Bloomberg Says Tea Partiers "Good For The Country"

As one Gallup Poll puts Tea Partiers at 28% of the population, politicians are speaking out about the benefits and dangers of the growing loud, dissenting political faction. Mayor Bloomberg said he believes their involvement in politics and government is "good for the country," though he didn't specify whether than involvement applies to filling out the census or paying taxes.

He said this after hundreds of tea partiers took to the streets in New York to protest tax day and "libtards" on Thursday. Though New York may not seem like the epicenter of a right-wing political movement, the city has its fair share of tea party members. One woman told Newsweek she was protesting Obama's fiscal irresponsibility. "I think the average tea partier is somebody who wants change in the government, who feels the way I feel. They're not listening to the people, they're spending, and [Obama] has socialistic leanings." Metropolitan Opera singer Ellen Lang took off her $100,000 job for the night to rally with the Tea Party. "They're doing The Magic Flute right now, and I'm not in it."

Former President Bill Clinton told CNN that he sees parallels in the political mood now with the mood in 1995, when the Oklahoma City bomber killed 168 people. "There's the same kind of economic and social upheaval now. Then, you had the rise of extremist voices on talk radio. Here, you have a billion Internet sites." He worries that the internet lets party members strengthen their ideas to the extreme by researching what they want to hear and not exposing themselves to political ideas from any other side. This leads to the anti-"gangster government" mentality which Clinton says is dangerous and unproductive. "They are not gangsters," Clinton said of the Obama administration. "They were elected. They are not doing anything they were not elected to do."

However, Clinton also agreed with Bloomberg, saying the debate could be healthy for the country. "Forget about whether we disagree with them or not. It's really important to be able to criticize your government and criticize elected officials. That doesn't bother me." It's probably harmless too, as most of the time nobody can even understand what they're trying to say.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on April 17, 2010 1:55 PM

Comments [rss]

kevd

Bilderberg Bilderberg, Rothschilds, North American Union...

blah blah blah. Got you tin foil hat on?

Nyctini11

"They are not gangsters," Clinton said of the Obama administration. "They were elected. They are not doing anything they were not elected to do."

Bilderberg's control, does NOT count as a fair election. We were ALL lied to with Obama. AND contrary to what Clinton says, they are EXACTLY like gangsters. Why do you think Obama is laughing in the face of anyone who challenges these bills he's forcefully passing?...because he knows, no matter what, his gangsters will pass them.

La Flama Blanca

P.S. That pikture was doctored, right? I like her (his?) shirt though.

La Flama Blanca

I preferred it when they called themselves "Teabaggers" - now that's class.

ribaldry

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A TEAPARTY IZ AND WILL NEVER READ ANY NEWS ABOUT IT AND MY LIFE WILL CONTINUE ANYWAY

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Bloomberg says such stupid stuff. This asshole passed the law that requires a permit to assemble, which is unconstitutional. He is the one who bars a Latino reporter from the press conferences because of his questions. Bloomberg is so fucking evil.

Dead Himmler

Felixthecat says such stupid stuff. Fixed.

youngpro

and rarely stays on topic, as you can see.

Greenpoint60

Now the shoe is on the other foot, when Bush was President the Move On crowd and Michael Moore made a lot of noise and called Bush stupid. This is just politics

VanessaNYC

Hmm, sort of, but not quite. The Bush protesters were not blaming minorities for their problems and they were not xenophobic bigots. The Bush protesters, for the most part, knew how to spell properly and they were not shooting guards at the Pentagon and threatening death upon our elected leaders.

The Bush protesters were not calling for an end to Gov't, they simply wanted leaders who served the people, not the corporations.

Greenpoint60

Many liberal Democrats are xenophobic bigots who have not taken the time to travel abroad or learn a foreign language. Over the years I have encountered quite a few xenophobic bigoted liberal Democrats who refuse to listen to Wagner or travel to Germany!

Greenpoint60

There are screwballs and extremists on both sides of the divide.

Most Tea Party supporters are not blaming minorities for their problems and they are not xenophobic bigots, they are just garden variety Republicans who are being brainwashed by Fox News.

Mordicai

Oh sure! I mean, I think they are ignorant jackasses soaking in irony, but that doesn't mean I think they should shut up. Or rather, I think they should shut up, but not because they don't have the right to be morons (morans). They do, & good for them! Civics is an important virtue; unfortunately, it is the only one they've got. & well, it is a witch hunt mentality disguised as civics, but I'll take it. Or I mean-- I won't take it, I'll tell them to shut up, but that is my right of response. You have the freedom to be an asshole, & I have the freedom to tell you not to be.

used_up_shoe

Bloomberg is an asshole. Breaking news?

mtauser

I would have been at the tea party rally but I wasn't feeling so good and didn't do much that day. Was very depressed.

Wish this volcanic ash would pass.

With that being said, the Tea Party movement fully represented how I felt and I saw the doctors at the tea party rally by Madison Square Garden in a photo and was proud of them for standing up.

Bloomberg already spoke of the issues with John Gambling radio show and correctly said how things should work.

I think Obama won because of the hatred against Bush and the hated against Bush overflowed into an Obama victory.

However in November, I feel the tea party will be one of those forces which help change the balance of power come November.

Any such change before that could come if the right events happen at the right times, but alas it is unpreditable and it depends on the extremes people are willing to go.

So we roll to November and hope for the best.

Stevennnn

So now we trust the Republicans do a better job than the Democrats!?

It's all one middle school game of politics, which is why nothing ever gets done.

Stevennnn

If they were good they would be going against the republican party too and wanting a third party candidate.

A liberal called the Sean Hannity show the other day asking Hannity why he is not advocating a third party Hannity said I believe in Regan theories with smaller government.

Darrell

They (the republicans) like to selectively alter history just like every other political party in history, but they don't do it in a manner at all subtle. Regan was a big government president, I don't know how anyone can see otherwise what with all his extra programs and the shitload of deficit he added durring both terms of his presidency. Republicans have never been about small government and they still aren't.