obama’s “moderate Republican” philosophy and agenda, Hillary is the ticket.”
Mr. Page,
Thanks for your energy, time and well researched article on the history of the tea party and their machinations over many years. As you remind readers of the past deeds of the Koch brothers and their
ilk, it is also important to know that there is always two sides to the political debate.
Since you don’t ever mention the democrats in your articles (or their machinations or ilk) I thought to be fair it would be prudent to provide some balance —
An excerpt from the “insightful and detailed” article below for the community to ponder…
“Hillary Clinton has been coronet ed as the presumptive next President of the United States – by the celebrity mongers, by the chic Hollywood set, by the media, by the pundits, by the big donors, by Congressional Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Charles Schumer and by the Las Vegas odds-makers. The crystallization of a consensus three years before the event is as intriguing as the questions about what sort of president she would make. There is an obvious story line to the phenomenon that provides a sort of tabloid summary. First woman to reach the threshold of the White House, wronged wife of a legendary if flawed Chief Executive, tough professional who has broken through the stereotypical glass ceiling, high flying Secretary of State, top-notch brain, etc. That provides more than enough material for the mythic image that today is a prerequisite for being taken seriously as a presidential aspirant. The modern day equivalent of garnering the status of “presidential timber.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/11/19/60236/
Every article of late spews about the Koch brothers. Can you say obsessed?
Fact is, the Koch brothers dominate right wing politics…so they should be discussed. Particularly since they spend $100’s of millions lying to the public for their own economic gain…playing the ignorant…particularly tea partiers…for fools in the process. If more people were aware of their schemes, we’d all be better off.
From the Column:“Our Tax Dollars Given to Hamas to KILL Christians, Jews and Americans”
Interesting that the author finds that particular sign to be objectionable one has to wonder why that is the case.
Assistance and Recovery in Hamas Controlled Gaza
It is a given fact, as noted above that a portion of our tax dollars goes to Hamas. It also a given fact that Hamas is a terrorist organization, one who is proud of their actions. Their own website brags of their “success”:
Al Qassam carried out 1106 operations, killed 1365 Zionists
Al Qassam website- Gaza- Ezzedeen Al Qassam Brigades (E.Q.B) , the armed wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas released on Wednesday morning a new military stats on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of Hamas founding.
The brigades added that total number of the Jihadist operations conducted by its militants since the establishment of the movement reached to 1117, 87 were martyrdom operations, however, the number of the Zionist soldiers who were killed and injured by the hands of the Qassam Brigades mentioned in the stat as (7776).
“Zionist soldiers” in Hamas code-speak are Israeli soldiers, many of whom are Jewish.
Given the above, what is it about that sign that caught the wrath of Mr. Page?
Does he favor our tax dollars being used to fund Hamas, which is a terrorist organization?
Does he object that the dollars given to Hamas for “Humanitarian Aide” are mislabeled as being used to kill Israeli’s?
Does he object that people are speaking truth to the fact that Hamas seeks the destruction of Israel, even through the use of killing innocent people in “martyrdom operations”.
Or does he just take blanket exception to anything advocated by the much hated and despised “Tea Party” Koch group?
Or perhaps Mr. Page objects to the poorly worded signage, which more correctly should say:
Our Tax Dollars are given to Hamas, who then uses a portion of it, to KILL Christians, Jews and Americans”
The link above is just a letter from a Republican congresswoman. It offers no proof whatsoever that U.S. funds are going to Hamas terrorist activities. Nor do you have any.
Yes, Dennis, I do wish you would give us an elucidating treatment of this “Hamas funding” affair. I don’t for a moment say it may not be true, but how about documenting a fact or two for us? Thanks.
read the letter from the Congresswoman that I provided. Read the article at the National Journal, (link was provided). Do some of your own research.
Your side makes tons of allegations, with no real “facts”, we can start with Oh-Bummer-Kare.
You really think there is any level of “proof” acceptable to you that Palestinians are a corrupt organization that misusing millions of dollars?
You probably still believe Yassar Arrafat was a swell guy.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-582487.html
Yes, read them and see that there is no proof, just a congresswoman’s suspicions committed to paper.
The Affordable Care Act has nothing to do with this. Arafat is dead. Stick to the subject.
How do we know if there is “any level of ‘proof’ acceptable to (us) that Palestinians are a corrupt organization that misusing millions of dollars” — when you won’t provide any?
Funny…the text in the link you provide never mentions Hamas.
The text wording in the hot link is a direct quote from the letter.
Ahhh, yes. My text-finder in Adobe Reader somehow didn’t find it. Still…too bad you sliced and diced to remove context:
“The Committee will no longer object to the obligation of more than $88,600,00 of these funds with the understanding that these funds are not utilized for assistance and recovery in Hamas-controlled Gaza (and other bullet points)”
The money was for Palestinian humanitarian aid. Nothing to do with supporting Hamas, nor their terrorist activities. And, that’s the best you could come up with to counter the plethora of points Jerome provided? Nice work, Columbo.
My text-finder in Adobe Reader somehow didn’t find it
So you admit you do not actually read what is posted before commenting on it. Very telling.
Here is a link to the story:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/clinton-overrules-republican-lawmaker-s-hold-on-palestinian-aid-20120411
The money was for Palestinian humanitarian aid. Nothing to do with supporting Hamas,
You cannot be so naïve to think that is what the money is actually be used for can you?
If you had actually read the information instead of using “Adobe reader”, you might learn that what the Republican Congresswoman was asking for was an accountability of where the money was going.
But Hillary overruled her and sent the money to the Palestinians anyway, who in turn sent it to Hamas.
Hamas then decides how the money is actually spent.
“You cannot be so naïve to think that is what the money is actually be used for can you?”
Prove otherwise.
“Hillary overruled her and sent the money to the Palestinians anyway, who in turn sent it to Hamas.”
Prove it. Put up or shut up.
Does not work that way.Let’s rephrase the Axelrod corollary:
Do you have any evidence that it’s not, Bob?” Axelrod said on “Face the Nation.” “The fact is that the members of Congress have asserted that, but the State Department won’t release any information about where the money is going. And that’s at the core of the problem.”
Until such time as proof can be offered that it is not being used to support Hamas, the charge remains valid.
No. Does not work that way. You are making a charge. You must provide evidence to back up your charge. Keep Axelrod out of it. Stop dodging. Prove that your point is valid or it is not. Period.
“Until such time as proof can be offered that it is not being used to support Hamas, the charge remains valid.” Nice try — the old “you have to prove a negative”, eh?
Seems you put as much thought into this as whoever scribbled the sign cited above by Mr. Page. Very telling …
And, as usual, DDL takes one snippet from the entire column, distorts it to no end, and the debate meanders on over this tripe instead of consideration of the well thought out and accurate piece written by the author.
Yes, you’re right, it was just a snippet.
And to democrat supporters like you, Hank, Shelby the possibility of federal tax dollars being used to support the killing of Jews and Christians through terrorist attacks, is a minor issue compared to the overwhelming harm that the Koch brother’s are doing to the nation.
A member of Congress has asked the question: Give me an accounting of how the money is to be spent.
She was apparently ignored and the money was sent by Hillary to the Palestinians. What the hell, that Congresswoman is just a republican anyway, who cares what they think.
I am sure that martin Bashir, and each of you would likely not object if she got a Derby’s dose along with Sarah Palin.
“the possibility of federal tax dollars being used”
Key word: “possibility.” There is a possibility that the Flying Spaghetti Monster will wipe us out tomorrow with one of His noodly appendages (see conversation at John Gavin’s latest to express your concern on this front), but I am not losing sleep over that possibility either.
I think I have pinpointed the problem. Republicans have objected to every single move this administration has made from day one, on every issue, and tried to drum up a scandal at every opportunity, and most if not all the time it’s been bullshit politics. So after five years (really, much sooner) I, fellow Democrats and thinking persons everywhere have tuned out the noise. Now you’re just hollering in the echo chamber, places like American Thinker. Does that help?
In other words, in your mind: The Killing of Jews and Christians is not worthy of being investigated.
pathetic how you cover for crimes against humanity and then claim to be a liberal person
No, it’s not worth being investigated — as a congressional matter — over the alleged, and completely unproven, in fact apparently totally invented misappropriation of U.S. funds.
In your mind, the killing of Christians and Jews (or anyone for that matter) is only worth being investigated if it was done with taxpayer money. Pathetic how you call yourself a Christian.
Which brings the conversation right back to the Koch Brothers.
Dennis the local Liberals are still hurting over the Obamacare failure and landslide move away from President Obama. It does not mattwer what proof you have it will not ,ean anything to them.. Just let them blather away in their own tears of denial.
Hahahahahaha! Nice try Bob!
DDL: “pathetic how you cover for crimes against humanity and then claim to be a liberal person”
So the guy who supports the party looking to starve the poor and deny health care to those that can’t afford it…while making the wealthy wealthier…suddenly has a humanitarian streak? Nope…not buying it.
“What the hell, that Congresswoman is just a republican anyway, who cares what they think. ”
Whigs think?
The Hamas funding trail still seems dim. Dennis assumes the worst, others assume something less potentially destructive. For I fact, I can’t tell who is right, don’t know just how important it is, and haven’t the time to look into it deeply, myself. Thanks everybody, but . . .
As usual we are split off from Mr. Page’s good sense, factual report by a red herring or scent of the false hare. Gentle people, the chase is a diversion from the article and its main points. This verges on shameful behavior, defensive of the poor, beleaguered right-flank. How go-dawful, bloody tiresome!
Apparently Robert you do not watch MSNBC. Talk about shameful behavior your wonderful left leaning Liberals are right on top of that subject. Not only shameful but way over the top for an NBC news outlet that no one even watches but does get a lot of negative copy. Much more than the Liberals hated Fox or even Rush. Rush was correct by the way on Winfrey. Sorry local Liberals you are on a losing battle that is getting worse everday that President Obama appears on TV. If I were him I would do what he always does and blame someone else. You know but up Harry or Nancy to take the blame. Robert did you know that Pelosi did not know that natural gas was a fossil fuel. Very strange coming fron the Libs leader of the house.
Stop copying and pasting your one comment over and over again.
really? Where and when Thomas?
Shelby stated:How go-dawful, bloody tiresome!
No, what is so tiresome is every thread here has a mention of the Devil Incarnate Koch brothers, whose money appears to have an automatic reverse Midas Touch by infecting anything that it touches. You, Mr. Shelby and others ignore the obvious while assuming the worse. By ignoring any other possible alternatives we have essentially Occam’s razor on display.
I watched the thread on the Heritage Foundation and their supposed invention of the “Individual Mandate”, this organization was cited by others with an aire of affirmation seemingly attesting to their acceptability to all.
The Heritage Foundation is funded by the evil KOCH brother’s, but that was never mentioned, as it did not fit the false narrative that too many have bought into.
Well Benician we know you do not care what a Conservative thinks. Then rant about healthcare and starvation issues that were caused by the Liberals and you try to blame the Conservatives. If the Obamacare fans had done a little more work and put more thought into their Obamacare decision we would not be in the rut that we are in now. Conservatives have never wanted to deny healthcare or starve the poor. Try Part D for one. Conservatives want to save S/S and Medicare all along supporting Medicaid for the deserving poor. Talk about a party that is losing ground it is the Democratic Party or as many like to call themselves Progressives. MSNBC will not give you the answers to your your fading party’s issues. Blame Dennis and Bob Livesay as the type of people you think are the enemy when in reality it is your own party’s way of thinking. I am just making a comment as opposition to some very left leaning Liberal comments. That is all it is and for sure not personal.
Just words that won’t change anything.
Just trying to help out the misguided Liberals Thomas.
They are beyond help Bob.
I do agree Dennis with that comment. But I guess we can have hope.