Thursday, June 17, 2010

Tea partyers push back against 'The Rise of the New Right' with boycott

By David Weigel

Tea party groups are reacting strongly and negatively to MSNBC's documentary "The Rise of the New Right," hosted by Chris Matthews. Yesterday, FreedomWorks chairman Dick Armey expressed personal disgust with Matthews for lending his name to the project, which has enraged tea partyers by repeating charges that they "taunted" black members of Congress during the March 2010 health care vote, and that the militia movement is part of the broader tea party wave.

"He's a better person than that," Armey said. "What's he doing? He's given himself over to something. I like him, personally, but it was sort of like -- I had the feeling like my favorite nephew was doing something out of character. Chris, you're better than this."

Today, FreedomWorks is circulating a letter calling for a boycott of Dawn and Proctor and Gamble, asking tea partyers to "call, fax, or email" the company until it drops advertising during Hardball.

"These attacks are wrong, misleading and disingenuous," says Anna Puig of Kitchen Table Patriots in the statement. "The propaganda piece only serves a left-wing agenda, and I will do everything I can to convince Dawn to stop funding MSNBC’s lies. I'm asking Tea Party groups around the country to help us in this effort. Individual Tea Party members will be boycotting Dawn products until the company takes appropriate action regarding the decision to advertise during the Hardball hit piece, and ceases funding MSNBC.”

The National Tea Party federation is also pushing for a boycott of the show's advertisers. Both statements are below the fold.

Kitchen Table Patriots lead a boycott Dawn for funding MSNBC hit piece on Tea Party movement

(Bucks County, Penn.) -- Today a broad coalition of Tea Party groups fought back against a left-wing propaganda hit piece that aired on MSNBC on June 16th. The program “Rise of the New Right” was low-ball journalism at its worst. The program demonized and misrepresented the Tea Party movement. Chris Matthews and his Hardball program slandered the Tea Party movement, and misled the American people by distorting facts about the Tea Party movement, its motivations and it history. His editors selectively portrayed groups and individuals in the program in a bad light.

But Tea Party leaders from coast to coast are fighting back against the smears. Leaders of Kitchen Table Patriots, FreedomWorks, the National Tea Party Federation, and the American Grassroots Coalition are responding to this outrageous attack by a national cable television network by boycotting one of its sponsors, Dawn dish soap, and asking them to cut off their funding to MSNBC. Leaders and members of the Tea Party movement are showing unity in the face of these attacks by writing, calling and faxing the offices of Dawn (and its parent company Procter and Gamble) to ask them to stop subsidizing these vicious attacks by MSNBC and Chris Matthews.

Kitchen Table Patriots leader Ana Puig, who appeared in the piece, said, "These attacks are wrong, misleading and disingenuous. The propaganda piece only serves a left-wing agenda, and I will do everything I can to convince Dawn to stop funding MSNBC’s lies. I'm asking Tea Party groups around the country to help us in this effort. Individual Tea Party members will be boycotting Dawn products until the company takes appropriate action regarding the decision to advertise during the Hardball hit piece, and ceases funding MSNBC.”

FreedomWorks Grassroots Director Brendan Steinhauser added, "The Tea Party movement I know looks nothing like the one portrayed on MSNBC‘s Hardball. The movement is made up of good, hardworking, honest, smart people that love their country. It is a movement that reflects the best in America, and I will remind Dawn of this fact when I write my letter and make my phone calls."

Luke Livingston, Executive Producer of “Tea Party: The Documentary Film” responded,

“If Chris Matthews really wants to know what moves conservatives to action, all he needs to do is watch Tea Party: The Documentary Film. Our documentary goes beyond the hype and into the heart of this mainstream movement.”

Anastasia Przybylski, who also appeared in the hit piece, added, "Chris Matthews tried to connect the tea party movement with extremists from the past, and with the crazy 9-11 truthers of today. He failed. The show was disjointed and a ridiculous attempt to make the tea party movement look extremist. If MSNBC‘s ratings could go down any further, they would after this show."

The Tea Party coalition is asking local groups to call, fax or e-mail Dawn, and its parent company Proctor and Gamble. The coalition promises not to back down, but to keep the pressure on until Dawn cancels its funding for Hardball.

*

Tea Party Groups Call on Sponsors to Drop Hardball Matthews’ “Hit Piece” Disparages Tea Party Members

June 17, 2010 – The National Tea Party Federation, a broad coalition of Tea Party groups, takes a stand and condemns the left-wing propaganda hit piece that aired on MSNBC June 16th.

The program, Rise of the New Right, was journalism at its worst, and its purpose was to demonize and misrepresent. Chris Matthews used his Hardball program to slander and mislead the American people by distorting facts about the Tea Party Movement. Hardball selectively portrayed groups and individuals in the program in a bad light.

David Webb, co-founder of New York City’s TeaParty365 said, “Chris Matthews is a far left commentator, not a journalist and therefore should not be held to or credited with the same standards.”

“I am an American who happens to be black, Republican, and that offends their warped vision. I would gladly face Matthews one-on-one anytime on policy and issues. This attack on Americans of all ethnicities, religious beliefs, age and political affiliations will ultimately fail because the truth wins. The desperation of a failing far left, and a dying network is apparent,” Webb concluded.

FreedomWorks Grassroots Director Brendan Steinhauser said, “The Tea Party movement I know looks nothing like the one portrayed on MSNBC. It is made up of good, hardworking, honest, smart people who love their country. It is a movement that reflects the best in America.”

Mark A. Skoda, Chairman of The Memphis TEA Party, stated, “The Tea Party movement has had a profound impact on election outcomes. The fact that MSNBC has taken it upon themselves to distort and disparage these Americans is unacceptable. Chris Matthews continued to promote the racism narrative, suggested the prospect of violent behavior by activists and promulgated the idea that the conservative movement is somehow un-American. We will encourage our coalition and Tea Party people everywhere to make their voices heard at MSNBC and to their sponsors.”

Jamie Radkte, Chairman of The Virginia Tea Party Patriot Federation, said, “What we witnessed tonight was an attempt by Chris Matthews to demonize Americans who believe in the Founding principles of limited government, fiscal restraint, and Constitutional adherence as violent, radical, extremists, who are threatening the very foundation of our nation. This type of commentary is divisive, shameful, and irresponsible.”

National Tea Party Coalition co-founder Michael Patrick Leahy, added, “Chris Matthews and MSNBC have just delivered one of the most dishonest pieces of propaganda posing as journalism in American broadcast and cable television history.”

We agree with Matthews who states in his conclusion, “What’s scary today is the language thrown about. Words have consequences.”

The National Tea Party Federation calls for all tea party supporters to contact the sponsors of Hardball and ask them to pull their commercials from this show. (Advertiser listing and contacts at NTPF website.) These commercial sponsors cannot continue their support of a program that seeks to demonize millions of Americans who identify with the Tea Party movement.

Furthermore, the Federation is calling on all Americans and local tea party groups to voice their objection to local media outlets on this dishonest attack on citizens who have legitimate policy concerns and are exercising their First Amendment rights.

M.C.L comment: There's nothing new about the right, it's the same ole collection of hateful S.O.Bs that has always been there.. Few young neo right wing ass wipes here and there but there's nothing new about them. When Bill Clinton got elected you saw the anti-government bumper stickers and you heard their anti-government rhetoric.

But when George W. Bush got elected, a guy they liked all that you can't trust the government talk went away replaced with America love it or leave it. What you see now is a replay of the early 1990s where these yahoos are getting angry because the election results didn't go the way they wanted so they pretty much being that kid throwing the checkers board off the table because they lost. The only difference between the right wing crap that went on during Bill Clinton and now with Barack Obama is that President Obama is black, so that amps up the right wing foaming mouth rage.

So you see terms like "communist, socialist, Islamic or whatever that loser Glenn Beck is calling President Obama. Is their way of calling him the N-word without actually saying it. These folks don't care about government spending, the threat to the constitution or some idea of big government it's about hating the outcome of a election and having a color fella as president.

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