A lot of people certainly wish the Tea Party WAS dead, unfortunately for them, but it isn't dead at all. Certainly the public demonstrations have dwindled, the crowds attending the rallies are smaller, the media doesn't cover them as much; but that doesn't mean they are dead by a long shot. If that were the standards we used to judge viability of a Party, the Democrats and Republican Parties would also be in the grave. With the exception of media coverage that is since these are th two Parties screwing up the country on a daily basis!
The sentiments are still there. The core desires still exist. Smaller, more effective, more responsive, more transparent, more fiscal responsibility, and a less intrusive government are all still immediate concerns for the majority of Americans. Many supported the core ideals of the Tea Party while openly opposing them. Many have what they believe are good reasons to do so which were based upon the exploitation of the extremist elements within the group. This amounted to judging the Democratic Party on the New Black Panther members actions or the eco-terrorist members. Or maybe we should judge the Republicans on their CEO members who offshore jobs, cut wages, bust unions, or undermine pension plans. This is what was done by the Media and by the public at large to the Tea Party.
The character assassination has not been helped by the actions of the freshmen Congress people once they hit office nor some of the really stupid things the candidates for office have done and said in their races. "I am not a witch" got more coverage than island tipping. Why exactly was that? Probably because the Democrats and Republican Parties both know they cannot afford a third party option to become viable. If this were to happen, their control of government would change hands from their corporate and wealthy donors back to the People in general. They simply can't allow this to happen. They are afraid of the 99%. This is why they harp on the gaffs, exploit the stupidity, and trumpet the extremist of any challengers to their control.
Occupy Wall Street was and still is a great idea. We need to ramp up the efforts and now that it isn't freezing outside, maybe we will see more participation. I certainly hope so. Their demands that the Elitist Banksters be held criminally and morally responsible for what they've done to the World is to say the least, a worthy cause. What they fail to realize is that the Politicos were more than just nt during the time everything was going to Hell, they were complicit also. It was the undermining and gutting of legislation long ago put in place to safeguard us from exactly this kind of behavior occurring AGAIN after the Great Depression that allowed these Banksters to engage in the risky behavior that brought America and the World to its knees in the first place! They did so in exchange for continued support for their campaign War-chest and other perks despite the lessons history had taught us of allowing unfettered bankers run amok.
Occupy Wall Street people are losing their Middle-Class image to an image of violent drug abusing rapist more along the lines of the raiding hordes of Mongols. This is because these headlines sell ad space. Shocking headline news stories make you tune in, buy a paper or magazine, listen to the reports; while boring stories of people camped out in front of a building are only good for a back page story. Meanwhile Government passes laws quietly behind the scenes to prevent just such gatherings from ever occuringagain. Bans on overnight camping on city streets and parks have become a rage in order to combat this public display of outrage. Seizing equipment like tents, stoves, and heaters while arresting people for refusing to leave the area has become common place. Passing laws which IMHO clearly violate the Constitutional Right to Assemble to demand a redress of greivances by the People.
Both of these grassrootmovements are losing steam by way of turnout at their events. Part of this is due to Government actions to suppress the voices abd partly because of the Medias exploitation of the extremist within their ranks to portray them all as nutjobs of one kind or another. What isn't dissipating is the support for their initial demands. Between these two groups we have managed to bring these issues to the forefront of American consciousness. Successful political contenders have embrace the ideas at least to the pointof giving lip-service, and in some cases actually promoting the ideals even when they are elected. In this respect, bothmovements continue to exert influence on the Government to bring about much needed change. This is why I believe that it is much to early to write off either the Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street movements as having passed on. If anything, I would hope to see a resurgence of numbers attending these rallies as election time grows nearer to remind ALL the candidates that they have a responsibility to the American Public. Continuing to suck up to their Corporate Puppet Masters will no longer be tolerated when it involves selling the 99% down the river while leaving us up the proverbial creek paddleless. The Oligarchy of the Rich must end.
