video Michael Steele was on MSNBC's Meet The Press this morning, talking to David Gregory about health care reform. The conversation eventually turned to yesterday's anti-health care rally at the capitol, when members of the conservative Tea Party movement allegedly verbally assaulted John Lewis and Barney Frank, using racial and gay slurs. And unlike Sarah Palin, Michael Steele doesn't self-identify with the Tea Party movement. (more...)

video "Rising tensions on Capitol Hill" is a cliche in cable news, but it may never have been apt than today. With the House of Representatives currently negotiating a controversial vote on a Senate bill that aims to reform health care, protesters have gathered to voice their opposition to the bill. CNN's Capitol Hill reporter Dana Bash reports today of personally witnessing epithets being used towards John Lewis (D-GA) and Barney Frank (D-MA) by protesters that had been identified earlier as "Tea Party people." (more...)

video It's a beautiful day on Capitol Hill for a Tea Party, and thousands of conservatives have rallied in D.C. to protest at yet another Anti-Health Care Reform rally. And amongst all the common folks and Middle Americans that conservatives like to tout as the base of these events, there's a familiar face: Angelina Jolie's father, actor Jon Voight. (more...)

The Tea Party movement has prompted its share of outrage and confusion with Americans from all walks of life, but now it's their namesakes that are complaining their reputation has been tarnished by tea parties of the political variety. Somewhere along the road paved with falsified birth certificates and hand-written signs, people apparently never considered how adopting the beverage would affect the tea industry and those who subscribe to tea party culture -- "the kind where you mind your manners and consider proper brewing temperatures." It's not good. (more...)

video This morning's guest on Fox and Friends warned that the Constitution was under attack and the two-party system was bleeding the nation dry. He made clear his disdain was equal for both the Bush and Obama administrations, and noted that he would only support politicians that are truly independent. And if he hadn't called Sarah Palin a "quitter" who is "in" on the federal Constitutional takeover the Tea Party activists are also a part of, Jesse Ventura could have almost passed for Glenn Beck. The former Minnesota governor has been making the morning talk show rounds to sell his new book, American Conspiracies, and saved his most special material for the Fox News audience this morning. (more...)

video Nancy Pelosi on This Week, clarifying some earlier statements she made about the conservative Tea Party movement being "astroturf" as opposed to a "grassroots movement." As it turns out, the Speaker of the House and those Glenn Beck fans aren't so different after all! (more...)

video It might just be the book to knock that pesky Fox News liberal's Arguing with Idiots off the best-seller list once and for all. The Tea Party enthusiasts over at World Net Daily are announcing the release of the literary milestone Don't Tread on Us! Signs of a 21st Century Political Awakening, a photo book chronicling the adventures of the Tea Party movement as it spread across the nation fighting socialism and creating some of the most unintentionally hilarious political posters in American history. The best part? The book comes with a foreword from Chuck Norris, the George Washington of American martial arts films. (more...)

Joseph Stack, the pilot responsible for crashing a plane into the Austin IRS building, is simply too good of an albatross not to hang on someone's neck. As accurately predicted here on Mediaite, he has already been branded both a liberal and a conservative, a terrorist and a domestic extremist, and every possible politically charged label in between. Stack's ideologically convoluted suicide manifesto created more questions than it answered, leaving more opportunity for exploitation, and this morning, the New York Times took the bait, asking about Stack, "The First Tea-Party Terrorist?" (more...)

Much has already been written about the current era of opinion media, and how consumers now often get their news from the media outlets that reaffirm their pre-existing opinions. In fact, part of the reason that Mediaite exists is because there are so few unbiased arbiters in what has recently deteriorated into the toxic and puerile sport of "am not!" and "are too!" So yesterday was an interesting day for us - our commentary and reporting received criticism from stalwarts on both the right AND the left. People often ask us "whose side are you on?" Well, whoever said that we had to be on a side? (more...)

You know, in hindsight, it is sort of stunning that no one has done anything like this sooner. Responding to recent criticisms made by Countdown host Keith Olbermann that the Tea Party movement effectively had no diversity amongst its ranks, the Dallas Tea Party organization has produced a remarkably effective video response. Not only does the video feature a number of men and women of color, but it also highlights the remarkable lack of diversity on MSNBC's line-up. Judge not, lest ye be judged? (more...)

video California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was on ABC's “This Week” hosted by Terry Moran and dismissed the Tea Party movement. "The Tea Party is not going to go anywhere,” Schwarzenegger told Moran. “I think the Tea Party is all about just an expression of anger and dissatisfaction.” (more...)

video Earlier this week, RNC chairman Michael Steele met with various leaders of the Tea Party movement. Last night, Hardball host Chris Matthews had on one such leader, former Arizona sheriff Richard Mack, for a spirited/heated discussion on corruption, congress and adhering to the constitution. The highlight of the back and forth, however, may have been when Matthews asked Mack to comment on Sarah Palin's mention of Texas secession from the United States. Perhaps not surprisingly, Sheriff Mack defended a state's right to secede. (more...)

"Hyper-partisan, painfully ignorant, pathologically dishonest, chronically unethical, intellectually unconscious, and jaw-droppingly stupid." Yes, once in a while these words apply uncannily to the radical liberals over at Daily Kos, but today, they're proof of why the blog commands so much influence in the political sphere despite their occasional flubs. Blogger "Angry Mouse" has given Palin what reads as one of the most ringing, brutally honest endorsements for her 2012 presidential campaign to come out so far. (more...)

video It seems as though cable news producers have a laminated rundown of topics to discuss on each night's show: Sarah Palin? Check! Tea Party? Check! Texas Secession? Whaaa? Kudos to the brains behind Hardball , for coming up with relatively new and unique take on the Tea Party movement. Host Chris Matthews -- and his Texas-residing guests -- discussed how Texas Governor Rick Perry (and Tea Partiers ) have been casually throwing around ideas of secession. A dangerous game, or delightful fodder for cable news? Why not both!? (more...)

video First Lady Michelle Obama was a guest on Larry King Live last night to discuss her new anti-obesity, "Let's Move" campaign. Somewhat surprisingly, Obama was put on the spot by the CNN host with some tough-ish questions about Sarah Palin and tea parties, although the first lady has learned to give a good political answer. (more...)

video The National Tea Party convention was held this weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, and has, predictably, been a hot topic on cable news. Tonight Bill O'Reilly took his turn, discussing the third party phenomenon/movement with Fox News pundit Brit Hume and offered a frank and candid assessment on some of the participants of the Tea Party movement. "Some of these tea party people are nuts! They are! They're crazy!" (more...)

video Sarah Palin spoke tonight at the national Tea Party Convention and had some predictably harsh words for the White House. "I will live, I will die for the people of America. Whatever I can do to help. This movement is the future of politics in America," said Palin, before giving stick to President Obama.

video A Saturday afternoon Fox News report revealed much about the situation on the ground at the Tea Party Convention this weekend in the lead up to Sarah Palin's keynote address. The Fox reporter, though, was careful to note that the Tea Partiers are a disparate group, and this convention is by no means representative of the entire movement. Much of this point focuses on the issue of the Birthers, who believe President Obama is not a natural born citizen, and are a cause for concern among conservatives wishing to focus more on substantive (factual?) issues. (more...)

Is there a more media savvy politician out there than Sarah Palin? I'm not convinced. Earlier this week Palin called for chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's firing on her Facebook after it became public that he'd referred to some liberal groups as "“f***ing retarded” back in November. Emanuel (obviously) still holds his job, but an apology he privately made to Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver last week quickly became public in light of Palin's post. (more...)

"Both Steele and Palin claim to be devotees of the tea party movement. 'I’m a tea partier, I’m a town-haller, I’m a grass-roots-er' is how Steele put it in a recent radio interview, wet-kissing a market he hopes will buy his book. Palin has far more grandiose ambitions."

video A big story for the coming year is not just the mid-term election, but how the growing Tea Party movement will affect the elections. MSNBC host Chris Matthews did his best to explore this issue, but revealed more about both his ignorance on the matter and his bias towards the group (derisively referring to them as "teabaggers.") Of course, he was likely speaking in hyperbole - but that doesn't make it less insensitive to those who are a part of the Tea Party movement. (more...)

Sometimes, Worst Person status isn't enough. In last night's Countdown, Keith Olbermann not only named Chicago Tea Patriots organizer Catherina Wojtowicz his Worst Person, but condemned her and her followers to hell for mocking a pro-health reform husband and wife who had lost their daughter-in-law and unborn grandchild to untreated double pneumonia.

(more...)

video All things popular must eventually make their way to Hollywood (or thereabouts) so this news shouldn't really suprise anyone. Just in time for Thanksgiving -- when everyone will have some extra turkey recovery time on their hands -- some enterprising filmmakers (and some well-known conservatives) have apparently whipped together Tea Party: The Documentary Film. (more...)

The Tea Party movement is often seen by outsiders as one big monolithic force, especially by its detractors (who occasionally use nastier words than "monolithic" to describe it). But lately, there has been a mounting civil war between two rival factions of Tea Partiers.

One big bone of contention: the GOP's growing involvement with the movement. (more...)

In the midst of his yearend push to pass sweeping health reform legislation, the last thing President Obama needs is another dustup with the tea party set. Is it possible that he referred to them as "teabag" people in discussions with House Democrats? Update: a Democratic Representative's office responds -- see end of post. (more...)

video Tea Party Express organizer Mark Williams joined Anderson Cooper and Roland Martin on CNN last night to discuss the races today, and mainly what's happening in New York's 23rd congressional district. And while there was a debate for the majority of the segment, Williams essentially described his organization and others are already looking toward "Judgment Day" - next year. (more...)

video While conservatives have taken offense at the use of the term "tea-baggers" to refer to members of the Tea Party Movement, they seem to have lost sight of the fact that it was Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins who first made the connection between the protests and that particular bit of sexual parlance. Now, it seems that the mainstream media's sophomoric overkill has crept into the mind of Fox News analyst Charles Krauthammer, bringing the term full circle to its birthplace. While it is understandable that people wouldn't want to be called "tea-baggers," the right was curiously bereft of outrage when Jenkins positioned the protesters as the metaphorical aggressors, and the White house as the recipients of the euphemistic bags. Let's see what kind of outrage Krauthammer's slip generates.

video Last night on The Daily Show Jon Stewart noted the different manner in which Fox News opted to cover the 9/12 tea bagger marches in September versus the similarly attended (numbers-wise) Gay Rights march this past Sunday. Short version: they didn't. Stewart speculates this round of marchers may have had a different response to the question 'Do you have anything to say to Glenn Beck?' Like, say: "Who cuts your hair and why are they so angry at you?" But with maybe a few expletives thrown in. (more...)

It was 70 degrees and serenely perfect this past Sunday as I marched alongside thousands of other supporters in the Equality March that consumed downtown D.C. A friend and I arrived via Bolt Bus around 11 a.m. and were shocked at the number of people already crammed together at the starting point on 15th and I. Clearly, the people wanted to send a message. Though I'd never participated in a march before, I can say with reasonable confidence that this was probably the most colorful gathering of people to ever join together for the same cause (except for, say, Hallowe'en in the West Village). Rainbow flags, Mardi Gras beads, and glittery purple signs were ubiquitous; an audience with Lady Gaga lay ahead. Rather than the somber and festering mob I had expected, the crowd was really...happy! (more...)

exclusive Mediaite has obtained an email from Fox News Vice President of News and Washington managing editor Bill Sammon to the staff of the D.C. bureau, in the wake of an FNC producer caught pumping up the crowd during the 9/12 tea party broadcast. The email, with the subject line "standards," addresses the controversy head-on: "We do not cheerlead for one cause or another," writes Sammon. Full email after the jump: (more...)

Poll/Video Video shot at last weekend's 9/12 Project protests has surfaced showing Heidi Noonan, an associate producer for Fox News, encouraging the crowd to hoot and holler behind Griff Jenkins while he talks live from the scene with Glenn Beck in the studio. (more...)

video The Washington Post ran a full-page instigating ad in today's paper from Fox News that asks: "How Did ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC And CNN Miss This Story?" referring to the D.C. tea party protests on 9/12. CNN's Rick Sanchez said "you lie!" (seriously, he said that) - since his network and all the others did cover the protests. He also played a clip of Bill O'Reilly saying CNN covered the protests. But Fox News is sticking to their guns, and WashPost is defending the ad buy. What? (Updated, with comment from FOX) (more...)

By virtue of being Alan Colmes, you know that Alan Colmes has to be a bit of a masochist. For more than twelve years, he endured the unenviable 'liberal whipping boy' slot on Hannity & Colmes -- and, by extension, on all of Fox. (more...)

video "I launched a project back in March and it comes together Saturday, 9/12," says Glenn Beck in a Foxnews.com promo video. "Thousands of people are going to gather in Washington, D.C., and around the nation, to stand up for the principles and values that have made America great." Where was Beck today? In his New York City Studio - but he wasn't happy about it. (more...)

Today I watched one of the most bizarro TV shows that I have ever seen: Glenn Beck's 9/12 special on Fox News.

Even now, I am not sure what it had to do with 9/11 — other than completely co-opting it for Tea Partiers, Fox News, dissent and — oh yes — Glenn Beck. (more...)