The Tea Party is Half Right

Abstract

My liberal friends—and I have some left, at least until this article is published—tell me that the Tea Party followers are a bunch of racist, homophobic, know-nothing, white, lower-class, gun-toting hicks. About the nicest adjective penned by liberals about the Tea Party is calling them a “libertarian mob.” But drawing on 50 years of sociological study of American society, I urge one and all not to dismiss in this way a major part of the American public. The Tea Party is viewed favorably by more Americans (41%) than either the Democrats (35%) or the Republicans (28%) according to a 2009 public opinion poll. And, according to exit polls, Tea Party’s supporters numbered about four out of every ten voters in the 2010 midterm elections. The Tea Partiers obviously played a significant role in the 2010 elections, and are likely do so again in the 2012 election, starting as soon as the GOP nomination battle takes off. True, in the longer run, I predict they will go the way of once-feared groups such as the John Birch Society and the Moral Majority—both of which were once considered a major threats to American democracy, and both of which changed the course of the nation to some extent, but were eventually absorbed by it. I find it particularly surprising that several observers hold that the Tea Party is an artificially-generated force, funded by shadowy conservative donors and whipped into a frenzy by right-wing media personas like Glenn Beck and select other demagogues. Thus, Paul Krugman writes that “the tea parties don’t represent a spontaneous outpouring of public sentiment. They’re AstroTurf (fake grass roots) events, manufactured by the usual suspects. In particular, a key role is being played by FreedomWorks, an organization run by Richard Armey, the former House majority leader, and supported by the usual group of right-wing billionaires. And the parties are, of course, being promoted heavily by Fox News.” However, there are several strong reasons for large segments of the American public to be very angry, frustrated, and worried about the future. The media is locked into a misleading figure when it keeps referring to the unemployed as roughly 10% of the labor force. Actually, this number reflects only those who actively seek work. One must add to this the millions who have stopped looking for work and those who find less work then they feel they need. If one includes these groups, the actual proportion of the population which is unemployed, underemployed, or discouraged is closer to 16%. Also, one should take into account that many have experienced unemployment, finally found some work— albeit for less pay and with fewer benefits than they previously had—and still live with the fear of falling back