Tea Parties

Have you heard about the tea parties that the Republicans staged to protest the bank bailouts? The Republicans say they have American tax payers on their side because they are angry about the taxes and the economy. They used yesterday's tax payment day to stage their demonstrations to protest government spending and corporate bailouts.

These tea parties were promoted by FreedomWorks, a conservative nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington and led by former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas, who is now a lobbyist, wouldn't you know.

FreedomWorks insists the rallies are nonpartisan but they have been seized on by many prominent Republicans who view them as a promising way for the party to reclaim its momentum against President Barack Obama's administration and other Democrats. Some prominent Republicans considering a 2012 presidential bid and some others with upcoming campaigns for state and congressional offices hitched a ride with the movement.

Newt Gingrich, for example, urged people to tell their lawmakers to vote against big spending or else "we're going to fire you. But when asked about a possible run for the presidency, Gingrich shook his head emphatically and said, "I'm just part of a citizen movement."

"This is critically important, what you're doing," Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, a likely candidate for Kansas governor in 2010, told the crowd in Topeka. "You've got to keep it up."

There were several counter-protests, including one that drew people at Fountain Square in Cincinnati. A counter-protester held a sign that read, "Where were you when Bush was spending billions a month 'liberating' Iraq?"

As is apparent, the Republicans see this action as a grass roots demonstration that they hope could lead to their return to the White House. I wonder what plan they would offer instead of the Obama stimulus plan? They don't offer a plan because they don't have a plan. They just want to complain. Their plan would be to start a war with Iran. Some suggest the second world war was what got us out of the last depression, not Roosevelt's WPA or CCC spending.

My feeling is if they want to object to the stimulus plan then they shouldn't take any of the stimulus money. That's a great way to show their objection.