A California Group Launches Attack Ad against the Tea Party

Out from the ashes came a populist political movement in the United States of America that aims to reduce taxes and implement reform in the government. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and a series of health care reform bills triggered a series of local and national protests which eventually saw the emergence of the Tea Party Movement. Clearly, the string of upsets accomplished by Tea Party-backed candidates over Republican and favored rivals in various primaries has shown the increasing strength of the movement.

The state of California is very significant in the upcoming polls as it is the most populous of all states in the United States. Though having a Republican government, the state is generally dominated by Democrat senators and members of the Assembly. A Santa Monica-based nonprofit advocacy group has produced an ad on a Times Square video screen labeling the Tea Party movement as “insane”. The video ad is 30 seconds long and includes phrases such as “Home foreclosures” and “Wall Street greed” with flames on its background.

The ad directs viewers to visit the Consumer Watchdog website. In a recent phone interview with the president of the Consumer Watchdog group, Jaime Court uttered the following words, “Popular anger can be such a force for change, and people who support progress can’t allow the tea party to use that anger for their ends, which is to get control of the reins of government and then do away with it”. People who view the ad will also be directed to Court’s recently published book entitled, “The Progressive’s Guide to Raising Hell”. The book discusses the power of public outrage as a driver for change and development.

According to Neutron Media, the Toronto-based company that owns the ad space, the ad will be aired 18 times a day until Oct. 15. Consumer Watchdog is famous for it’s the lawsuits it filed against the insurance industry and other corporations. Its proceeds are done accounted for about one-third of its funding. The group also receives significant financing from trial lawyers and labor unions. Two of the country’s largest tea party organizations, the Tea Party Express and the Tea Party Patriots, refused to comment on the matter. With just 6 weeks before the big Election Day, Tea Party candidates are expecting to put up a good fight against Democratic rivals.