Monday, April 19, 2010

St. Augustine WRecKord: Serving Tea for 5000

By Jennifer Edwards

Tea Party member Lloyd Marcus remembers living in the projects as a 9-year-old child.

Marcus, who is black, said he and four siblings moved into the sixth floor of a brand-new, 11-story government housing building in Baltimore, Md., in the 1950s.

The Volusia County resident choked up Saturday as he spoke about that experience during a Tea Party rally downtown that organizers later said attracted 5,000.

What Marcus saw in the projects, he said, eventually made him what he is now -- the composer of "the American Tea Party Anthem" and a performer who has attended hundreds of Tea Party rallies all around the country, including in the Capitol.

Within six months of moving in to the Baltimore complex, he said, "I saw that building turn into a ghetto," with broken elevators and stairwells smelling of urine.

He said he thinks that's because the inhabitants had everything given to them and appreciated none of it.

"Self-esteem comes from personal achievement and they had none," he said.

And that's why he is agitating for change in the current government, which he believes is saying "keep voting for us and we'll keep giving you stuff."

What type of tea?

Because he is black, Marcus may not be the person most envision as being a Tea Party member.

But then again, neither are most Tea Party members, according to a CBS News and New York Times poll.

The poll recently found that Tea Party supporters tended to be better educated and affluent than the general public.

They also tend to be white, male, married and older than 45 and identify themselves as "very conservative," according to the poll.

The crowd at Saturday's rally largely reflected that demographic, though there were many younger attendees and plenty of women.

Many said wouldn't identify themselves as super conservative or supporters of some of the issues associated with the Tea Party movement, however.

Event organizer BreeLee Johnston of St. Augustine-based United American Tea Party said attendees were "not anti-Obama. He is still our president. He was elected by a majority and he is still our commander-in-chief."

But the reason most attended, she said, was because they "don't approve of his policies."

That sentiment was echoed by Ken Hoagland, chairman of Houston-based Fair Tax National Campaign.

Current policy, including tax policy, "is a disaster for the country and it turns the original concept of our country on its head," he said. "I came here to explain that we should reach out to Democrats and union members (in order to) embrace all in our common cause."

Bomb Throwing

While many at the event had strong opinions they loved to share, Johnston said that the most inflammatory participants were probably imposters.

That's right. She and other Tea Party members believe that people with opposing views pose as extremists to discredit the movement.

She thought that might be the case Saturday afternoon, when she kicked out at least one participant.

That man sported a fake Obama head mounted atop a sign with a hammer and sickle.

Johnston said infiltrators try to "make us look like the racists they try to portray us as."

Race, though, has nothing to do with it, said Marcus.

Saying the movement has anything to do with racism, he said, "is highly offensive to me. Are the crowds angry? Of course they are. They should be angry."

But, Marcus said, Tea Party members include many who are black, including entrepreneurs and ex-military, "not the deadbeat knuckleheads that think they are entitled" to free housing, health care and food.

Johnston said she was pleased with the number of people who turned out to hear Marcus and other speakers, including Joe the Plumber.

She said the crowd represented an increase over the first rally on April 15, 2009, when 1,200 people attended.

More than 3,200 attended a second event held in July.

The movement, she said, "is growing."

He said, she said

What attendees said about the rally

"I'm concerned about the direction of our country. We want to put our country back to what it was."

Sonya Jensen, at the rally with daughter Brandy Jensen

"(Speaker) Joe the Plumber is really cool. I'm glad somebody just like us is speaking."

Brandy Jensen, 11

"I don't like the direction our country is going. The more people who get together and exchange ideas, the (more) people can lead the country the way they want it to go, not the way the government does."

Holly Sheppard, at the rally with son Ben Sheppard, 6

"I think it's critically important that as many people stand up and be counted as possible. It doesn't matter if you are a Republican, Independent or Democrat ... what is going to happen is a tragedy down the road.

I've been voting 50 years and this is the first time I'm seriously concerned about the welfare of our democracy."

Richard Ornstein

"We've got to take our country back from the aristocrats that have taken over the government

both parties. That is rightfully a cause that benefits everyone."

Ken Hoagland

Chairman

Houston-based Fair Tax National Campaign

Did you know?

Tea partiers aren't necessarily the people many thought they were.

A New York Times/CBS News poll found that 18 percent of Americans identify themselves as Tea Party Supporters.

As a whole, they tend to be wealthier and more educated than the general public and no more afraid of falling into a lower socioeconomic class than the general public.

They also tend to be Republican, white, male and older than 45.

For the full report, log on to cbsnew.com or nytimes.com and type "Tea Party poll" into the search bar.

What is the Tea Party?

The American Tea Party movement is comprised of people who feel that the U.S. Constitution is in jeopardy under the current government.

According to a CBS News/New York Times poll, Tea Party supporters are reacting not to the election of Pres. Barack Obama, but what they describe as an acceleration of governmental control and policy that a majority disagrees with.

Members may hold differing views on subjects like tax reform but most feel the constitution needs to be defended, according to TeaPartyPatriots.ning.com, which describes itself as the official Web site of the movement.

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