Charles Davenport Jr.: Tea party politics : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

One's opinion of the tea party movement depends, to a large extent, on the sources from which one derives the news of the day.

If, like Tim Rutten, you read The New York Times and watch CBS news, you are likely to dismiss the uprising as little more than the hyperventilating of "angry white males." Rutten, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, appeared in these pages last week and heaped derision upon the tea partiers because they are disproportionately (according to a New York Times/CBS poll) white, male, highly educated and affluent. (Greedy capitalists!)

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Rutten's statistics are accurate. Must we conclude, based merely on demographics, that the grievances aired by the tea party are illegitimate? Of course not. In the minds of many "journalists," however, protests are worthwhile only when they are orchestrated by the underclass, by people of color, by the uneducated -- by those officially anointed as "victims" of an "oppressive" society. Rutten also writes that tea partiers are not "implacable foes of 'big government' or even of taxes." Wrong again.

Two weeks ago in The Washington Times, Joe Curl wrote about a new report from the Media Research Center, which concludes as follows: "The big three television networks virtually ignored the tea party surge in 2009, and so far this year, have maligned the movement as teeming with racists and violent fringe supporters."

Perhaps we should meet a few local members of this "fringe" gathering of "violent, angry white males." The primary organizers of Greensboro's tea party on April 15 may be angry, but they are neither male nor dangerous. Isabella Adkins is a Romanian-born American citizen, Joanne Wittenborn is a soft-spoken grandmother and Jodi Riddleberger is a stay-at-home mom. Scary, huh?

All three women volunteer with Conservatives for Guilford County (C4GC), which is not synonymous with the tea party movement. Yet, philosophically speaking, the two organizations are indistinguishable.

Adkins, C4GC's event planner, reminded me that the only "extremist" present at the tea party was a "counter-protester, who tried to create some sort of conflict." The Greensboro Police Department promptly hauled away the culprit, who was attempting to shout down the event's speakers.

"President Obama," Adkins says, "believes that big government can solve all problems in our country." His policies "will end up taking incentive away from the people and make them dependent on the government, generation after generation. That is un-American."

Wittenborn says she was compelled to join C4GC because of her three grown children and young granddaughters, who will be forced to pay the tab for ever-expanding government. The Constitution and the 10th Amendment were designed to limit federal power, but "the Democrats have been steadily eroding this wonderful framework." They also "apologize for the greatness of the U.S., and deny our exceptionalism."

Wittenborn recalls protests against President George W. Bush, in which he was hung in effigy, swastikas were painted over his image, and American flags were burned. "The mainstream press along with the Democrats in Congress all praised this type of dissent as 'freedom of speech,' and healthy. When it is conservatives protesting the policies of the Obama administration, it is racist, unpatriotic and seditious."

Riddleberger, co-founder of C4GC, urges greater citizen involvement, otherwise "government will continue to grow, and tax the hard-working, law-abiding, self-reliant folks in a way that is increasingly threatening. Taxes will continue to go up for the producers, and entitlements will be offered to a larger and larger underclass."

All three women are disturbed by the media's portrayal of the tea party movement. (This newspaper's Dioni L. Wise wrote a refreshingly fair-minded piece about the Greensboro tea party on April 16.)

In response to one of the more outrageous cases of biased media coverage, conservative activist Andrew Brietbart has offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who can prove accusations that protesters chanted the N-word during a rally on March 20 at the Capitol. No one has stepped forward to claim the prize. Despite the lack of evidence, major media outlets ran the story.

If the tea party movement and C4GC are "radical," then so was James Madison, the father of the Constitution. A couple of centuries ago, he expressed our sentiments in The Federalist #45: "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite."

Today, the powers of the federal government are numerous and indefinite, while those of the states are few and defined. James Madison would be as angry as we are.

Charles Davenport Jr. (cdavenportjr@hotmail.com) writes a monthly column for the News & Record.

left-wing conspiracy theorist

May 2, 2010 - 5:33 am EDT

Charles-

Just because you only write this column once a month, it doesn't mean you have to pack 4 column's worth of Davenport nonsense into one lousy article.

"Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Rutten's statistics are accurate. Must we conclude, based merely on demographics, that the grievances aired by the tea party are illegitimate? Of course not. In the minds of many 'journalists,' however, protests are worthwhile only when they are orchestrated by the underclass, by people of color, by the uneducated -- by those officially anointed as 'victims' of an 'oppressive' society."
Let's take a moment and think about what you just wrote. The underclass have protested for suffrage, education, and the right to eat lunch at a diner. What in the world do those of the privileged class have to protest about? The excise taxes on their yachts? Tariffs on Russian Caviar? This is no more silly than complaining about Reagan-era tax policy. Complaining about loss of freedoms? Sorry, but those of you who defend the Patriot Act and AZ's recent controversial bill don't get to complain about any perceived 'loss of freedoms' anymore. Complaining about 'big government' in the aftermath of the worst financial disaster since 1929 due to lack of regulatory oversight requires a level of disconnect that should make every thinking person's head implode.

Since you want to compare the treatment the opposition has given to Obama to the treatment given to Bush, I think it is fair to compare the rationales of the respecting oppositions: Bush invaded a sovereign nation that presented no threat to the United States. He turned budget surplus into then record deficits. He destroyed America's relationships with the rest of the planet. Obama wanted 30 million people to have healthcare. Dissent itself is not racialist, but the de facto head of the Opposition, who thinks the song 'Barack the Magic Negro' is appropriate, as well as those who are at this moment snickering behind their keyboards most certainly are.

"Adkins, C4GC's event planner, reminded me that the only "extremist" present at the tea party was a "counter-protester, who tried to create some sort of conflict." The Greensboro Police Department promptly hauled away the culprit, who was attempting to shout down the event's speakers"
You need to do a little more due dilligence, and not rely on heresay to propagate your nonsense. This 'counter-protester' did not say a single word, much less shout anyone down. I know, I was only 10 feet away from him. Until some nutjob saw his sign that read "Prosperity = White Supremacy" and responded by yelling "We have an instigator here!" and began attacking the young man and his sign, pushing him down. This nutjob only stopped when another man came up and intervened.

tahoeman1971

May 2, 2010 - 11:25 am EDT

"began attacking the young man and his sign, pushing him down"

You mean like this? I would post a mainstream website, but they did not report it. Wonder if ABC would have covered it if the victim was a hippie and culprits were tea partiers?

http://biggovernment.com/jhoft/2010/04/15/photo-released-of-gop-official...

May 3, 2010 - 6:58 am EDT

I didn't think you would have anything to say about this lwct. You prove once again that you are not a proponent of fairness. You are a partisan hack.

Get A Clue

May 2, 2010 - 6:39 am EDT

ChuckyD has to pack a month's worth or silly syllogisms and poor reasoning into a single column now that he's been cut back on these pages. He's worth reading in every college classroom! Seriously. His columns always provide excellent examples of incredibly poor reasoning. he somehow manages to provide examples of every logical fallacy known to humankind in each column.
And he's funny, too. Imagine the parrot of Fox News starting his column with this: "One's opinion of the tea party movement depends, to a large extent, on the sources from which one derives the news of the day." The man who won't think for himself uncritically makes a statement like that. Pure hilarity.

Kit9

May 2, 2010 - 7:37 am EDT

Obviously Charles you haven't taken a look at YouTube or other sources of community gathered information. The Media is controlled by the editors. YouTube is controlled by the contributors. See what they have gathered about the Tea Party movement. I have seen some viscous and disgusting comments made that went beyond racist to exhibiting violence and extremism. How would you respond to the unfounded lies about Obama's birth certificate not being valid, perhaps you agree with effigies of Obama being lynched or maybe you think this country should be ruled by mob mentality. It sure did Germany a lot of good in the 40's! Ignorance and hate begat destruction!

justified

May 2, 2010 - 9:24 am EDT

Charles.
Look what you did.
You done went and made the BABIES cry again.

May 2, 2010 - 11:22 am EDT

I was just reading a story about a tea partier shooting a sheriff...no what a second it was an illegal doing the shooting. The hypocrisy reeks!

Panacea

May 2, 2010 - 12:03 pm EDT

It was a drug smuggler who happens to have been in the US illegally (how dare he break two laws at once!)

May 3, 2010 - 7:02 am EDT

SO? That is the ridiculous part Pan. The new law in Arizona "requires" that someone break two laws at once before papers can be requested. That is a feature of the bill that everyone on TV and internet message boards leave out when discussing the new law. If you ask me, this drug smuggler is a poster child for shoot first and check papers later.

May 2, 2010 - 12:19 pm EDT

Mr. Davenport needs to read his history a little more closely. Yes, Madison wrote over one third of the Federalist Papers. He is often cited by conservatives who use his arguments (which were meticulously well reasoned and written) on behalf of their views on smaller government.

Madison later broke with the Federalists and helped found the Democratic Party (then called the Republican Party, then Democratic-Republican, and one surviving faction became the modern Democratic Party). Madison's views shifted over time, showing he was a complex man who adapted to the political realities and needs of his time. He is a fascinating person who should not be subjected to lowest common denominator descriptions.

For example, he opposed the First National Bank, and supported the Second (which was later destroyed by Andrew Jackson). He opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts. He supervised the Louisiana Purchase (considered a gross overexertion of government authority at the time). He supported checks and balances to protect individuals against the "tyranny of the majority". He opposed the appointment of chaplains to Congress and the military, because he thought it created too much dissension in politics, and was exclusionary.

Madison can't be pigeon holed, and should not be.

General Greensboro

May 3, 2010 - 7:45 am EDT

In case Universal Genius comes back to check his comment ...

1. It was off-topic

2. It mentioned his favorite columnist (no, not Charles Davenport), something that's no longer allowed.

If you want to keep commenting around here, please follow those two simple rules.

May 3, 2010 - 8:04 am EDT

It is a shame that one person has eliminated our ability to comment on Mr. Pitts (although I completely understand why). Once again, the many suffering the consequences of the actions of a few. Or in this case, the ONE! Sigh!

May 3, 2010 - 8:57 am EDT

It wasn't just UG. Those particular columns brought out the worst in everyone.

May 3, 2010 - 10:17 am EDT

Because today's comments in this thread can't stay on topic, I'm closing this one.

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