History: CNBC, the tea party, and this week’s debate
Link here. The essay is a fascinating look back at the factors that generated the tea party movement in 2009, centered greatly on a single commentary that took place on CNBC at the time. The essay then notes how NBC then revamped CNBC’s lineup, making it far more liberal and Democratic, which is why we had what we had at the Republican Presidential debate this past week.
It is very much worth a read, as it gives some very important background to these events. It also makes this point, which I think is quite significant:
[I]t was Cruz’s defense of the entire field, and of all conservatives, that was like a game changing pick six in football. The debate was instantly different. That was the match and the gasoline to another conservative explosion. I contend nothing will be the same in debates any time soon, or in any liberal media interviews for that matter – and this is critical. [emphasis in original]
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In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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Link here. The essay is a fascinating look back at the factors that generated the tea party movement in 2009, centered greatly on a single commentary that took place on CNBC at the time. The essay then notes how NBC then revamped CNBC’s lineup, making it far more liberal and Democratic, which is why we had what we had at the Republican Presidential debate this past week.
It is very much worth a read, as it gives some very important background to these events. It also makes this point, which I think is quite significant:
[I]t was Cruz’s defense of the entire field, and of all conservatives, that was like a game changing pick six in football. The debate was instantly different. That was the match and the gasoline to another conservative explosion. I contend nothing will be the same in debates any time soon, or in any liberal media interviews for that matter – and this is critical. [emphasis in original]
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
I think Ted Cruz’s exasperated response was a galvanizing event for Republicans in general, and conservatives in particular.
The administration and the liberal media refer to the Tea Party contingent of voters as if it were universally understood that it’s a bunch of kooks whose time has passed. This may be because the conspicuousness of their presence at large public rallies and outspokenness at town hall meetings has dropped off markedly. However, I think the movement has, if anything, held its own during Obama’s tenure in office. While relatively silent in public, I think Tea Party folks have been keeping abreast of legislative and supreme court developments and doing a slow burn, becoming more outraged and more determined than ever to actively back candidates they believe possess the principles and fortitude to wrest control of government from the the hands of our current crop of corrupticrats. Admittedly, my view of the situation may be overly optimistic; a year’s time will tell the tale.
I hope you are right. I am dismayed at the lack of public outrage at the daily news, where are the demonstrations? The original protests were directed at TARP, since then that has been dwarfed by additional spending and waste….
Not only has the outrage over spending and waste gone “underground” but where is the outrage over the lack of consequences for blatent criminal acts? Why has no one gone to jail? Has anyone even lost their job? The IRS scandal alone should have sent dozens to jail. Lois Lerner is still getting paid! If the IRS had pulled this on behalf of Republicans you can bet that the NYT and every other media outlet would be screaming for heads….
I really do hope that the Tea Party or some other incarnation of it rises up again, but I fear we have become numb to constant scandal, kind of a universal version of Clinton fatigue, where the bad news is just waved off as “old news”.
I know how dispiriting it is to watch what’s been happening in the country for the last seven years. Your fear that the citizenry is jaded may be valid, but, with a decent, articulate candidate, I feel that more voters can be brought to the realization that life is better when government is less confiscatory and intrusive.
The main benefit of the public emergence of the Tea Party may have been to demonstrate to right-thinking people that they were not alone, contrary to the media’s steady barrage of left-wing propaganda. What was accomplished by public displays before may still be possible to bring about with less fanfare if we roll up our sleeves individually and do the work. We shouldn’t give up. Lefties never, ever do.