Crashing the Tea Party challenges conventional dogmas related to the most recent movement of choice of conservative America and the mass media. This book undertakes a critical journalistic and scholarly examination of the Tea Party at the national and local level. Through firsthand observation of local Tea Party chapters, Street and DiMaggio uncover details about the Tea Party that have remained largely unexplored. Is the Tea Party a genuine social movement or a top-down interest group created largely by the mass media, Republican Party, and corporate funding? Street and DiMaggio explore this question systematically, closely documenting their results. They show how mass media reporting and commentary affect public opinion of the Tea Party and its preferred policy whipping boy, health care reform, in particular. This book fills the gap in public understanding of how social movements fit within the larger political ideologies on the left and right, and the growing role of media in influencing public opinion on major issues of the day.
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About the Author
Paul Street is an independent journalist, policy adviser, and historian. Formerly he was Vice President for Research and Planning at the Chicago Urban League. Among his recent books are Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics (Paradigm, 2008), Racial Oppression in the Global Metropolis: A Living Black Chicago History (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007), and Segregated Schools: Educational Apartheid in Post-Civil Rights America (Routledge, 2005). His many articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune; In These Times; Dissent; Z Magazine; Black Commentator; Monthly Review, Journal of American Ethnic History; Journal of Social History, and other publications. Anthony DiMaggio is the author of the newly released When Media Goes to War (Monthly Review 2010) and Mass Media, Mass Propaganda (Lexington Books 2008). He teaches U.S. and Global Politics at Illinois State University.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book will be an eye-opener for those who perceive the Tea Party as an independent, nonpartisan, authentic grassroots social movement, which, the authors maintain and document, is the way it has been portrayed in the mass media. The authors attended Tea Party meetings and events and combine reportage on what they learned with polling data to portray a different picture of who and what the Tea Party actually is.
No one, myself included, will agree with all of the judgments and characterizations the authors offer. They are open about their own political views. That isn't the main reason to read the book. The reason to read it is to gain a better understanding of what this influential phenomenon is, and isn't. The book is clearly written and is well sourced so that readers who want backup for the claims and arguments made can examine it for themselves if they wish. A valuable contribution to understanding contemporary American political developments.
No one, myself included, will agree with all of the judgments and characterizations the authors offer. They are open about their own political views. That isn't the main reason to read the book. The reason to read it is to gain a better understanding of what this influential phenomenon is, and isn't. The book is clearly written and is well sourced so that readers who want backup for the claims and arguments made can examine it for themselves if they wish. A valuable contribution to understanding contemporary American political developments.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Chris
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a fairly readable book, with impressive analysis.
The authors show that the Tea Party is not an independent, spontaneous, grassroots movement of ordinary Americans but an astroturf operation managed by Republican operatives and funded by corporate titans like the Koch brothers. The authors conclude that Tea Party chapters across the nation are mostly inactive, with relatively few of them holding any regular meetings. It seems that Tea Party rallies and meetings can only draw significant crowds when media stars like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin show up. If a certain portion of Americans express sympathy with the Tea party in polls, then that is merely an exhibition of general sympathy with the Tea Party's anger at how bad things are and not sympathy with the specific ultra-right and paranoid ideas embraced by the Teabaggers. The authors cite an in-depth CBS/New York Times poll of April 2010, along with other polling, that shows that Americans in general hold significantly more progressive views than the Teabaggers. For example, according to the CBS/NYT poll, 20 percent of Tea Partiers blamed Bush and Wall Street for the financial crisis, compared to 54 percent of the general public. 80 percent of Teabaggers expressed opposition to tax increases on those making over $250,000 to provide health insurance to the uninsured, compared to 39 percent of the general public. 54 percent of Teabaggers expressed opposition to Roe V. Wade, compared to 34 percent of the general public. The authors cite other polling from the last decade indicating that strong majorities of Americans believe taxes on corporations and the wealthy are too low and that the government should increase social spending.
Issues revolving around race seem to be where the Tea Partiers and the general public are most in sync. However, according to the authors, Tea Partiers hold, even more than the general white public, a "color blind" racism. The authors note that the Tea Partiers provide a strong constituency for Islamophobic currents in this country. The Tea Party has provided a friendly audience for the disgusting cretin demagogue Pamela Geller. Geller, it is mentioned in this book, is an admirer of the English Defense League, the fascist hooligan anti-Muslim organization.
The authors argue that the Tea Party is the latest manifestation of Richard Hofstadter's "paranoid style." The authors note the craziness of the views echoed in Tea Party circles that Obama is a socialist. In fact, Obama is a corporate friendly centrist. They point out that his health care bill kept the private sector firmly in charge of the distribution of health care in this country. It even forces Americans to buy insurance from private insurers. Thus his health care bill strengthened the rapacious private sector health care industry. Obama's health care legislation is very similar to the alternative plan proposed by the Republicans to President Clinton's health care proposal in 1993. The authors note another piece of evidence cited by Tea Party activists about Obama's socialist plotting. This involved the bailout of the auto industry. Obama's government temporarily took over GM, and gave partial ownership of it to the UAW but there was no interference with traditional management prerogatives or operating philosophy. Quoting New York Times business columnist Floyd Norris, the authors note that the Obama administration subjected GM to lessons in strong capitalist principles. Faced with the opposition of the UAW, GM had been reluctant to cut jobs and outsource to the extent that it needed to become profitable. However, under Obama's oversight, GM moved the equivalent of four assembly plants from American shores to Mexico, South Korea and China. Many union jobs were destroyed but GM's profitability was enhanced by moving to lower wage business climates. The Obama administration also allowed GM to raid its worker pension funds to pay its debts to Wall Street banks.
The authors argue that the founding fathers did not intend for the constitution to be interpreted in the rigidly constructionist manner that Teabaggers view it. While the Tea Partiers worship the unfettered free market, they are ignorant of the fact that Jefferson and Madison both warned against economic inequality. The authors note that both greatly feared the rise of corporations and banks that set out to accumulate the bulk of the wealth of the country and erode American democracy. Jefferson even called for a progressive income tax at one point.
The Tea Party's success in the 2010 mid-term elections was based not on establishing any real connection with the general American population. The authors note that that election went to the Republicans because the Democratic Party's base was too demoralized to turn out to vote.The authors, in their afterword, discuss the movement that started in Wisconsin, noting that 61 percent of the American public opposed the imposition of the Wisconsin style anti-union law in their state. The authors note the misinformation pushed by corporate funded think tanks and other groups about public workers. The authors quote a New York Times article to the effect that Obama's White House became enraged when it learned that the Democratic National Committee tried to provide some assistance to the Wisconsin protestors.
The authors portray Teabaggers as ignorant, credulous, bigoted, racist, authoritarian, virtually all white, heavily rural and exurban, and generally very stupid people tending toward the more extreme varieties of Christianity. They do not see any possibility of left movements aligning with the Tea Party on anti-war issues (Ron Paul has a low approval rating amongst the Teabaggers). They disagree with the sentimental critique of the Tea Partiers offered at one point by Noam Chomsky.
While the authors dismiss the idea that the Tea Party is a genuine social movement, they warn that our political and social climate is favorable for the Teabaggers. To the vast majority of Americans, there is no visible progressive alternative to the system of corporate tyranny represented by both Republicans and Democrats. In the absence of serious left wing alternatives, Americans might increasingly be hospitable to the Tea Party or worse movements.
The authors show that the Tea Party is not an independent, spontaneous, grassroots movement of ordinary Americans but an astroturf operation managed by Republican operatives and funded by corporate titans like the Koch brothers. The authors conclude that Tea Party chapters across the nation are mostly inactive, with relatively few of them holding any regular meetings. It seems that Tea Party rallies and meetings can only draw significant crowds when media stars like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin show up. If a certain portion of Americans express sympathy with the Tea party in polls, then that is merely an exhibition of general sympathy with the Tea Party's anger at how bad things are and not sympathy with the specific ultra-right and paranoid ideas embraced by the Teabaggers. The authors cite an in-depth CBS/New York Times poll of April 2010, along with other polling, that shows that Americans in general hold significantly more progressive views than the Teabaggers. For example, according to the CBS/NYT poll, 20 percent of Tea Partiers blamed Bush and Wall Street for the financial crisis, compared to 54 percent of the general public. 80 percent of Teabaggers expressed opposition to tax increases on those making over $250,000 to provide health insurance to the uninsured, compared to 39 percent of the general public. 54 percent of Teabaggers expressed opposition to Roe V. Wade, compared to 34 percent of the general public. The authors cite other polling from the last decade indicating that strong majorities of Americans believe taxes on corporations and the wealthy are too low and that the government should increase social spending.
Issues revolving around race seem to be where the Tea Partiers and the general public are most in sync. However, according to the authors, Tea Partiers hold, even more than the general white public, a "color blind" racism. The authors note that the Tea Partiers provide a strong constituency for Islamophobic currents in this country. The Tea Party has provided a friendly audience for the disgusting cretin demagogue Pamela Geller. Geller, it is mentioned in this book, is an admirer of the English Defense League, the fascist hooligan anti-Muslim organization.
The authors argue that the Tea Party is the latest manifestation of Richard Hofstadter's "paranoid style." The authors note the craziness of the views echoed in Tea Party circles that Obama is a socialist. In fact, Obama is a corporate friendly centrist. They point out that his health care bill kept the private sector firmly in charge of the distribution of health care in this country. It even forces Americans to buy insurance from private insurers. Thus his health care bill strengthened the rapacious private sector health care industry. Obama's health care legislation is very similar to the alternative plan proposed by the Republicans to President Clinton's health care proposal in 1993. The authors note another piece of evidence cited by Tea Party activists about Obama's socialist plotting. This involved the bailout of the auto industry. Obama's government temporarily took over GM, and gave partial ownership of it to the UAW but there was no interference with traditional management prerogatives or operating philosophy. Quoting New York Times business columnist Floyd Norris, the authors note that the Obama administration subjected GM to lessons in strong capitalist principles. Faced with the opposition of the UAW, GM had been reluctant to cut jobs and outsource to the extent that it needed to become profitable. However, under Obama's oversight, GM moved the equivalent of four assembly plants from American shores to Mexico, South Korea and China. Many union jobs were destroyed but GM's profitability was enhanced by moving to lower wage business climates. The Obama administration also allowed GM to raid its worker pension funds to pay its debts to Wall Street banks.
The authors argue that the founding fathers did not intend for the constitution to be interpreted in the rigidly constructionist manner that Teabaggers view it. While the Tea Partiers worship the unfettered free market, they are ignorant of the fact that Jefferson and Madison both warned against economic inequality. The authors note that both greatly feared the rise of corporations and banks that set out to accumulate the bulk of the wealth of the country and erode American democracy. Jefferson even called for a progressive income tax at one point.
The Tea Party's success in the 2010 mid-term elections was based not on establishing any real connection with the general American population. The authors note that that election went to the Republicans because the Democratic Party's base was too demoralized to turn out to vote.The authors, in their afterword, discuss the movement that started in Wisconsin, noting that 61 percent of the American public opposed the imposition of the Wisconsin style anti-union law in their state. The authors note the misinformation pushed by corporate funded think tanks and other groups about public workers. The authors quote a New York Times article to the effect that Obama's White House became enraged when it learned that the Democratic National Committee tried to provide some assistance to the Wisconsin protestors.
The authors portray Teabaggers as ignorant, credulous, bigoted, racist, authoritarian, virtually all white, heavily rural and exurban, and generally very stupid people tending toward the more extreme varieties of Christianity. They do not see any possibility of left movements aligning with the Tea Party on anti-war issues (Ron Paul has a low approval rating amongst the Teabaggers). They disagree with the sentimental critique of the Tea Partiers offered at one point by Noam Chomsky.
While the authors dismiss the idea that the Tea Party is a genuine social movement, they warn that our political and social climate is favorable for the Teabaggers. To the vast majority of Americans, there is no visible progressive alternative to the system of corporate tyranny represented by both Republicans and Democrats. In the absence of serious left wing alternatives, Americans might increasingly be hospitable to the Tea Party or worse movements.
12 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My comments are not to be taken as an academic book review or one descriptive of the authors methods and style; but rather comments about the big picture with regards to the advent of the Tea Party.We are indebted to Paul Street and Anthony DiMaggio for presentindg a well stuctured treatise about what many of us already knew. Namely that there is and has been a segment of the country that are well to the right of the political thought of conservative republicans. These people are low information voters who hate being confused by facts they are the same people who resented the policies of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, President Johnson's Affirmative Action Executive Order of 1965, and all the legislation seeking to level the playing field with regards to the groups in our society who have been and are marganized. Tea Party people have always been here, however many Tea Party members are disillusioned, not so much with the government but with their own party as they are beginning to realize they have been used by ultra right millionaires and billionaires who seek to alter political thought in the country. Moreover what started out to be a worthy cause was hijacted by smart money. We know that applied behavorial science research tells us that of all the differences between individuals and groups "color" is most significant. When President Obama was elected all the residual resentments pented up over the years were triggered. The election results, together with the failing economy,the stubborn recession, terrorist scares by former Vice President Chaney, and daily doses of over the top pejorative rants by talking heads at Fox News set the stage. Smart money saw an opportunity to mobilize right wing Republicans, evangelical extremists, and just plain mean and bitter people resentful of a Black Man serving as President and Commander in Chief of the United States into a major political force; with the so called purpose of taking their country back from wasteful liberals. What they really meant subliminally was (from that Black man in our White House). Their intraphic conflict needed an outlet, we began to see this during the 2008 Presidental race with gun toting people carring all kinds of racist signs. The sad part is that many good and decent people were hoodwinked into joining the party believing its purpose was really to get the country's financial house in order. The book is timely but we can expect all sorts of criticisms and denials - however the record speaks for itself just take a look at the current House of Representatives and by all means tune in to Fox News. "Crashing the Tea Party" does a great service to the country, I truly hope it receives adequate reviews, and public attention by the cable news talking heads; the book really does UNCOVER the Tea Party,Thank You.
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