Does Tea Bagging represent the resurgence of right-wing extremism?

by: Jay Stevens

Wed Aug 19, 2009 at 05:49:30 AM MST

What does that mean? Well, it could mean "Heil Hitler, you Jew, you are a subhuman blood-sucker," a sentiment common to right-wing extremists who actively seek the violent overthrow of the federal government. Or it could mean, "By supporting government-run healthcare, sir, you may as well be shouting 'Heil Hitler,' because you are supporting Barack Obama, who is a Nazi"-a sentiment also common to right-wing extremists who actively seek the violent overthrow of the federal government. You see the problem? The feverish, paranoid snake that is contemporary right-wing political thought has begun to eat its own tail, and the swamp is full of anti-Semites and Nazi-haters who both seek the same thing-a return to the "real America."

Thing is, this kind of paranoid, extremist, hate-filled rhetoric appears to be common at Tea-Bagging events. As Greer's first-hand accounts, white supremacists were present at the Montana town hall meeting, and Tea-Baggers with ties to militia groups were prominent at the Arizona town hall. When will the media explore and uncover the roots of the Tea Baggers? Because I suspect GOP politicos and the insurance industry has woken up right-wing radicalism...not that it needed much nudging...