James Carville's Democracy Corps recently published a report concerning the people involved in the Tea Party movement. It's worth reading because they do get a lot of things right, but the information is delivered from a very partisan perspective. So let's take a look at the report ourselves.
Overview: The Very Separate World of Conservative Republicans
Analysis: Why Republican Leaders will have Trouble Speaking to the Rest of America
The entire report constantly repeats itself, so we'll deal with the "analysis" section of the report only.
Racism:
[T]he press and elites continue to look for a racial element that drives these voters’ beliefs – but they need to get over it ... [W]e gave these groups of older, white Republican base voters in Georgia full opportunity to bring race into their discussion – but it did not ever become a central element, and indeed, was almost beside the point.
In fact, some of these voters talked about feeling some pride at his election.
They were conscious of the charge that opposition to Obama is racially motivated and that bothered conservative Republicans and independents alike.
They see no difference in the opposition Obama faces and the opposition other liberals have faced ...
Yes, despite the media and other left-wing outlets constantly screaming "racism" every time a Democratic policy proposal is rejected, this report reveals the truth of the matter. The opposition is about politics, not racism.
They also correctly identify why Tea Partiers don't trust the government (sort of).
The Progressive Agenda:
The conservative Republican base is deeply suspicious of Obama’s political success and true motivations ... They believe Obama is determined to fundamentally change and weaken our country, taking it away from its founding principles. Four central pillars support their beliefs:
Pillar #1 – Deception and a Hidden Agenda
Their feelings toward Obama are not simply a reflection of intense partisan differences ... Only 6 percent of these conservative Republican base voters say that Obama is on their side, and our groups showed that they explicitly believe he is purposely and ruthlessly executing a hidden agenda to weaken and ultimately destroy the foundations of our country.
They're right that the (former) Republican base doesn't trust the Obama administration and its companion Democrat-controlled Congress, but what they fail to grasp in their analysis is that it's government in general, that people no longer trust.
I've got news for you Carville, the world doesn't revolve around Obama!
The use of the term "hidden agenda" is misleading here too. People are quite aware of what they're angry about, after all, everything is being done, right in front of our eyes! We see an administration and Congress that says one thing, but then does the exact opposite.
When a person says one thing but does another, it's obvious to anyone that this person has an agenda that is different from what he or she claims. This is also known as lying. So it's not so much of a "secret" agenda, as it is an agenda that is completely different than the Democratic Party's rhetorical claims.
The economic policies enacted, coupled with the attempts at cap and trade, socialized medicine, and possible tax hikes, are by fact, economically destructive. You can wish upon a star all you want ... But what is, is. The administration is indeed destroying our economy and attacking our individual liberties (such as free speech) as they do it.
And with policies that are so blatantly destructive, what would you prefer people to believe Carville? That the people elected to office are just complete morons, foolishly following the path of "unintended consequences?"
Sorry Carville, but I give our elected Overlords more credit than you do. I believe they are smart and intelligent. Therefore, they must be enacting these destructive policies on purpose.
Closely related to this well-established notion of a secret agenda is a hidden set of liberal elites or power brokers who have guided and directed Obama as a puppet, helping him to reach the highest office in the land. It is simply implausible to them that Obama has reached this position on his own without some greater force at work.
It's no secret that each major candidate spent hundreds of billions of dollars trying to get elected. A person has to live in Fantasy Land to actually believe that hundreds of billions of dollars come without strings attached.
Democrat or Republican ... it's all the same. Big money donors, corporations, unions, et. al. don't invest donate the kind of money they do, without expecting specific results in return.
Pillar #2 – Speed
A key piece of the hidden agenda identified and detailed by conservative Republican voters in our focus groups was speed, which was linked to the larger pattern of deception detailed above. They believe Obama is pushing his agenda at record pace because he does not want the American people to know what he is doing. The decision to tackle so many major issues at once early in his term is born not out of necessity, but out of secrecy and political calculation. And the media is once again a key part of this strategy, refusing to expose information that might slow down his legislative march.
When members of Congress admit not bothering to read the bills, because they need to pass it RIGHT NOW in order to avoid some alleged doom ... What do you expect people to think? For example, the health care bill that just had to be passed by August, doesn't even go into effect until 2013.
So what's the hurry?
Continued in Tea Partiers, Republicans, and Democrats 2
