"What are these tea partys you speak of?"

(The first wave of nausea we experienced while posting the previous piece has passed so we'll get this one in while we can. By the way, We're pleased as punch with our decision to post these pictures that have nothing to do with the article rather than funny-looking mug shots of Nancy Pelosi... we're sure you would agree.)

San Diego U-T editorial board member, Chris Reed notes in his blog what we observed with some bemusement regarding the coverage of the tea party phenomena as the L.A. Times “covered” the Fullerton event which attracted between 8,000-15,000 people by linking to a piece from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune… from one of their keep rockin’ blogs no less. Even now, a “tea party protest” word search on the L.A. Times website will garner you the aforementioned piece at #7 and at #8 another rockin' blog piece on the internet aspect of the tea party phenomena rather than a look at the movement itself.

The New York Times seems equally clueless or willfully ignorant in its piece here regarding populist anger over the myriad of bailouts and where that anger is directed.

The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about a populist backlash against banks and Wall Street, worried that anger at financial institutions could also end up being directed at Congress and the White House and could complicate President Obama’s agenda.

Credit the Times, here – they almost get it right. Our reading of the situation is that while there is some anger reserved for Wall Street, the vast majority of this reservoir of disgust is aimed squarely at the elected officials of Sacramento and Washington D.C. Again, our internet cruising has revealed a general understanding among the majority of “party-goers” that Bailout Nation is equal parts cultural (Government rewarding bad behavior) and political (using Bailout Nation to push an agenda that has zero to do with economic recovery).

To wit (from same article):

Mr. Obama’s advisers argued that to at least some extent, this was a sentiment they could tap to push through his measures in Congress, including raising taxes on the wealthy. They pointed out that in his speech to Congress, Mr. Obama denounced corporations that “use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet.”

Peddling angst?

Yeah, we sense a real desire to “change” the status quo and “move beyond partisan politics” with a strategy like that.

As a grizzled old bard once said: It doesn’t take a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows.