A long but interesting analysis. It has Barack Obama’s number, too.
10 thoughts on “What Is The Tea Party About?”
Loved this: “Even Newsweek, which covered Obama throughout 2008 and 2009 with the same abrading skepticism Tiger Beat inflicts on the Jonas Brothers . . . “
I have not (yet) been to a Tea Party rally, but I think I understand what is attracting people to them. As a result, I found the following passage somewhat of a surprise:
There are clear signs, though, that the Tea Party movement cannot be summed up by its relation to the dawning of the Age of Obama. It emerged at the culmination of the long project to supplant a ruling class based on social position and wealth with one based on brains. The new meritocrats who direct our government, economy, and national discourse are being disparaged at Tea Party meetings and blogs by the people whom they govern.
How could anyone confuse the government leadership we have right now as a meritocracy? I am not saying the folks we have in charge right now are stupid, although I might be willing to say they are ignorant when it comes to capitalism and free enterprise.
Also, if I never see the phrase “soaring rhetoric” again in my lifetime I will die a happy man.
Agree with Jiminator. To constitute a “meritocracy” there must be achievement through merit. If “Il Dufe” is an example of the New Meritocracy, the term is debased of all meaning.
I think Voegeli is being both descriptive and ironic when he uses the term “meritocracy”. The merit is in the fact that those now in charge are there because they are a part of the educated class, as opposed to those who were in charge because of family and the social circles they inhabited. The author makes it clear though, that this class has failed and is in fact, not nearly as “elite” as they believe themselves to be.
Being book smart is not the same as being wise. Unfortunately though, the former will give the illusion of the latter, which in turn gives those who possess the former, power over other people. That’s the situation we have now. A group of people who all went to the right schools, got the right grades, and now know the right people, are running things on the premise that they are the “experts”. The Tea Party movement is a reaction to the fact that these experts are failing.
It’s a meritocracy if you let the current rulers define “merit.”
Being book smart is not the same as being wise. Unfortunately though, the former will give the illusion of the latter, which in turn gives those who possess the former, power over other people. That’s the situation we have now. A group of people who all went to the right schools, got the right grades, and now know the right people, are running things on the premise that they are the “experts”. The Tea Party movement is a reaction to the fact that these experts are failing.
Very true. Somewhere along the line, these people were told that they are the “best and brightest” and they actually believed it. We see them in charge not only of government but also of major corporations, and we see them running both into the ground. We also see those with the political connections getting bailed out at our expense.
To me, the whole matter is straight forward. I have four young grandchildren, the oldest of whom turned 6 just last week. I worry about the future we’re creating for them with these terrible deficits. The difference between what is happening in Greece and in the US is mainly one of degree and timing. Things blew up in Greece first but the same forces are at play here. It seems a matter more of when than if similar things will happen here. This congress and president have all the fiscal discipline of a spoiled 13 year old girl who has unlimited use of her daddy’s credit cards. Nothing good can possibly come from that.
I’m not even sure they qualify as “book smart.” Biden, Pelosi, Reid–hard to picture them sitting down reading or discussing the Great Books of the Western World. Even Obama’s alleged book-smartness may be mostly hype from his cheerleaders in the MSM. He probably got what he knows of economics from MARXISM FOR DUMMIES and his knowledge of history from the works of Howard Zinn.
If the article is true–that is, Obama has actually read those books and is not just claiming to have read them–he would qualify as at least book smart. I remain skeptical that he really read Smith’s WEALTH OF NATIONS cover-to-cover and not just glossed it in a classroom discussion–let alone Smith’s lesser-known THEORY OF MORAL SENTIMENTS. Could be; but he’s given me no reason to not question his veracity. I think we’d be all better off hif he skipped “Wealth” and read Henry Hazlitt’s ECONOMICS IN ONE LESSON–and absorbed that lesson.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” That would cover most modern economics policy right there.
To me, the whole matter is straight forward. I have four young grandchildren, the oldest of whom turned 6 just last week. I worry about the future we’re creating for them with these terrible deficits. The difference between what is happening in Greece and in the US is mainly one of degree and timing. Things blew up in Greece first but the same forces are at play here. It seems a matter more of when than if similar things will happen here. This congress and president have all the fiscal discipline of a spoiled 13 year old girl who has unlimited use of her daddy’s credit cards. Nothing good can possibly come from that.
Last year as some of you know, I graduated from the University of California at Davis. I had the opportunity to visit for a couple of days in early April. During that time there was a large group protesting tuition and fee hikes by marching, obstructing traffic, shouting slogans, and generally being idiots. My take is that they should suck it up, either pay the additional cost and help California get out from under, move to a state that doesn’t have this sort of problem, or get a real job. But expecting California, in its current state of financial trouble, to continue to offer cheap tuition, strikes me just as foolish as it is selfish.
Woodrow and Obama were both college professors? I think we can skip Newt now. Give me some truck driver (or plumber or fisherman, etc.) for the next president.
Loved this: “Even Newsweek, which covered Obama throughout 2008 and 2009 with the same abrading skepticism Tiger Beat inflicts on the Jonas Brothers . . . “
I have not (yet) been to a Tea Party rally, but I think I understand what is attracting people to them. As a result, I found the following passage somewhat of a surprise:
There are clear signs, though, that the Tea Party movement cannot be summed up by its relation to the dawning of the Age of Obama. It emerged at the culmination of the long project to supplant a ruling class based on social position and wealth with one based on brains. The new meritocrats who direct our government, economy, and national discourse are being disparaged at Tea Party meetings and blogs by the people whom they govern.
How could anyone confuse the government leadership we have right now as a meritocracy? I am not saying the folks we have in charge right now are stupid, although I might be willing to say they are ignorant when it comes to capitalism and free enterprise.
Also, if I never see the phrase “soaring rhetoric” again in my lifetime I will die a happy man.
Agree with Jiminator. To constitute a “meritocracy” there must be achievement through merit. If “Il Dufe” is an example of the New Meritocracy, the term is debased of all meaning.
I think Voegeli is being both descriptive and ironic when he uses the term “meritocracy”. The merit is in the fact that those now in charge are there because they are a part of the educated class, as opposed to those who were in charge because of family and the social circles they inhabited. The author makes it clear though, that this class has failed and is in fact, not nearly as “elite” as they believe themselves to be.
Being book smart is not the same as being wise. Unfortunately though, the former will give the illusion of the latter, which in turn gives those who possess the former, power over other people. That’s the situation we have now. A group of people who all went to the right schools, got the right grades, and now know the right people, are running things on the premise that they are the “experts”. The Tea Party movement is a reaction to the fact that these experts are failing.
It’s a meritocracy if you let the current rulers define “merit.”
Being book smart is not the same as being wise. Unfortunately though, the former will give the illusion of the latter, which in turn gives those who possess the former, power over other people. That’s the situation we have now. A group of people who all went to the right schools, got the right grades, and now know the right people, are running things on the premise that they are the “experts”. The Tea Party movement is a reaction to the fact that these experts are failing.
Very true. Somewhere along the line, these people were told that they are the “best and brightest” and they actually believed it. We see them in charge not only of government but also of major corporations, and we see them running both into the ground. We also see those with the political connections getting bailed out at our expense.
To me, the whole matter is straight forward. I have four young grandchildren, the oldest of whom turned 6 just last week. I worry about the future we’re creating for them with these terrible deficits. The difference between what is happening in Greece and in the US is mainly one of degree and timing. Things blew up in Greece first but the same forces are at play here. It seems a matter more of when than if similar things will happen here. This congress and president have all the fiscal discipline of a spoiled 13 year old girl who has unlimited use of her daddy’s credit cards. Nothing good can possibly come from that.
I’m not even sure they qualify as “book smart.” Biden, Pelosi, Reid–hard to picture them sitting down reading or discussing the Great Books of the Western World. Even Obama’s alleged book-smartness may be mostly hype from his cheerleaders in the MSM. He probably got what he knows of economics from MARXISM FOR DUMMIES and his knowledge of history from the works of Howard Zinn.
Addendum to my post above:
http://www.abebooks.com/books/barack-obama-favorite-books.shtml
If the article is true–that is, Obama has actually read those books and is not just claiming to have read them–he would qualify as at least book smart. I remain skeptical that he really read Smith’s WEALTH OF NATIONS cover-to-cover and not just glossed it in a classroom discussion–let alone Smith’s lesser-known THEORY OF MORAL SENTIMENTS. Could be; but he’s given me no reason to not question his veracity. I think we’d be all better off hif he skipped “Wealth” and read Henry Hazlitt’s ECONOMICS IN ONE LESSON–and absorbed that lesson.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” That would cover most modern economics policy right there.
To me, the whole matter is straight forward. I have four young grandchildren, the oldest of whom turned 6 just last week. I worry about the future we’re creating for them with these terrible deficits. The difference between what is happening in Greece and in the US is mainly one of degree and timing. Things blew up in Greece first but the same forces are at play here. It seems a matter more of when than if similar things will happen here. This congress and president have all the fiscal discipline of a spoiled 13 year old girl who has unlimited use of her daddy’s credit cards. Nothing good can possibly come from that.
Last year as some of you know, I graduated from the University of California at Davis. I had the opportunity to visit for a couple of days in early April. During that time there was a large group protesting tuition and fee hikes by marching, obstructing traffic, shouting slogans, and generally being idiots. My take is that they should suck it up, either pay the additional cost and help California get out from under, move to a state that doesn’t have this sort of problem, or get a real job. But expecting California, in its current state of financial trouble, to continue to offer cheap tuition, strikes me just as foolish as it is selfish.
Woodrow and Obama were both college professors? I think we can skip Newt now. Give me some truck driver (or plumber or fisherman, etc.) for the next president.