I came across the following cartoon on the editorial page of the Indianapolis Star today and I had to respond.
So here's my Letter to the Editor below the crease.
Dear Editor:
Surely someone switched the captions under the two-panel Tea Party cartoon by Gary Varvel that appeared in the Star on 4/15/2010.
According to Varvel's captions, the Tea Party is not a party of clowns, fascists, and racists, but a large and diverse group of Americans. Unfortunately for Mr. Varvel, the facts do not support his position.
According to a New York Times/CBS Poll conducted from 4/5-4/12/2010 and published on 4/14, only 18% of Americans identify themselves as Tea Party members. The notion that this "Party" is some huge grassroots groundswell is a joke. Fully 45% of those surveyed had no opinion regarding the Tea Party.
The Tea Party is not diverse, either. According to the poll, 75% of those identifying themselves with the Tea Party are over age 45. Fully 89% of Tea Party members identified themselves as white. Only 3% said they were Hispanic while just 1% said they were Black or Asian. In addition, 59% said they were male. So the Tea Party, in reality, is primarily composed of older white men. Given the statistics, Varvel's "reality" panel is, frankly, far from reality.
The Tea Party is a small group of sore losers. The US has awoken to the reality that "conservative" economic policies resulted in the Bush Recession, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and the greatest wealth inequality since 1928.
The Tea Party is a fringe group that owes its notoriety to Fox News and demagogues like Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. These people want President Obama to fail (and by extension our country to fail) simply because their advantageous historical racial and class dominance is being threatened. One look at the signs and one listen to the rhetoric at these Tea Party rallies reveals the ignorance, racism, and violence that is pervasive among this group.
Reverse the captions and republish the cartoon, and the Indy Star will take a giant step toward actual journalism.
Sincerely,
[Dragon5616]
PS I have to go umpire a baseball game, but I'll be back later tonight to respond to your comments.
Cross-posted at Blue Indiana