These are big protests but…
…it still feels like, despite strong attendance, the one real thing they have going for them is a catchy name.
I suppose this reflects on the importance of names, words, and titles – and even categorizations. Imagine a similar movement without a name? Would it ever draw these crowds? What’s in a name? I think the answer, at least for the Tea Parties, is everything.
You mean big by Republican standards?Report
I think it’s also the problem with supporters of the tea parties complaining that they’re being misrepresented as anti-tax rather than anti-spending. If you invoke the Boston Tea Party and hold your protest on tax day, people will naturally assume you’re protesting taxes. If your taxes have just been cut, that’s likely to come across irrational.Report