How Close Are We to a Significant Grassroots Uprising?
If Measuring "Flash to Bang Time," We May Be Closer Than Most Politicians Will Find Comfortable
It this case the FLASH was CNBC'S Rick Santali's comments made Thursday from the floor of the Chicago MercantileExchange; Santali said, "All you capitalists who want to show up at Lake Michigan, I'm going to start organizing." Glenn Beck on his Friday radio program, in response to Santelli's comments, spoke of disenfranchisement when he said, "It is what I've been talking about that was coming for a very long time and that is disenfranchisement which will turn into anger and then turn into God knows what." This disenfranchisement Beck spoke of is the volatile propellant that Santelli may have unknowing ignited.
To further confirm the perception of disenfranchisement White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, in response to Santelli's comments, suggested Santelli drink a cup of decaf coffee. The intent may have been to marginalize Santelli, but it instead fanned a burning fuse.
The BANG was when people were moved to action; a rush of interest in a modern-day "Tea Party" was launched with Santelli's rant on the floor of the exchange, in response to President Obama's plans for $275 billion in deficit-financed homeowner bailouts. "We're thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July," Santelli told CNBC "Squawk Box" co-anchor Joe Kernan.
The TIME it took for an organized response indicates how volatile the situation is. In this case it only took TCOT (Top Conservatives on Twitter) two business days to begin coordinating simultaneous nationwide rallies and demonstrations for this Friday at noon ET in Chicago, Washington D.C., Fayetteville, N.C., Pittsburgh, Penn., San Diego, Calif., Fort Worth, Texas, Tulsa, Okla., Oklahoma City, Orlando, Fla., Omaha, Neb., Atlanta, Ga., and elsewhere in Missouri. More cities are joining in every day. From my experience, a two day response of popular public support is something to seriously take notice of.
Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace have allowed for very specific targeting of ideas and rapid organization of those influenced. This type of collective response could never have occurred when Americans were limited to letters to news editors or community word of mouth. President Barrack Obama was reported as having the first wired, or automated administration; from the looks of things this week we are also seeing the first truly wired constituency in action.
Published by NC Veteran, Patrick McKinney
Veteran of Army Psychological Operations,having operated in Europe,SW&SE Asia,Army Civilian Doctrine Writer;Christian Youth Minister, Experience w/at risk teens; father & husband; Conservative and Patriotic. View profile
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- Simultaneous nationwide rallies and demonstrations organized for this Friday
4 Comments
Post a CommentDan, you are the idiot. Go Santelli! God bless and protect or rights and freedom!!
Gee, where was everybody when Bush and the Repub congress were bankrupting the nation and making their friends in the oil and defense industries wealthy? Had you done something then, probably wouldn't be in this mess. BTW, there really are no bigger idiots than Rick Santelli.
It's almost like the current Administration has convinced Congress to finance a Nationwide ENRON scenario where the blue collar guy is the only one not reaping its rewards. I say let them all tank, and those same workers who built this country with blood and sweat to begin with, can do it again with a more local and regionalized economy that protects the interests of individuals and communities.
Let me know when the tea party is Atlanta--I'll be there!