In answer to the question “what if you threw a party and nobody showed?” the FOX News sponsored Tea Bag parties managed to garnish 618,000 protestors in about 800 American locales. That’s two tenths of 1% of the U.S. population, an average of 78 people per location (some sites had about ten people while others numbered in the thousands).

Put in perspective, Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel and Diana Ross each drew crowds of 500,000 in Central Park, New York, a city that drew 12,500 tea bag protestors (in Miss Ross’ case she drew the same crowd twice due to late rain out). New York is comprised of 8.36 million citizens, and borders Connecticut, New Jersey and Up State which can draw an additional 2 million from each area.

Sean Hannity of Fox News, who broadcasted from the Georgia party site of 25 to 30,000, often maligns the Million Man March hosted by Farrakhan claiming they only drew 400,000 people (the police department reported 800,000). Yet he claims the Tea Bag party to be a ground swell movement!

Where is this so called anger and uprising we were told to expect? Most viewers expecting to see the equivalent to an Abortion Rights or Pro Life march on Washington, or remember Anti War or Anti Nuke rallies, or the ground swell of the Civil Rights marches were severely disappointed.

Adding to the confusion is the mixed messages being delivered. While some were protesting taxes (although none have been raised yet and we are still under the Bush tax plan), others were against government bailouts of anybody. One sign read “Reverse NAFTA now” definitely not a conservative Republican theme, while many simply voiced their displeasure with Obama in not so polite terms.

The protestors were not the wealthy elite (they brainwash others do their dirty work) but average Americans who either retained their job due to a bailout, received unemployment benefit extensions and COBRA provisions, had their homes secured through new mortgage re-writes, and had their 401K’s further secured by TARP funding to banks. The result is we avoided a wave of bank liquidations and corporate failures along with 25% to 30% unemployment.

Not helping this “Day of Outrage” was recent polls that showed while 44% don’t want any bailouts, 39% did want some form of government intervention and 12% didn’t mind intervention at all. Add to this Obama is still polling in the low 60% favorability, and we have a new “silent majority” amused at the lost message and circus atmosphere of the Tea Bag Parties.

Of course Democrats can’t leave well enough alone. Jeanine Garofalo damned all protestors as racist, she who demands open mindedness as part of the radical liberal sect, and Pelosi belittles people who did show up as “Astroturf,” in case we needed to be reminded of what a foot in one’s mouth sounds like.

The Tea Bag turnout was laughable and reiterated most Americans are behind President Obama and the need to do what is necessary to correct the economy and economic injustice. Democrats, radical or otherwise, should have more self confidence, shut up and let the facts speak for themselves.

David DiBello

How dare our new President tell the American public we are in a crisis? Doesn’t he know that the best tool any salesperson possesses is the power of positive thinking, to always look at the glass as half full and to put a positive outlook i.e. spin, on anything being sold?

Do capitalists and Wall Street, stuck in their Ivory Tower, think Americans don’t know things are bad, even after the layoffs, stagnating wages, crumbling home values and reeling stock portfolios. Has President Obama just shocked us like some naïve spouse who unveils the evidence of her/his cheating mate?

Haven’t we endured enough in 2008 of Wall Street analysts seeing through rose colored glasses telling us time and again that rebound is around the corner and we have just bottomed out, or that the fall is bound to pick up any day? Are we to listen to the Larry Kudlow’s of the world telling us not to panic on the “stimulating news” commodities haven’t fallen as much as in the past as reason to rejoice?

Perhaps we should adhere to the mind numbing positive self talk theory that’s allows us to walk around believing everything is wonderful because we want it to be so as we sit down for another dinner of Styrofoam we envision as filet mignon.
Here’s an idea: acknowledge the truth and identify the problem. Only then can we know what needs to be corrected and work on the solution.

However after eight years of a supply side economy that doubled the federal debt, outsourced American jobs for more favorable returns, and favored one class while forgetting about the rest, Republicans and Capitalist rather one didn’t look to hard at the root cause of the problem, choosing to continue playing upon the magical belief of keeping a stiff upper chin.

They want to stay the course and not upset the applecart that has benefited them, rather than facing the reality of what will need to be done – raising taxes, wage equity and treating Americans as if we are all created equal, one nation under God.

We’ve had enough of that; sometimes the fat lady has to stop singing and look in the mirror.

It was pathetically hysterical to watch Rick Santelli poll the floor of the Stock Exchange, home of all those "year end" bonuses, creators of derivative shenanigans and ironically beneficiaries of government bailout of the industries with which they trade.

Perhaps Mr Santelli would be more convincing had he walked down Main Street and polled those people. The only point made by Santelli's impromptu unscientific poll is the division in economic classes in our country, and how what is good for the goose ain't necessarily good for others in Wall Street's Ivory Tower.