I see it quite differently.
I think Santelli got what she said.
Meredith Whitney is the one who didn't get what she said.
She stereotyped almost the entire Tea Party movement as nothing more than white men. Angry white men - not concerned, rational white men.
Then she reduces the motivation and goals of the Tea Party as nothing more than the reaction of those unemployed ANGRY white men. (Bitter Clingers?)
In one breath she dismisses the Tea Party as simply a way for white guys to let off steam and dismisses white guys as whiners who are upset that the economy (and perhaps society and technology?) has passed them by.
Beating up on the Tea Party is the sport of the moment and white men seem to be the only demographic that can safely be discriminated against, denigrated, ridiculed and dismissed - after all, they are reactionary dinosaurs and they just aren't too smart. Where would we be without "Clueless White Guy" commercials? All the really smart, competent women and minorities need a slow witted straight man - right?
So Whitney took a safe, cheap shot and can't imagine why Santelli called her on it.
I think the Libtards are just hoping that one of these verbal abuses of the Tea Party will trigger a violent response, so they can say, “I told you so.” It flustrates and angers them when they don’t succeed. Whitney was very flustrated.