The first thing you need to know about Tea Party’s event this year is that it was better organized. There were several volunteer organizers each wearing dark blue t-shirts that read “LOCKED AND LOADED WITH MY VOTE,” with the dates of the California Primary and the November election printed on them.
The volunteers were passing out business cards and carried radios with them, presumably to spot and report troublemakers. They also told us about their new monthly meetings at Newhall Church of the Nazarene. Are these folks planning more local action? Is Newhall Church of Nazarene the new hot nexus of conservative Santa Clarita (and is the IHOP old and tired)?
Time will tell.
Now Tea Party had said it was going to be on the lookout for trouble. Imposters -wily liberals out tea-bagging the Tea Partiers or liberal bloggers in disguise of journalists- were minimal to non-existent from what I could see. I did see one group of college aged kids drive by in a Taurus and shout “YOU’RE ALL FASCISTS” with a bullhorn. I admit it. I LOLed.
I think the Signal’s estimate of 500-1,000 protesters is probably on the low side. It was probably over 1,000 people and it stretched along the same part of Valencia Blvd that it did last year. The crowd was no more than four deep at various points along the road. There’s no way there were 2,500 people there at any one time; but it’s possible that that amount came and left during the three hour event.
The crowd itself was mostly white and probably evenly divided among men and women. The group varied widely in age, from kids to 20/30 somethings to middle aged folks and retired people.
Also, there were Meg Whitman volunteers or campaign workers on site, handing out expensive, full-color booklets on Meg’s plan for California. Our good friend and All-American conservative stand-up guy Petz was in a deep discussion with a Meg Whitman rep, probably telling her how Meg had thrown Bob Kellar under the bus last winter. Anyway, it was obvious the Whitman campaign was attempting to make inroads with the Tea Partiers. Hard to say if Tea Party is going to Buy it Now, or bid at the last moment on Whitman or Poisner (couldn’t resist).
Some other anecdotes:
- Horn honks, thumbs up, and “Yeahs!” were constant and deafening from drivers
- SCV’s population of monster stomper trucks decked out with motocross and boat stickers was out in force for the rally. These trucks, which outnumber registered Democrats in Santa Clarita, roared their engines up and down Valencia Blvd, some of them complete with various American flags
- One such truck, a ginormous red Dodge Ram with Cummins turbo diesel, was stopped at at the light at Valencia & Citrus. The light turned green, and to show off the American-made muscle, the driver goosed his engine (as many did that day) and roared away, leaving a noxious blue smoke cloud in his wake which lead to the following exchange between two motherly Tea Party protesters and me:
TPP #1: “Thanks a lot jerk!”
TPP #2: “Yeah. That guy needs a smog check or something.”
At that, I facepalmed and said to the ladies, “But a smog check is excess government regulation that limits our freedom to pollute!”
TPP #1 & #2: *blank stare*
- Signs: Whereas last year the signs were split probably 70/30 between state and federal issues, this year most were focused on the unholy trinity of big government and taxes: Obama, Pelosi and Reid. There were virtually no state signs or signs for primary candidates.
- Most of the signs were what Iw ould call mainstream Tea Party signs. Alas, there were few Teabonics signs. But a significant minority of the signs departed from the norm. For instance:
I appreciated the literary nod to psuedo-philosopher Ayn Rand
Kevin Korenthal takes home the prize in the "Use of Household Items in a Protest Sign" category
A Psalm 109:8 "The Assassination Psalm" sign was present
Bill Reynolds, aka Not a Ferry Fan, was on hand with a custom-made sign explaining that, I think, environmentalists are actually communists. Or maybe he likes Christmas.
Only one sign that I saw attacked Obama, who deployed an additional 50,000 troops to A-Stan, on foreign policy
At first I thought she was anti-tea party. But then I talked to her and she explained her sign.
There were many more gun rights signs, posters and nods to guns and weapons at the protest this year
Alas, I was hoping to see someone wearing or holding a sign like this, but no luck:
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Confirms my already-low opinion of these neanderthal losers. Long Live SCV WT!
Please explain Spineflower. How does their calm, organized protest make them neanderthal losers?
A calm, organized protest that the moon is made of green cheese would be more impressive.
Because the message that this civilized protest brought doesn’t fit the general thesis on how “spineflower 2′s” world would look, his (her?) retort is reduced to elementary school name calling. Try countering this group of monosyllabic heathens on issues instead of snooty responses that intends to disparage their intelligence. It’s a worn out tactic that the left uses – if you don’t agree with your opponent over an issue, why it MUST because they are just STUPID. Never mind debating them, (because the left knows will they frequently lose on fact-based debate) just call ‘em dumb. Bor-ing.
Did you even LOOK at those signs? It speaks far more “eloquently” than I ever could about just how WT much of the movement is!
Thanks, Gomer!
Hummm. I’m curious if you held the same opinion of the signs that appeared at the many Bush admin protest rallies? These signs are quiet benign in comparison.
Thought you may enjoy this NY Times article on the Tea Party movement. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html
I think if they were focused on a legitimate issue and had something to offer in the way of solution — such as reducing the size of our state government — I might be tempted to join in. As it is, these people appear to be all over the map with their complaints, some of which are ludicrous. Obama is “terrorist’s best friend?” Someone is drinking kook-aid!
I agree RM, the throw in the kitchen sink approach just pisses people off and misses the point of the original movement.
ReaderMama, I’ll waste the keystrokes to correct you. We are for very specific legislative corrections. But mainly we protest against this Administration’s 100% dis-inclusion of conservatives in the debate over some of the most important issues of our time. As I have shared in this venue many times, Republican Representative Paul Ryan (get to know that name because you’ll be seeing more of him) is leading the way in sharing the ideas that Conservatives believe should be part of the conversation. You can read all the great ideas here: http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/
BTW: Saying that Republicans are not offering ideas is an excuse that belies PARTISANSHIP or STUPIDITY. Are you a partisan liberal or are you stupid and uninformed?
Kevin, are Tea partyers and Republicans the same thing?
I don’t believe RM even mentioned Republicans. Nope, I went back and read it again and she doesn’t mention it. She even said she might join if they were more focused. Why the attack? It sure isn’t a good way to convince people of your message.
Kevin, waste of keystrokes is right. You can save the nasty partisan hysterics for the next tea party. All you’re missing is the hat.
[IMG]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/christinecrystal1one/johnny-depp-mad-hatter.jpg[/IMG]
“we protest against this Administration’s 100% dis-inclusion of conservatives in the debate over some of the most important issues of our time”
This is great comedy! The stonewalling and filibustering of the health care reform process showed the Righties simply didn’t want the process to happen, not that they wanted to be involved in the process.
Oh, but it was the Dem’s fault! Yeah, right!
I am POSITIVE that Not A Ferry Fan is someone other than Bill Reynolds. That guy barely knows how to send email. There is no way he could conceive of uploading a video to You Tube, yet alone produce one using digital video software. Barking up the wrong tree here Jeff.
Evidence suggests otherwise.
Also, didn’t he make a movie about his Vietnam pals?
KK, funny sign. BTW, are you losing weight?
NAFF: Combo of low artistry but moderate proficiency. Not using entry-level tools, but using them poorly. Signs of a crash course student.
Silly old bear likes honey, too.
That’s not true Spineflower. What we don’t want is government control of health care. This is a fundamental disagreement between our 2 parties. Your party says that the only way to improve health care is for government to take it over, tax the rich to give coverage to the poor and force Americans that don’t want to buy comprehensive coverage to do so anyway.
By comparison, we say that various efficiency-inducing improvements like health savings accounts, requiring all insurance companies to compete against each other (rather than making each state its own fiefdom) and true tort reform would bring the cost of obtaining health insurance and health care to a point that another 15 to 20 million Americans could afford to buy insurance without having to divert the money from other uses.
“Your” party versus “Our” party…..silly logic that’ll get you in the end.
And with control of the White House and congress for eight years you did NOTHING about health care reform, and now whine that you don’t get the type you say you want. What stopped you? You had your chance, you took a pass, and now tried to stop even a democratic (lower case D) vote on it with a filibuster. Yeah, I’m REAL impressed that the Righties wanted to reform health care.
How does gun control figure into health care reform? How does protesitng “green” figure in?
Tea Partiers are just a hodgepodge group of white, right-wing malcontents.
Amusing, though.
I believe Bill Reynolds thought he was at the Color Blindness Rally.
Hey Jeff:
Good to see you at the party. I trust you have put the card I gave you on the trinity of American Values found on our coins on the corner of your monitor as I suggested? Petz spent a lot of time printing those so I would hate to see the message lost on you.
For those who haven’t seen the card it states that the values that have made our country great are found on every coin – Liberty – In God We Trust – E Pluribus Unum. The idea of the ‘Trinity’ comes from Dennis Prager. I think most at the party would agree that the current regime is trying to change all of those values to the European model of Equality of Results, Secularism , and no assimilation of immigrants into their culture.
Dearest Jim:
NO.
Love,
Gang Fang
Don’t forget that tomorrow is National Record Store Day…go out and support your local independent store – or any local business for that matter.
I’d love to know how many of those out there felt strongly enough to vote in last weeks’ City Council election – very pathetic that most of them likely didn’t and should be ASHAMED of themselves for not practicing what they preach.
Thanks for trying spineflower2. It’s an endless battle of the (willfully) ignorant, but keep on keepin’ on.
It is going to be a GOP landslide in November! I am talking about a beating of biblical proportions.
HILLARY 2003 (screeching): I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic, and we should stand up and say, “WE ARE AMERICANS AND WE HAVE A RIGHT TO DEBATE AND DISAGREE WITH ANY ADMINISTRATION!”
You are advocating the overthrow of a lawfully elected government.
That is not debate and disagreement!
That is sedition.
Spine, you still haven’t backed up your childish remarks.
Vince, you don’t even live here any more. Home sick or just can’t let go?
Jeff, thanks for a good write up, at least you went and were able to speak intelligently. Although your smog comment was lame and as far off as the moon.
Yeah, really far off! At the same rally, NotAFerryFan was holding up a sign saying Green=Red.
With all due respect Robert, my entire family still lives in SCV and i’m here every other week or so and my wife does does her business in SCV, so I feel I still have a vested interest in the valley.
And what exactly is wrong with wishing everyone who complains would take out their anger at the polls, or suggesting that people shop locally? Do you just make sport out of disagreeing with anyone.
No, the GOP did not address health care reform in it’s time in power. Seems to me that even an attempt to fix Social Security was immediately and harshly blocked by Democrats so what evidence in there that health care reform ala the GOP would have went anywhere. I love the straw arguments though!
Bush’s SS reform would have dumped our future into the stock market, which then lost its value.
Americans, not just Democrats opposed this insane idea!
We were correct to do so!
Smells so much like a bad high school football game. All that was missing was the stale hot dogs and vodka Slurpees.
Why oh why oh WHY has the Tea Party decided to promote environmental responsibility as some sort of evil communist conspiracy? Green is Red? Really? Convince me as to why that’s the case. Seriously!
The Tea Party has a basis of patriotic ideals that have the potential to strike fervor in every American who wants to be in control of their own destiny, but you go off the deep end tying yourselves to tag lines like “Green is Red”, “Come and Take it” (For what it’s worth, you can have it. I don’t want it!), “I <3 My Carbon", and the list goes on.
I'd love to believe in a party that can make me feel like a patriot that has my interests at heart, but I feel that while the Tea Party continues to position itself with narrow-minded ideology that potentially turns off Americans who don't like guns, aren't of the Christian faith, and who don't watch Fox News, you'll never gain a foothold that can effect a positive change in our country.
Okay, her is some great intel on where the Tea Party is on the issues courtesy of (shock) The New York Times and one of their polls. In part: The latest New York Times/CBS News poll looks at the 18 percent of Americans who consider themselves supporters of the Tea Party movement.
On the whole, the supporters dislike President Obama and Congress and say that the government in Washington cannot be trusted. Most say that the country is seriously off course, and that all members of Congress should be replaced, yet most say the country does not need a third party.
Sounds pretty accurate to me. Read on…http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/us/politics/18tea.html
Yep, caint trust the Fedral Gubment. We shud leave it to all them bankers and carmakers who did so well with privit entuprize!
Say, wherz my tax cut for my morgage and chillin?
Your Web Guru: The environmental movement has been closely associated with elements from Socialist Europe for decades. It’s sad that so many people don’t see that. Now we find out that much of the data that Al Bore relied upon to chastise Americans was based on sexed up numbers, some of which were pulled out of thin air. Conservationists like myself seek to promote good stewardship of the planet. Responsible use of resources and the employment of new technologies (natural gas, clean coal and nuclear) are what I stand for. You can take your 85% carbon emissions reductions and shove them. Everyone who promotes that as a solution owns a Lear Jet and a fleet of black SUVs.