Teaparty.org, Minuteman Project and Occupy D.C. Organizers hold a beer summit at CPAC.

It would have been just any mundane clash of civilizations with points thrown and missed until a Mad Hatter in the form of the gregarious Tea Partier appears in the thick of the stand off between Occupiers and Conservatives and says - hey stop shouting at each other - you got at least 60% in common - so lets have some beers (many beers) and discuss this. And so began the Beer Summit an initiative between possibly the minuteman wing of the Tea Party - attendees at the CPAC and some of the Occupiers who came to protest CPAC.

At the CPAC-Occupy beer summit Over drinks, foot soldiers of the left and right explore what they agree on: more than you'd think BY JEFFERSON MORLEY http://www.salon.com/2012/02/13/at_the_cpac_occupy_beer_summit/singleton/

19 posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 8:48:08 PM by houeto: “This is one of the most interesting threads that I’ve ever been on in my time here.”

Agreed.

18 posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 8:32:05 PM by hoosiermama: “Hope you keep in touch. Maybe a small group representing each group could appear on a couple of networks together. Wouldn’t that make the establishment nervous.....”

Could be interesting. As Blue Collar Republican said, at the absolute minimum the two groups can agree on their right to protest, and while that may not be a big deal for liberals to grant, it would perhaps reduce the “stop hate speech” screams from the left and reduce the “shut up, pinko” screams from the right.

The First Amendment recognizes that people have rights to advocate views with which we may strongly disagree. As conservatives, we are hypocrites if we ignore the original intent of the Constitution's plain language, just as liberals are hypocrites if they claim free speech rights for themselves while denying free speech to people whose speech they dislike.

Perhaps the most important benefit I see from this is recognizing that Blue Collar Republican is definitely right about the history of the American Revolution being disparate groups with a common enemy but not much else in common.

The liberals and libertarians are not entirely wrong when they point out holes in the typical conservative narrative of America as a Christian nation founded on God and limited government. Franklin and Jefferson were among the Founding Fathers, too, and while their radical views on human freedom were either modified or muted by the subsequent excesses of the French Revolution, it is a misreading of history to draw a straight line from Plymouth Rock and Massachusetts Bay all the way to the American Constitution as if there were no differences between North and South; between urban manufacturers, mercantile shippers, southern planters, and frontiersmen; and between even the founders of the different colonies on key issues of culture and religion.

The Constitution is a compromise document. It works. Following it is a really good idea.

A note for Sal: I'm not saying much because I think we agree, at least on the main points.

The fights between “rank and file” union members and the leaders of their unions used to be a much bigger deal. That difference was a key to the rise of the “Reagan Democrats.” Much could be said about that, but it's now less relevant than it used to be because much of our American manufacturing capacity has been exported to other countries, and much of what remains in the United States is now in Southern states with “right to work” laws allowing workers who don't like their union leaders to vote with their feet by leaving. We can debate whether those two developments are good or bad things, but what can't be debated is it's led to a radicalization of union leadership in ways that have not been helpful to unions, their members, or their companies.

Okay. So a couple of "Occupiers" were reasonable for a moment while having drinks. Remember what they do with their occupying various city parks and other public lands and all the literally crap they leave behind.

This video was not a true example of what the "Occupiers" are really about - anarchy and socialism. THE only thing that the TEA Party and Occupiers have in common is crony-capitalism. If you follow the video to the end, it shows some liberal white woman complaining about racism and being the reason she joined the protest. Sheesh, will they never get past it?!

THEY ARE THE RACISTS! THEY BRING IT UP IN EVERY DISCUSSION! We need to start calling them on it. Every time some lib/soc brings up race, ask them how that even matters anymore. If they mention the numbers of black men in prison, then respond with yes, they commit more crimes per population. Sorry, but it's a statistical fact. You might also want to make the point that black boys/men attack blacks boys/men more than anyone else.

It's time to start fighting back with simple statistics!

"It is the media that focuses its cameras on uninvited skinheads at the Tea Parties and Union bully thugs at the Occupy rallies."

Puhlease, so you met some few rational Occupiers. Do you really believe that they are the core? Gawd, look around the country to see what their agenda is. Their signs and the mess they leave everywhere is the biggest statement of their intent.

I would love to see Occupiers, TEA Party, and others join against crony-capitalism and fedgov intrusion, but it won't happen. Mainly, because most Occupiers are anti-America...as in socialist/communist. However, kudos to you for being civil and same to those few Occupiers who would listen.

I've said since they showed up, I agree with their problem about crony-capitalism (think bailouts), but stopped when they morphed into socialists/anarchists who just want stuff (think Greece).

I don't know where you got that graphic or who created it, but the simple fact is the Occupiers want more than the little portrayed there. They want lots and lots of stuff...on your dime.

Their signs, chants, and behavior in every demonstration I've seen or read about shows what they want - everything for nothing. They should be living in Greece, because that is their mentality, not to mention the anarchist/communist hangers on that the core never denounces.

The Occupiers are class-warfare cry-babies and will never be satisfied, even if the power of "large corporations" was reduced. Some may be approachable for a beer, but the vast majority will never be satisfied until this Nation is based on Euro-socialism. Don't lose site because a few seemed friendly. Who do you think they will vote for this November? The person who promises them the most stuff.

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