Tea party isn't quite what liberals hope to convince people it is

New York Times via Deseret News ^ | 10/19/2010 | Ross Douthat, New York Times

[FreeAtlanta]

A month ago, a UCLA graduate student named Emily Elkins spent hours roaming a tea party rally on the Washington Mall, photographing every sign she saw.

Elkins, a former CATO Institute intern, was examining the liberal conceit that tea party marches are rife with racism and conspiracy theorizing. Last week, The Washington Post reported on her findings: just 5 percent of the 250 signs referenced Barack Obama's race or religion, and 1 percent brought up his birth certificate. The majority focused on bailouts, deficits and spending — exactly the issues the tea partiers claim inspired their movement in the first place...

[FreeAtlanta]

I am surprised even 5 percent talked about the jokers race, but I would have expected a lot more that are concerned about his Muslim heritage.

[suthener]

I heard her on one of the radio talk shows yesterday. She said that only a small percentage were “controversial”. I wondered if her idea of controversial and my idea of controversial would be the same.

[RickB444]

It could very well be that by commenting on his Kenyan upbringing or his Muslim behavior, they could say those are racial remarks. That’s the way liberals think and often what they base their race comments on.

[US Navy Vet]

If this is the Glenn Beck rally she was at then I specifically asked that there be no signs. Makes ya wonder.

[US Navy Vet]

he

[Pessimist]

Me too.

I guess it depends on how broad the definition of “dealing with his race” was.

A charicature?

[GunningForTheBuddha]

Kind of hard for patchouli stinking drum-circle hippies to demonize a bunch of Dockers-Dads and Soccer-Moms.

[richardtavor]

5% would be 12 or 13 people, and some of those were probably plants. 1% is one person—hardly and indictment.

[FrankR]

The very idea of a liberal or the MSM trying to "define" the TPM (Tea party movement) is enough proof within itself that they don't know WTF they are talking about.

It's also very obvious that the TPM scares them to death.

They can't "isolate" a leader to persecute so they are striking out in generalities using the old, worn, standby...the "race card".

[luvbach1]

Ms Elkins study is really irrelevant. Progressives, libs, and Demonrats are not concerned whether or not their charges a true; in fact, they know they are not true. They are perfectly at ease with making up false charges.

[God luvs America]

linky no worky....

[FreeAtlanta]

hmmm, it worked earlier. Maybe, their server can handle the flood of readers from Free Republic? :-)

[God luvs America]

could be...deseret news site is down...