Tea Break

In a quick New York Times review on books about the Tea Party, professor Alan Brinkley of Columbia demonstrates the obliviousness and condescension that one often sees from people out of sympathy (to put it nicely) with the movement.

Discussing one book, we get this astounding claim:

The people Zernike interviewed rarely expressed bigotry, prejudice or racism, but there are many self-identified Tea Partiers who detest immigration and fear the prospect of an America in which white people will be a minority. Older white men, who seem to constitute the majority [it may seem that way to you, Brinkley, but it isn't true] of the movement, often rally around the cry “Take Back Our Country.” There is little doubt as to whom they wish to take the country back from.

No evidence, but Brinkley has no trouble implying white people he disagrees with are bigots.  Disgusting.

We get other gems:

...most of those railing against government deficits (mostly created by Reagan and Bush tax cuts), protesting against taxes (the rates on the top income bracket are lower than at any time since before World War II, with the exception of a brief period two decades ago)...

I don't mind that he's making highly questionable arguments.  I am bothered, however, that he's confident he can make these claims parenthetically, so obvious must they be.

We should not be surprised that so many Americans are angry. Almost four decades of growing inequality have left most of them no better off than they were in 1970, and many worse off. The recklessness and greed of much of the financial world — the principal causes of the crisis — have done far more damage than taxes or the deficit.

I know you think you know what the problem is, but it's the pet peeves of us professional historians that are really bothering you, and if you only had our superior understanding of the world (you know, the understanding that includes 61% of us calling Bush was the worst president ever, while another 35% think he was in the bottom ten) you might be able to channel that anger in a useful direction.

Writing nothing about the Tea Party movement would have been more edifying.