Over the past seven years, there have been several grassroots protest movement of some significance and considerable staying power.  And each of these movements, like all large political movements, contain their fair share of nuts.  But, with several notable exceptions, the mainstream media (echoing the views of left-wing bloggers and the Democratic Party) has seen fit to define one by its extremes.

Lately, as I’ve been doing my cardio, I have been toting along Michael Graham’s That’s No Angry Mob, That’s My Mom: Team Obama’s Assault on Tea-Party, Talk-Radio Americans.  On page 27, he writes,

Now, there are kooks in any big movement, and that includes the tea party movement.  Undoubtedly, when you have thousand of people at a tea party rally, you’re going to have a few “Obama Muslim Agent of Kenyan Commies!” signs to balance out the “Halliburton Hurricane Machines Caused Katrina!” banners you find at leftwing protests.

But, did the mainstream media and those who are thumping their chests in mock outrage, demanding that Republicans “differentiate themselves” from the isolated extremist in the Tea Party midst, ever dare differentiate themselves from the loons amidst the anti-war protesters (the most moderate of whom (most moderate of the loons, that is) were telling us that Bush lied us into a war for oil) or those devotees of candidate Obama calling the Democrat the Messiah?

The anti-war movement was indeed as grassroots phenomenon, with people genuinely opposed to our involvement in Iraq.  Obama’s campaign generated a genuine grassroots following, particularly among young people, wanting a new kind of politics, a change from the divisive politics of the Bush Era.

So, why must the spin this narrative, that Tea Parties are defined by their extremes while refusing to so define the anti-war movement and the Obama campaign, even going so far as trying to “crash” our protests so we fit their definition of what we’re supposed to be? Here, Graham provides the answer.  It’s their absence (to borrow a moose-hunting term) of intellectual ammunition.  Y’all in this Tea Party movement, like that talk-show host’s Mom, are right, because “instead of answering your concerns about bailouts, stimulus spending, and healthcare, they [i.e., Tea Party haters] just attack you.”

Seems name-calling is their means of ignoring our concerns.

And they accuse us of an absence of civility.

…the president of France makes more sense on national security than the president of the United States.

Why this comment on The Corner?  Because of this statement of reason by French President Sarkozy today.

WASHINGTON – France will not give up nuclear weapons because doing so would “jeopardise” its security, President Nicolas Sarkozy said this morning as global leaders gathered for a summit on nuclear security.

“I cannot jeopardise the security and safety of my country,” Sarkozy told CBS News here hours before US President Barack Obama opened the landmark summit of 47 nations in Washington.

The French leader said he could not abandon his nation’s nuclear weapons programme “on a unilateral basis in a world as dangerous as the one in which we live today”.

The Corner reader added to Jonah Goldberg that, “Sarkozy’s announcement on nukes demonstrates that we’ve crossed some sort of line, and not a good one.”

Obama is no Reagan.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Well, it was bound to happen.

Not satisfied with making a mockery of the Democratic Party, a group of Leftists is now working toward infiltrating the Tea Party movement by showing up and fabricating the heretofore completely unsubstantiated fantasy that the entire movement is predicated on racism, homophobia, misogyny, bla bla bla.

Great things here are easy to find:

First of all, they’re finally admitting their caricature of the Tea Party movement is so ludicrous that they have to contrive its existence for their pawns in the media.

Secondly, as this story goes viral, it will finally put to rest the hallucinations of the likes of those who see spitting and hear racial epithets at the events.

We may be reaching critical mass for the Tea Party movement wherein its detractors are so discredited, the genuine and grass-roots nature of its origins can no longer be deined by the sheep of the old-school media. Ironically, by this flagrant and pathetic attempt, the Tea Party enemies will likely undermine their own efforts.

-Nick (ColoradoPatriot, from TML)

UPDATE (from Dan):  Law Professor William A. Jacobson has a great short post on Jason Levin, the left-winger behind the attempt to crash the Tea Parties.  So, my question for Mr. Levin is this:  if you’re so convinced that the Tea Parties are “absolutely” full of “homophobes, racists or morons”, why then do you need to infiltrate the rallies to “to make its members appear to be racist, homophobic and moronic”?

(Maybe this update merits a post of its own.)

Looks like Barney is now doing his best impression of Marie Antoinette.

The Boston Globe’s Names Blog, an online gossip column, reports that Rep. Barney Frank found himself in an impromptu town-hall meeting on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston. A pair of ophthalmologist sisters wanted to air their grievances about ObamaCare, but Frank was having none of it:

“They wanted to talk to me, but I apologized and said I like to read and watch on planes,” Frank told us today. “They began to talk louder and that’s when Jimmy (Ready) [Frank's domestic partner] said, ‘If you’re trying to be bitchy, you’re doing a good job.’ ”Needless to say, the women didn’t appreciate the remark, and things got heated. (Attempts to locate or ID the women were unsuccessful.) [Passenger Brooke] Sexton, who’s an HR director for the UK-based retailer All Saints Spitalfields, said flight attendants weren’t working hard enough to defuse the situation, so she got involved.

“The women had been drinking, and they were crying and shouting,” Sexton said. “They were clearly the antagonizers, and Mr. Frank was kind of minding his own business.” (She said Ready also upset another passenger, calling him “Santa Claus.“) Finally, the parties calmed down and remained quiet for the rest of the flight. (Sexton was offered some complementary [sic] wine for her trouble.)

Barney Frank: Oh yeah, those annoying constituents are such buzzkills.  Especially those damn doctors who have to implement ObamaCare.  Just a bunch of drunk Tea Partiers, I tell you.  Now away with you while my partner Jimmy annoys other people on the plane — like having me here isn’t bad enough!

Keep it classy, Jimmy.  It is not a good idea to insult your Sugar Daddy’s constituents.

Guess what Barney: This is part of your job.  Take Harry Truman’s advice.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I have a feeling over the next 6 months, my blog posts will be heavier on the imbed-a-video than the type-a-whole-bunch-of-words method. Yes, you’re welcome.

Republicans are doing a great job with their political ads. And seeing as how they can be posted online and not necessarily cost air-time on TV these days, they’re making a shit-ton more of them.

Here’s today’s favorite (h/t to NRO), for Ben Lange, running in the Republican primary for Iowa’s first CD. If he wins the nod from the GOP, he’ll face incumbent Democrat Bruce Braley in November.

Anyway, here’s his video:

-Nick (ColoradoPatriot, from TML)

I’ve been terribly derelect in my duties to those members of the audience who reside in Florida’s 19th Congressional District. The race to replace retiringed Robert Wexler is taking place today.

The Democrat in the race, 2nd Amendment-Hating and friend of murderers Ted Deutch (hey, pronounce it any way you like) is, unfortunately, likely to win. But don’t let that stop you, if you live there, from running out and pulling the lever for Republican businessman Ed Lynch.

Or call your mother who lives down there. She’d like to hear from you anyway

-Nick (ColoradoPatriot, from TML)

UPDATE: Obama rudely points his finger at Canada’s PM, but bows to ChiComs.  What’s wrong with this guy?  Does our President have any understanding at all of history or any sense of loyalty or protocol?  Does Obama, as Roger L. Simon has suggested lately, have some mental health issues?

Oh wait… bowing to Communists — maybe Obama DOES have a sense of loyalty…

=========

Why does Obama hate being the American President so much?

What happened to that Obamacare passage bounce?

Gallup Daily tracking for the week ending April 11 puts Republicans slightly ahead of Democrats, 48% to 44%, in the congressional voting preferences of registered voters nationally. This marks the third week since the U.S. House passed healthcare reform on March 21 that the Republicans have tied or led the Democrats. . . .

The trend based on registered voters shows how rare it is for the Republicans to lead on this “generic ballot” measure among all registered voters, as they do today.

Emphasis added.

(H/t:  Jim Geraghty.)

UPDATE:  The ever insightful Michael Barone looks at these numbers and offers:

The Gallup commentary makes clear how extraordinary that is; since Gallup first starting asking the question in 1950, Republicans have led only in the 1994 and 2002 cycles, years in which they won the popular vote for the House by 52%-46% and 51%-46%. Democrats hoped that House passage of Obamacare on March 21 would energize their voters. It seems to have done so, but only temporarily.

He notes that Republicans have the same edge in voter intensity as they did before passage of this behemoth of a bill.

Via Jim Geraghty, we learn of this comment from Congressman Baron Hill, a Democrat from the Hoosier State:

If the Republicans win big in Congress, Hill said, gains like the health care bill could be lost.

Given the latest polling, that seems to be a rallying cry for electing more Republicans.

There are few things in the popular discourse today more dishonest than the narrative the mainstream media wish to peddle about the tea parties, that those of us who participate in such protests are mean-spirited, narrow-minded, racist and anti-gay.  We are neither interested in civil discourse nor the democratic process.

And much as many of those who malign us are peddling this preposterous notion, they’re busy smearing us with a sexual slur.

Now, although we know that even the reality of such protests won’t disabuse some critics of the image in their heads, we still should try to show just how broad-based, how tolerant are the tea parties. Therefore, I instruct all blog readers who are free this coming Thursday, April 15 to attend the Tea Party nearest you and find some means to identify yourself as a gay person as did these readers at past such protests:

If you’re not gay yourself, please hold a sign that says something like, “Proud Reader of a Gay Blog & Opponent of Big Government.”

Take pictures if you can, send them in and let me know how the crowd reacts.  I daresay you’ll be as well-received a were those fine people above.

Although I’m not much of a fan of protest, I did have fun at the four tea parties I attended last year, meeting great people and promoting freedom.  Join me at the  LA Tax Day Tea Party Rally at Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office,  11111 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 915 in Los Angeles, CA 90025-3343, this coming Thursday, April 15 at 5:30pm.

As you all may know, my friend Matthew Berry was the first candidate this blog endorsed in the 2010 elections.  And this fiscal conservative provides the perfect test case to see how rank-and-file Republicans — as well as conservative leaders — react to a gay candidate who is solid on the key Reaganite issues:  fiscal conservatism, strong national defense, judicial restraint.

Well, so far, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive; Matthew has racked up an impressive list of early endorsements, with his one-time conservative rival, Chris Hubbard withdrawing from the primary race  and backing Matthew Berry. Hubbard believes that “Berry will bring compassion, intelligence, and strength of character to the issues that we both care about.”

Seem that issues matter more to some conservatives than an individual’s sexuality.

While I still think Matthew’s race is a long shot, I have long been convinced that Matthew is the kind of man who should be serving in Congress.  He shares the Gipper’s belief that government is not the solution to our nation’s problems, but that government, by and large, is the problem.

If you live in Virginia’s Eighth Congressional District, make plans to attend his campaign kickoff event this coming Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 1:00 PM at Marymount University Conference Center, 1000 North Glebe Road in Arlington.

And join me in contributing to his campaign.