Just Where Did the Tea Party Come From?

Something disturbing happened very shortly after Barack Obama took office.  Almost as if on cue, the movement we now refer to as the Tea Party suddenly appeared.  I say suddenly because most if not all of their positions address issues that have been simmering long before January 20, 2009:  deficit spending along with the ballooning national debt, plus the perception (real or imagined) that the federal government is overly intrusive; for example, the exaggerated opposition to health care reform, replete with false stories about death panels and rationing of care.

Is all of this just good old fashioned American political debate or is there something else at work--an undercurrent of bigotry perhaps?  Can this be linked to the election of our first African American President?


In a recent piece, syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts cites a very telling study from the University of Washington's Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race & Sexuality.  The results are most noteworthy.

As Pitts reports, "Respondents were read loaded statements such as this: 'It's really a matter of some people not trying hard enough; if blacks would only try harder, they could be just as well off as whites.' Among those skeptical of the tea party, only 33 percent agreed with that statement. Among whites in general, 56 percent did. But among the tea party's most rabid followers, the number spikes to 73 percent."

Is this reflective of the type of nation we're becoming?  I certinly hope not.