Tea Party: The Documentary Film–
It’s Real, and It’s Spectacular

posted at 11:13 am on December 4, 2009 by The Other McCain

Tea Party: The Documentary Film is the subject of my column today at The American Spectator:

As the film makes clear . . . [commodities analyst Rick] Santelli’s call for a Tea Party protest [Feb. 19 on CNBC] tapped into a deep vein of discontent that started growing among grassroots conservatives during the Bush administration. The documentary begins with audio of a Dec. 19, 2008, speech by President Bush advocating a bailout for the auto industry: “If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers.”
Indeed, although some have characterized the Tea Party movement as motivated entirely by partisan GOP opposition to President Obama, it was Obama’s Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who took the lead in advocating passage of the Wall Street bailout in September 2008.
Pushing back against media misrepresentations that have portrayed Tea Party protests as potentially dangerous expressions of ignorant populist rage, the movie carefully recounts the motives and methods of the movement . . .

When you’re finished reading the whole thing – and once you’ve bought your copy of the DVD — you might enjoy these photos of Wednesday night’s D.C. premiere of the movie at the Ronald Reagan Center.

As part of their fiendishly brilliant public-relations strategy, FreedomWorks assigned Tabitha Hale (a.k.a. Pink Elephant Pundit) to run the media sign-in table. You may have noticed the Tea Party movie poster behind Tabitha. Or perhaps not.

Dave and Jack, two of the activists featured in the film, display their copies of a congressional resolution commemorating the Tea Party movement.  You may be  surprised that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet allowed a vote on H.R. 870. Or perhaps not.

Revolutionary War re-enactor William Temple, who is featured in the film, entertains fans with his historic humor, which is not the same as telling old jokes. 

A reporter interviews Dr. Fred Shessel, who is featured in the film. Dr. Shessel is a urologist, and I’d probably make a kidney stone joke here, except that kidney stones are no laughing matter. 

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) presents copies of H.R. 870 to participants in the movie. Considering that hundreds of thousands of people were participants in the movie, Tom’s probably going to have to print a few more copies.

At a panel discussion before the film screening, attendees listen to Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.). There were no hecklers.

Matt Kibbe of FreedomWorks explains how the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy secretly smuggled 500,000 fake people to the 9/12 March on D.C.

Two seconds after I shot this photo of FreedomWorks chairman Dick Armey talking to Sen. Jim DeMint (R.-S.C.), Joe Wilson walked by and shouted, “You lie!”

Now you’ve gotten all the way to the end of this post and still haven’t read all of my American Spectator column. Or bought a copy of Tea Party: The Film Documentary. You were probably just hoping for more photos of Tabitha Hale . . . Or perhaps not.

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