I am always reading, which is why, no matter what, I always find stuff to write about.
Today I came across an article written by Jennifer Harper in the Washington Times, and while reading it I came across the following:
" The term "tea-bagger" is like uttering the "n" word, some say. Though he aspires to promote civility, evidence has surfaced that President Obama has added "tea-bagger" to his public lexicon, though it's considered a cheap and tawdry insult by "tea party" activists. Watchdogs at Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) barked when they saw the proof, tucked in a sneak peak of Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter's new book, "The Promise: President Obama, Year One," to be released May 18. Indeed, it appears the president joined certain partisan critics and the liberal media, and took the tea-bag plunge.
"This remark is the equivalent of using the 'n' word. It shows contempt for middle America, expressed knowingly, contemptuously, on purpose, and with a smirk. It is indefensible to use this word. The president knows what it means, and his people know what it means. The public thought we reached a new low of incivility during the Clinton administration. Well, the Obama administration has just outdone them," ATR president Grover Norquist tells Inside the Beltway. " [Article]
Stunning! The fact that Mr. Norquist has joined the chorus of those who choose to refuse to try and understand the seriousness of maybe not the word itself, but certainly the legacy that comes along with it.
I have news for Mr. Norquist: he has delusions of grandeur if he thinks that the "teabagger" movement represents "middle America". What it represents is a bunch of political operatives who are masquerading as independents. And some- not all- can't stand the fact that this particular man occupies the people's house. If they represent "middle America" well then A-merry-ca is in big trouble.
So his O ness refers to these wingnut hacks as "tea-baggers", what's the big deal? Have you heard how they refer to him, lately? The term tea-bagger is quite mild in comparison. So chill out Grover, this is politics. I have to co-sign with Jason Linkins when he writes the following:
"But is it the equivalent of the "n" word? Uhm... you'll notice that nobody shorthands it, "the 't' word," don't you? That should tell you something. On the spectrum of insult, "teabagger" seems to me to be the equivalent of "moonbat" or "wingnut," which are also popular shorthand insults embraced by political factions who use them as shibboleths -- a tidy signifier of groupwide self-satisfaction."
Maybe we should start shortening the "t" word. Naaaaw, they would just find something else to cry about.
