More on the Mad Tea Party

Walking through Publix parking lot marveling at the bumper stickers.

On a seven-year-old truck, the slogan “IF YOU CAN’T HONOR AND RESPECT THIS, YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE” emblazoned on a Confederate flag.

On a rusted-out, 15-year-old Honda Civic, “I’LL KEEP MY FREEDOM, GUNS, AND MONEY, OBAMA. YOU KEEP THE CHANGE.”

OK. Thought experiment: Could a progressive version of the Tea Party be possible? Answer: probably not. The left had some blood and muscle tissue when it represented actual common people: farmers and industrial workers. Now, America has outsourced and robotized most of those jobs. In terms of 21st century capitalism, the bottom rung of society, is basically, losers – by society’s definition, not mine. Low-level clerks, data workers, grunts at big box stores, etc. They don’t see themselves as “working class.” In their minds, they’re climbing the golden ladder of success and using credit cards to fake it until they reach the Giant’s Castle in the clouds. In general, they vote against their own economic interests – partly because they buy into the success gospel, but also because they’re motivated by “values” issues, defined as God, guns and guts, with a dash of closet racism. The progressive movement (such as it is) represents one faction of America’s elite. Until things radically change, a radical left movement analogous to the Tea Party is impossible.

Jesus appearing in the sky doing the power-to-the-people fist might do it. Other than that, outlook not so good.