Be nice to the Tea Party

I think they're working from a different reality. There is consistent, provable bias to Fox, the Wall Street Journal editorial staff, Limbaugh and the other 600 ultraconservative radio hosts who make up America's "liberal media." The bias...  is clear, and demonstrated daily by fact-checkers who rely on verifiable sources. If I shared that same reality, I would be as up-in-arms as some of these protesters. They believe the Health Care Bill means fewer people will be insured, that Mexican Nationals take American jobs, that death panels will dictate the killing of their loved ones, that Mexicans behead people in the Arizona desert - although not one instance of any of those things has occurred. They think that the majority of taxes goes to support people who won't work, when only 1--2% goes to direct aid, and most of that goes to policing the aid to prevent cheating. They are directly informed that that 1% of support is over half the budget expenditure. They blame the recession on the administration that ended it, not the one that began it. But these things are clearly stated on "news" channels and radio stations.
They want a leaner, more efficient government and an end to the stripping away of the economic security of the middle class. So does nearly everyone else. A notable exception is the top 3% of businesses, who earn the most and want more, and who sponsor Fox news and the conservative radio programs. We want the same things. The methods of creating positive change and preventing perceived problems vary depending on how people understand civics, economics, history, and current events.
Much media singles out the weirdest of the political far right, ridicules them, and insults the rest of the protest movement by association.
I would say education is key. The point is reasonably made that you can't educate a populace that will literally shout down reason. There are relatively few public shouters. They should be ignored. If we want less shouting, less abject and unsupported fear, we need to treat these very concerned and frightened people with respect and compassion. If we want it, we should give it.

57% of Americars agree with the Tea Party's expression of their values and concerns. Many of these people are bright, college-educated people who sincerely desire the best for all Americans. They aren't even isolationist - the...se are people who donate as heavily as anyone else to international aid. I'm not talking about condescention; simply respect for them and proper, detailed, in-depth reporting for all. Oh, how I wish cable networks had licenses that could be rescinded - by wonks, not politicians.
There is another contingent mixed in with these very good people, people who taint us all. These are the ones who hate the president, other black people, Arabs, Mexicans, women in positions of authority, Jews, and homosexuals absolutely regardless of policy, ethics, morality, compassion, principles, or economic or social effect. These racists, bigots, and neo-Nazis in Tea Party clothing deserve identification and categorical censure across the political spectrum. They need to be culled from the herd and cut off from the debate. No one should give them voice. Their brainless slander should die on their lips, fall to the floor and never even echo.