There’s nothing in the Bay Area like a good protest! A Berkeley alum once told me that they used to just post a sign that said “Protest!” and people showed up – whether they were protesting something or nothing at all. People like a good party.
The peaceful protest at the Tax Tea Party in Pleasanton was one of several in the Bay Area. Even after 6 hours, there were still 600 angry taxpayers when I closed the program with KSFO radio personality Barbara Simpson. I learned later from other reports that there were actually 2,000 during the day in that location, 500 in Walnut Creek, and nearly 1,000 in San Francisco.
What I liked best about the Tax Tea Party was that these were real Californians – people who showed up because they were sick of paying for things they don’t benefit from – like corporate bailouts and bloated government. These people scratch their heads every day wondering what that extra tax dollar is paying for. It is not putting food on their table or clothing on their kids. These were not Republicans or Democrats – they were Americans. People Taxed Enough Already.
I remember my days back in the U.S. Senate Majority Leader’s Office in the 1980’s (If only I had kept the wardrobe I’d be spending less money on clothes now).
The Howard Baker suite was occupied then by my one of my heroes – Bob Dole. In that place – just off the Rotunda of the United States Capitol – hung a picture of Bob Dole, President Reagan, and the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neil, a Democrat.
O’Neil had written “We Three – Americans First”.
A scrappy Irish Democrat remarking on what might have been a legendary meeting where he and two Republicans came together to solve a problem.
Maybe O’Neil was tipping his hat to Republicans who helped him see another side of an issue – like making individuals and communities responsible rather than redistributing their wealth to government programs.
I don’t remember what any of these three fine men wore in the picture, the expressions on their faces, or what color tie they had on. What I remember was that these three were talking about what was best for the country – not what was best for their own personal agendas.
I often wonder what happened to that photo – whether it is hung at the Dole Institute of Politics today or sitting in a storage box somewhere. I remember it especially at times like this – a relic from a time when partisanship was actually the sparring of friends who agreed to disagree – but who did what was right for the country rather than growing government simply because they had the votes to do it.
The Tax Tea Party gave me that same feeling – real Americans and real Californians – joining together in peace for a common cause: that we’re giving too much and enjoying too little.
These are real people who listen to country music, enjoy rock gods like Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC and watch American Idol on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They don’t really care what politicians think. They care about putting food on the table, having a good job with a good wage, and not leaving a debt that their kids are forced to pay.
The tax man cometh as he does every year. He has done his job. The patriots mailed in their government mandated contribution. But tomorrow, the patriots might rebel again because it’s too easy to spontaneously organize – and now they have tools to help with the power of Facebook, Twitter, and other means of email technology to keep the band together.
Washington and Sacramento will probably just brush off these protests as part of the right wing conspiracy. If they do, they will once again demonstrate their arrogance and dismissal of that sweet emotion that makes this country a democracy.