venerdì 5 marzo 2010

 

America has suffered a cataclysm. For millions, the recession of 2008 – 2009 has turned the American dream into a shameful nightmare. A nation’s confidence has been uprooted. Many long to wake up to a new morning in America. The sun is indeed rising: in Tea Party country.

 

The Tea Party movement, a loose network of local groups fighting for limited government and free markets, is rapidly growing. The movement’s passion, force and radical ideas scare party leaders and activists of all stripes. A sober look at political realities reveals that fear to be exaggerated, however. The Tea Party followers are already aligning themselves with the establishment, even while fiercely proclaiming their independence.

 

Since Rick Santelli’s “ramble” against mortgage bailouts on CNBC in February of 2009, thousands of Americans have organized in local Tea Party groups. Their grassroots campaigns cry afoul of big government and impending tyranny. Rightwing extremists such as Patriots, “Birchers”, libertarians, birthers and gun-right activists are joining in the cause and claiming space in the Tea Party’s ample spotlight. Conservative lobbying groups, foremost FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, are harnessing the activists’ zeal to promote their own special interests.

 

Several influential publications have recently produced research on the subject. Their findings shed light into the Tea Party backyard and clarify its potential. As facts and numbers are difficult to come by, journalists have focused mainly on the personal stories of Tea Party activists, telling a tale of economic hardship and private transformation.

 

Ben McGrath from the New Yorker has conducted extensive interviews around Tea Party country. He concludes that the movement is an amorphous social group, which unifies around a strong opposition to the status quo and big government. In his opinion, the Internet, cable news and the collapse of Wall Street and Detroit have helped to advance the movement to the point it is today.

 

David Barstow from the New York Times has equally found that a significant number of Tea Party supporters react primarily to the trauma of the Great Recession. New Yorker writer John Cassidy, underscores in his blog “Rational Irrationality” how the belief in America as a “chosen nation” causes many Americans to underestimate the role of the federal government in political and economic development.

 

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