A Win in Spin for the Corporate-Backed Tea Party

Fox News Channel Tea PartiesIn the weeks before the 2010 mid-term elections, the Tea Party and its activities dominated the media, but there was a decided lack of discussion about exactly what the Tea Party is. Major media seemed sold on the idea that the Tea Party is one big homogenous, spontaneous grassroots uprising, but this was not the case. Apart from a single, exhaustive article in the August 30, 2010 edition of The New Yorker (aptly titled "Covert Operations,") that linked the wealthy billionaire Koch Brothers' and their corporate interests to the Tea Party, few media outlets discussed which factions of the movement were truly grassroots, which were corporate-backed, and to what extent corporations supported the "movement."

Here at PRWatch, we strove to tease out the difference between various Tea Party factions, like the GOP-backed Tea Party Express, the grassroots Tea Party Patriots and the for-profit corporation called Tea Party Nation. We found out which factions were getting the big money, who their PR operatives were, what types of PR tricks they were engaging in, and more.

Another big story about the Tea Party -- and perhaps the biggest missed story -- was about the a corporate takeover of a real grassroots movement. The Tea Party arguably started as a real grassroots movement, but was effectively taken over by wealthy corporate interests seeking a "grassroots" face to manipulate elections. PR Watch exposed Tea Party organizers Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity as corporate-backed front groups that have links to the Republican Party. We also linked their damaging anti-government rhetoric to the billionaires and corporations seeking to block regulation, torpedo consumer protection laws, and influence public policy in their favor.

In the run-up to 2012, PRWatch will continue our mission of exposing the growing corporate influence in elections, whatever forms it may take next. Stay tuned, and we'll do our best to keep you informed about the truth behind the news.

Comments

THE LONG WAY BACK..? After listening to Billionaire Donald Trump describing the economic mess our country has been experience for years. The man has been demonized by the press and certain critics, but he doesn't have to kowtow to anybody? He is a self made entrepreneur's and has made several comments of joining the political cesspit in Washington, even confirming his intent of running for President. My personal opinion on that idea is that his business experience would be a protracted way of solving these United States fiscal problems. From his words, he is a very patriotic American and sees that the route we are taking now is into deeper financial mess. I thought as a Tea Party associate that his point of view makes perfect sense of how to extract ourselves from this unemployment quicksand? This should be the first main issue that needs to be rapidly resolved. Trump opened up his broadcast saying, "We don't need to tell you unemployment in this country is at a nightmare level, still 9.6 percent, and that doesn't even include those who are so beaten down to have given up. What can we do? What would Donald Trump do? So how do we get jobs? Trump opened up talking about unemployment in Iowa and how "Maytag" a company famous for home appliances skipped off to Mexico. The joke on us, that there is no custom tariffs when the products, return to America? The Irony is their commodities from Mexico is really not that much cheaper? Trump added that we don't manufacturer products anymore. My example being Television manufacturing Company in Bloomington, Indiana that closed down the plant in July 1995, so hundreds of people lost their jobs, to Mexico. This was the inception of the Free Trade obsession, which has developed into a sad joke in itself, on the US worker. Doesn't every loyal American realize that we are the largest consumer nation in the world? That we should demand balanced trade agreements, not the insidious treaties we have now? If the Tea Party Senators Jim DeMint, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio are listening we need to immediately renegotiate our trade agreements with every country involved, because they are laughing behind our backs. From what planet did these trade ambassador morons in our nations Department of Commerce hail from, a lunatic asylum for brain dead zombies? The imports from China are so bad; I refuse to buy them anymore. Trump goes on to say, “we make hardly anything anymore, importing things like glass, curtains So much product is made in China. Donald, stated," We are rebuilding China. Our economy is just getting killed. And you look at China it is going through the roof. A friend of mine went to a pretty much new city in China. They said unbelievable the airport and everything else. They come back to LaGuardia. They said it is like coming into a third world country. It is horrible what has happened. So somebody is going to get smart. They talk about the economy, incentives. We are losing our jobs to other countries. You are not going to solve unemployment unless something very, very stringent is done with regard to China and other countries." Greta Van Sustern replied, so what do we do to get jobs? " I would tax Chinese products. People say that's not free trade. What is free trade when they have billions and billions of dollars of surplus over us? So we don't want free trade with people that are ripping us. He went on to say," But they manipulated their currency so it is hard to compete with Chinese dollars, cost. What happens is the dollar versus Chinese currency is not competitive." What I would do is I would tax like 25 percent tax. You want to buy from China, that's great. But you are paying 25 percent tax. If you buy it in this country you don't have that tax. By the way, you know what is going happen? People are going to start creating jobs in this country because they are not going to pay that tax. Trump Concluded, "People tell me, Donald, that's not free trade. We don't have free trade right now. We have a country, China in particular, that is ripping us like nobody's ripped us before. And we are rebuilding China. Our country is so big in terms of what we buy that we are rebuilding China. And in 10 years to 12 years China will have a bigger economy than us which was unthinkable five years ago. Bloggers Unite--start writing about this so called—FREE TRADE--as we must educate the people. This is--NOT--free trade? It’s a very large money tree, to cheap Chinese importers, with huge profits. Half the stuff from cut price countries is made with poor quality material, not like the far superior those once-upon-a-time goods we manufactured here. China is building the huge military complex on our dollars they take from us? America is falling beside the wayside and no country can exist on just being a service industry. The Tea party now has a solid foundation, with a growing base of Senators and Representatives. I for one are going to contact as many as I can, to push this new lease on life against both the doldrums brought on us by morose agendas of Liberal Democrats and the RNC. This issue is probably one of the most important agendas that must be enforced. Think about this--America is so large, we could rebuild our own country in selling products across State lines. We don't even need foreign importation of goods? As for the discussion on jobs with Mr. Trump, I too think he would make a great president. It’s time the political parties come to some mutual arrangement and bring back jobs this country. Impose taxes on all foreign imports and on businesses that outsource jobs. Stop attracting illegal immigrants, by severing all welfare and government subsidies and placing painful prison sentences on businesses that hire them. Return our government to the people and leave states alone such as Arizona, to enforce their own policing laws such as SB1170. GOOGLE—Judicial Watch and learn about the corruption within our government, from the questionable special interest lobbyists. We must change this so-called Free Trade, as right now is not working for the American people.

It's funny how no one brings attention to billionaire George Soros funding of dozens of organizations to influence American elections.

He contributes to Moveon.org to NPR to legalize marijuana Center for American progress Open society Institute Tides Foundation Media Matters, Need I say more???