,
15 tweets,
6 min read
Read on Twitter
In 2016, the media treated Trumpism as something new.
In 2009, the media treated the Tea Party as something new.
In the 80s, the media treated “Reagan Democrats” as something new.
In the 70s, it was the “silent majority” and the “religious right.”
None of these were new. 1/
In 2009, the media treated the Tea Party as something new.
In the 80s, the media treated “Reagan Democrats” as something new.
In the 70s, it was the “silent majority” and the “religious right.”
None of these were new. 1/
All these were rebranding of the same strain of white-right politics. Race was the common factor. But with each makeover, the media ditched prior lessons & elevated them as some new rising, exotic force in our politics—a puzzle to figure out. “Who are they really?” 2/ 
The media bamboozled itself over & over.
2016: “What drives Trumpism in flyover country? Economic anxiety? They feel left behind?”
2009: “What motivates the Tea Party? Bailouts? Anger over debt?”
1980s: “Are Reagan Dems driven by concerns about things like pornography?” 3/
2016: “What drives Trumpism in flyover country? Economic anxiety? They feel left behind?”
2009: “What motivates the Tea Party? Bailouts? Anger over debt?”
1980s: “Are Reagan Dems driven by concerns about things like pornography?” 3/
It was evident in the 80s that Reagan Dems were mostly whites (incl. former Dixiecrats) who didn’t like the Dem’s new focus on civil rights, & found Reagan’s dogwhistles (“the welfare queen,” cutting benefits for “lazy” poor ppl) appealing.
A Dem pollster concluded similarly. 4/
A Dem pollster concluded similarly. 4/
It was evident in 2009 that the Tea Party, comprised mostly of white folks who had no qualms about George W. Bush’s doubling of the national debt while he was in office, was at its core a “whitelash” against the election of the 1st black president. (📸: Fibonacci Blue/Flickr) 5/
A 2012 study by Michael Tesler found “Old Fashioned Racism” (i.e., belief black people are intellectually “inferior,” anti-interracial dating) predicted pro-GOP voter behavior in 08 & 2010 (the “Tea Party wave” year) in a way it didn’t in prior years. tinyurl.com/y4hd9yxd 6/
Let’s be honest: The concerns about national debt & executive overreach that didn’t appear until the Tea Party arose (1st nationwide Tea Party rally was less than 3 months into his 1st term), & seem to have completely dissipated with the election of Trump. (📸: Fargon/Flickr) 7/
You barely hear about the Tea Party any more, even though Trump is doing all the things they ostensibly protested Obama for: Raising the national debt by trillions and using lots of executive power in ways that strain constitutionality. Also: Actual concentration camps. 8/
In 2014, though, the Tea Party began talking more and more about immigration. In that year’s Mississippi US Senate race, Tea Party candidate Chris McDaniel nearly beat 36-year incumbent Thad Cochran while running on a harshly anti-immigrant message. 9/
📸: Me
📸: Me
McDaniel narrowly lost to Cochran, but the Dem nominee, Travis Childers, tried to court some of the Tea Party support. Like McDaniel, he signed an anti-immigrant pledge with white nationalist org FAIR. (@DeepSouthVoice, then Daily, criticized this move, as you can see). 10/
“Trumpism” was not a new thing in 2016. In that 2014 race, in fact, Donald Trump endorsed Chris McDaniel’s bid to oust Cochran.
When McDaniel ran again in 2018, he called himself “Trump before Trump” and won the Tea Party’s support. 11/
📸: Me
When McDaniel ran again in 2018, he called himself “Trump before Trump” and won the Tea Party’s support. 11/
📸: Me
Pols have long tapped into underlying resentments, sometimes wittingly or not, to build voter bases.
But Trumpism wasn’t new. It was a carryover from the Tea Party. Which was a carryover from Reagan Dems, the Silent Majority & the Dixiecrats. It’s the white right. 12/
But Trumpism wasn’t new. It was a carryover from the Tea Party. Which was a carryover from Reagan Dems, the Silent Majority & the Dixiecrats. It’s the white right. 12/
And don’t forget: The Tea Party was talking about Obama’s birth certificate before Trump built his political brand with it in 2011. 13/13
(📸: Fibonacci Blue+cometstarmoon/Flickr)
(📸: Fibonacci Blue+cometstarmoon/Flickr)
PS: Those Tea Party signs about Obama & socialism/communism (laughable, since Obama is very much a capitalist)? Go back to the 50s & 60s. The Citizens Council (colloquially: White Citizens Council) constantly associated black political power w “socialism/communism” & “liberals.”
👇🏻
