The Billionaires' Tea Party
How Corporate America is Faking a Grassroots Revolution

http://www.mediaed.org/cg...mp;key=153

View a Full-Length Preview (56 minutes)

http://www.mediaed.org/cg...eview.html

Study Guide

http://www.mediaed.org/as...de_153.pdf

Transcript

http://www.mediaed.org/as...pt_153.pdf

In the summer of 2009, shortly after Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress swept to power promising a new era of hope and change, a citizens protest movement emerged out of nowhere threatening to derail their agenda. Some said this uprising was the epitome of grassroots democracy. Others said it was a classic example of 'astroturfing' -- an elaborate corporate public relations effort designed to create the impression of a spontaneous uprising. Curious to find out for himself, Australian filmmaker Taki Oldham goes undercover and straight into the heart of the movement. He visits raucous health care town hall meetings where irate voters parrot insurance industry PR; learns that home-grown "citizen groups" challenging the science behind climate change are funded by big oil companies; and infiltrates a tea party movement whose anti-government rage turns out to be less the product of populist rage than of corporate strategy. In the end, The Billionaires' Tea Party offers a terrifying look at how corporate elites are exploiting the anxieties of ordinary Americans -- capitalizing on anger, resentment, and paranoia to advance a narrow, often anti-democratic, agenda.

(Previously known as AstroTurf Wars.)

Filmmaker Info

Camera, Director, Editor, Producer: Taki Oldham
Voiceover Recording Engineer: Davide Carbone
Additional Editing: Bergen O'Brian
Additional Graphics: Daniel Nicholas

Praise for the Film

"Taki Oldham's documentary is journalism at its best. I wish every American could see it before the election. I just watched it and am even more concerned about the future of our democracy than ever before."
- Wendell Potter | Author of Deadly Spin: An Insurance Industry Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans

"Brilliant."
- George Monbiot | The Guardian

"Essential viewing."
- David Suzuki | Author & Environmentalist

PositivityNYC said:

The Billionaires' Tea Party
How Corporate America is Faking a Grassroots Revolution

http://www.mediaed.org/cg...mp;key=153

View a Full-Length Preview (56 minutes)

http://www.mediaed.org/cg...eview.html

Study Guide

http://www.mediaed.org/as...de_153.pdf

Transcript

http://www.mediaed.org/as...pt_153.pdf

In the summer of 2009, shortly after Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress swept to power promising a new era of hope and change, a citizens protest movement emerged out of nowhere threatening to derail their agenda. Some said this uprising was the epitome of grassroots democracy. Others said it was a classic example of 'astroturfing' -- an elaborate corporate public relations effort designed to create the impression of a spontaneous uprising. Curious to find out for himself, Australian filmmaker Taki Oldham goes undercover and straight into the heart of the movement. He visits raucous health care town hall meetings where irate voters parrot insurance industry PR; learns that home-grown "citizen groups" challenging the science behind climate change are funded by big oil companies; and infiltrates a tea party movement whose anti-government rage turns out to be less the product of populist rage than of corporate strategy. In the end, The Billionaires' Tea Party offers a terrifying look at how corporate elites are exploiting the anxieties of ordinary Americans -- capitalizing on anger, resentment, and paranoia to advance a narrow, often anti-democratic, agenda.

(Previously known as AstroTurf Wars.)

Filmmaker Info

Camera, Director, Editor, Producer: Taki Oldham
Voiceover Recording Engineer: Davide Carbone
Additional Editing: Bergen O'Brian
Additional Graphics: Daniel Nicholas

Praise for the Film

"Taki Oldham's documentary is journalism at its best. I wish every American could see it before the election. I just watched it and am even more concerned about the future of our democracy than ever before."
- Wendell Potter | Author of Deadly Spin: An Insurance Industry Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans

"Brilliant."
- George Monbiot | The Guardian

"Essential viewing."
- David Suzuki | Author & Environmentalist

(Bolded part of 1st paragraph) That's pretty much what Fox news and other media outlets have been doing with Americans...playing on their fears and anxieties, and spinning sh*t to keep them more haywired.

If the U.S. citizens are dumb enough 2 fall 4 this nonsense.............

it is EXACTLY what they deserve.

And yet you have presumably intelligent people who swallow this BS whole. I don't get it.

Graycap23 said:

If the U.S. citizens are dumb enough 2 fall 4 this nonsense.............

it is EXACTLY what they deserve.

the ignorant/gullible ppl who fall for this Tea Party shit are making things worse for the whole entire country, not just themselves; intelligent and fair-minded ppl who are fighting against this don't deserve what the Tea Party is trying to do to all US citizens.

They are trying so hard to impose one religion on all, even non-believers... and, they don't even realize they are just pawns in a game that extremely wealthy individuals and corporations are playing with our lives just so they can stay rich/get even richer.

Graycap23 said:

If the U.S. citizens are dumb enough 2 fall 4 this nonsense.............

it is EXACTLY what they deserve.

True, and many of us have been saying here for a long time, that many Americans are stupid enough to fall for the spoonfed BS.

2elijah said:

Graycap23 said:

If the U.S. citizens are dumb enough 2 fall 4 this nonsense.............

it is EXACTLY what they deserve.

True, and many of us have been saying here for a long time, that many Americans are stupid enough to fall for the spoonfed BS.

but there's no way to make sure that the idiots falling for this crap and doing the bidding of Koch, et al are the only ones affected by their actions. The rest of us don't deserve that isht...

Did you see those shirts when Bush was "elected" the 2nd time -- for Americans to wear abroad? I forget the exact wording, but it had an apology to the world for Bush, and a declaration that the person wearing it wasn't one of the idiots who voted for him.
Sometimes I feel like we're gonna need those again some day...

Koch blah blah blah

Soros blah blah blah

Problem, kettle?

NoVideo said:

And yet you have presumably intelligent people who swallow this BS whole. I don't get it.

that's even scarier than the true idiots who fall for it

The Tea Party was not started by the Koch Brothers. The Koch Brothers saw a growing political movement that they liked and shared their political values, so they pumped a lot of money into it.

Here's a quick short-term history lesson for those who think the Tea Party was concocted by a bunch of billionaires in a smoked-filled room. In 2007, Ron Paul announced his candidacy for President. On December 16, 2007 Ron Paul and his supporters held the first Tea Party protest in modern times. Throughout 2008, protests and rallies held by the Paul campaign or Ron Paul supporters were sometimes called tea parties. After Obama was inaugurated in 2009, these tea parties became more mainstream.

the Tea Party is such a phony "movement".It's hilarious....these people parade around like they're "independent",fiscally responsible people who are anti-goverment and anti-taxes.In reality,they're nothing more than bitter conservatives who despise the fact that Obama and the Democrats are in control.

DarlingDiana said:

The Tea Party was not started by the Koch Brothers. The Koch Brothers saw a growing political movement that they liked and shared their political values, so they pumped a lot of money into it.

Here's a quick short-term history lesson for those who think the Tea Party was concocted by a bunch of billionaires in a smoked-filled room. In 2007, Ron Paul announced his candidacy for President. On December 16, 2007 Ron Paul and his supporters held the first Tea Party protest in modern times. Throughout 2008, protests and rallies held by the Paul campaign or Ron Paul supporters were sometimes called tea parties. After Obama was inaugurated in 2009, these tea parties became more mainstream.

Um, sorry, you don't get to hijack and piggyback onto the billionaire movement! Ron Paul supporters

Dauphin said:

Koch blah blah blah

Soros blah blah blah

Problem, kettle?

Name another liberal besides Soros that funds the left. For that One there are HUNDREDS on the right. This is such a false false false FALSE equivalent and you know it.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Dauphin said:

Koch blah blah blah

Soros blah blah blah

Problem, kettle?

Name another liberal besides Soros that funds the left. For that One there are HUNDREDS on the right. This is such a false false false FALSE equivalent and you know it.

SEICU

UAW

NEA

etc.

From 2003 to 2010 Koch Brothers gave over 5.2 million dollars.

http://www.followthemoney.org/database/natnoteview.phtml?u=1457&f=0&y=0&ince=1&incs=1&abbr=0

Soros, by himself, gave 1.8 million just last year to one entity: NPR. He donated 1 million to the Prop 19 Yes vote in California. He also recently donated 1 million to Media Matters with the intent to go after Fox News. So 4 million within one calendar year. And he's a false equivalent?

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/soros-donates-1-million-to-media-matters/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/proposition-19-campaign-gets-1-million-donation-from-george-soros.html

http://www.npr.org/about/press/2010/101810.ImpactOfGovernment.html

Dauphin said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Name another liberal besides Soros that funds the left. For that One there are HUNDREDS on the right. This is such a false false false FALSE equivalent and you know it.

SEICU

UAW

NEA

etc.

From 2003 to 2010 Koch Brothers gave over 5.2 million dollars.

http://www.followthemoney.org/database/natnoteview.phtml?u=1457&f=0&y=0&ince=1&incs=1&abbr=0

Soros, by himself, gave 1.8 million just last year to one entity: NPR. He donated 1 million to the Prop 19 Yes vote in California. He also recently donated 1 million to Media Matters with the intent to go after Fox News. So 4 million within one calendar year. And he's a false equivalent?

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/soros-donates-1-million-to-media-matters/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/proposition-19-campaign-gets-1-million-donation-from-george-soros.html

http://www.npr.org/about/press/2010/101810.ImpactOfGovernment.html

Unions are descimated. In my department in the last 10 years, we lost 14 Union jobs. This was company wide. Descimated Unions vs Corporate America - False Equivalent.

Soros vs Koch Brothers, that is one thing. Soros vs Koch Brothers vs ALL THE OTHER right wing multimillion/billionaires, yeah it's a false equivalent and you know it.

Tell you what, I'll agree that there is an assault on Union donations. Unions make up the majority of contributions, and forcing Unions to collect dues state by state while opening the door for corporations to donate without limit is DEFINITELY being done with intent.

Campaign finance is still a subject I can't find my footing on. I don't think it's fair to have the top 10% vs the bottom 90%. But I don't support restricting free speech. But is giving somebody money "free speech?"

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

DarlingDiana said:

The Tea Party was not started by the Koch Brothers. The Koch Brothers saw a growing political movement that they liked and shared their political values, so they pumped a lot of money into it.

Here's a quick short-term history lesson for those who think the Tea Party was concocted by a bunch of billionaires in a smoked-filled room. In 2007, Ron Paul announced his candidacy for President. On December 16, 2007 Ron Paul and his supporters held the first Tea Party protest in modern times. Throughout 2008, protests and rallies held by the Paul campaign or Ron Paul supporters were sometimes called tea parties. After Obama was inaugurated in 2009, these tea parties became more mainstream.

Um, sorry, you don't get to hijack and piggyback onto the billionaire movement! Ron Paul supporters

I'm just asking you to get your facts straight. The Koch Brothers had nothing to do with the first modern Tea Party held in 2007.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Dauphin said:

Koch blah blah blah

Soros blah blah blah

Problem, kettle?

Name another liberal besides Soros that funds the left. For that One there are HUNDREDS on the right. This is such a false false false FALSE equivalent and you know it.

It makes perfect sense that for every one really rich guy on the left there are ten on the right. The left-wing is mostly lazy free-loaders who don't want to work for themselves so they want the government to take money from those who do work. I don't know many of my friends who remained leftist/"liberal/progressive" after their unemployed college days smoking pot and listening to professors tell them about the corporate machine and how if you get a job you are selling out and becoming part of the system. Really it's just an excuse not to achieve, not to succeed, not to have ambitions, and just sit around talking about how unfair the system is and how those who work get all the money while you have to live off fruit roll-ups. That's why most rich people are on the right.

DarlingDiana said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Name another liberal besides Soros that funds the left. For that One there are HUNDREDS on the right. This is such a false false false FALSE equivalent and you know it.

It makes perfect sense that for every one really rich guy on the left there are ten on the right. The left-wing is mostly lazy free-loaders who don't want to work for themselves so they want the government to take money from those who do work. I don't know many of my friends who remained leftist/"liberal/progressive" after their unemployed college days smoking pot and listening to professors tell them about the corporate machine and how if you get a job you are selling out and becoming part of the system. Really it's just an excuse not to achieve, not to succeed, not to have ambitions, and just sit around talking about how unfair the system is and how those who work get all the money while you have to live off fruit roll-ups. That's why most rich people are on the right.

Wow, new heights of nonsense.

DarlingDiana said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Name another liberal besides Soros that funds the left. For that One there are HUNDREDS on the right. This is such a false false false FALSE equivalent and you know it.

It makes perfect sense that for every one really rich guy on the left there are ten on the right. The left-wing is mostly lazy free-loaders who don't want to work for themselves so they want the government to take money from those who do work. I don't know many of my friends who remained leftist/"liberal/progressive" after their unemployed college days smoking pot and listening to professors tell them about the corporate machine and how if you get a job you are selling out and becoming part of the system. Really it's just an excuse not to achieve, not to succeed, not to have ambitions, and just sit around talking about how unfair the system is and how those who work get all the money while you have to live off fruit roll-ups. That's why most rich people are on the right.

You are so fucking delusional Every single "leftist" here has a goddamn job!

DarlingDiana said:

The Tea Party was not started by the Koch Brothers. The Koch Brothers saw a growing political movement that they liked and shared their political values, so they pumped a lot of money into it.

Hence why its not grassroots, it's astroturf. True grassroot movements are NOT corporate funded. In fact, they are anti-corporation. The Koch Brother may have not started it, but they OWN and FUND the movement now, create fake propaganda to manipulate Americans based in fear and anger. They use it to accomplish their agenda of a true Plutocracy in this country, nothing more. The fact that normal, average day ppl have the same thing in common with filthy millionaires is utter bullshit. Making the working man a villian and private, rich corporations the saviors and heroes of the country. That's despicable.

Thats why the Tea Party is a passing fad. Its based in racism, hateful and violent rhetoric and causing class warfare in this country.

Dauphin said:

Tell you what, I'll agree that there is an assault on Union donations. Unions make up the majority of contributions, and forcing Unions to collect dues state by state while opening the door for corporations to donate without limit is DEFINITELY being done with intent.

Campaign finance is still a subject I can't find my footing on. I don't think it's fair to have the top 10% vs the bottom 90%. But I don't support restricting free speech. But is giving somebody money "free speech?"

One question, are there more Unions than Corporations?

rudedog said:

Dauphin said:

Tell you what, I'll agree that there is an assault on Union donations. Unions make up the majority of contributions, and forcing Unions to collect dues state by state while opening the door for corporations to donate without limit is DEFINITELY being done with intent.

Campaign finance is still a subject I can't find my footing on. I don't think it's fair to have the top 10% vs the bottom 90%. But I don't support restricting free speech. But is giving somebody money "free speech?"

One question, are there more Unions than Corporations?

Obviously there are more Corporations than Unions. But there are more PEOPLE that make up Unions than there are people that make up Corporations (actually, I would argue that Unions are corporations themselves).

I have a problem with equating dollar donation as "free speech." Probably exactly for the reason you're hinting at. It's easier for 1 billionare to donate 1 million dollars than it is to get 1 million people to donate 1 dollar a piece. It's a reality that should not be overlooked.

rudedog said:

DarlingDiana said:

The Tea Party was not started by the Koch Brothers. The Koch Brothers saw a growing political movement that they liked and shared their political values, so they pumped a lot of money into it.

Hence why its not grassroots, it's astroturf. True grassroot movements are NOT corporate funded. In fact, they are anti-corporation. The Koch Brother may have not started it, but they OWN and FUND the movement now, create fake propaganda to manipulate Americans based in fear and anger. They use it to accomplish their agenda of a true Plutocracy in this country, nothing more. The fact that normal, average day ppl have the same thing in common with filthy millionaires is utter bullshit. Making the working man a villian and private, rich corporations the saviors and heroes of the country. That's despicable.

Thats why the Tea Party is a passing fad. Its based in racism, hateful and violent rhetoric and causing class warfare in this country.

The TEA Party is not a passing fad. It's been a movement for a long long time. Arguably, since the original Boston Tea Party. And rage against overtaxation has been a theme of most revolts throughout history. Robin Hood wouldn't be as effective a story if the Sherrif wasn't out overtaxing everybody.

Dauphin said:

rudedog said:

Hence why its not grassroots, it's astroturf. True grassroot movements are NOT corporate funded. In fact, they are anti-corporation. The Koch Brother may have not started it, but they OWN and FUND the movement now, create fake propaganda to manipulate Americans based in fear and anger. They use it to accomplish their agenda of a true Plutocracy in this country, nothing more. The fact that normal, average day ppl have the same thing in common with filthy millionaires is utter bullshit. Making the working man a villian and private, rich corporations the saviors and heroes of the country. That's despicable.

Thats why the Tea Party is a passing fad. Its based in racism, hateful and violent rhetoric and causing class warfare in this country.

The TEA Party is not a passing fad. It's been a movement for a long long time. Arguably, since the original Boston Tea Party. And rage against overtaxation has been a theme of most revolts throughout history. Robin Hood wouldn't be as effective a story if the Sherrif wasn't out overtaxing everybody.

We have the reverse of Robin Hood. The rich stealing from the poor to make themselves even richer.

rudedog said:

DarlingDiana said:

The Tea Party was not started by the Koch Brothers. The Koch Brothers saw a growing political movement that they liked and shared their political values, so they pumped a lot of money into it.

Hence why its not grassroots, it's astroturf. True grassroot movements are NOT corporate funded. In fact, they are anti-corporation.

Bullshit. What you've just said there is that a true grassroots movement has to be left-wing because it has to be against corporations. What a crock. A political movement can be pro-business or anti-business, pro-governement or anti-government.

I don't get why it matters that the Tea Party have corporate donors. I think you guys are just bitter because you can never find funding for your political movement and that's why they never go anywhere.

The Koch Brother may have not started it, but they OWN and FUND the movement now, create fake propaganda to manipulate Americans based in fear and anger. They use it to accomplish their agenda of a true Plutocracy in this country, nothing more.

lol, Plutocracy. They just want government out of their business. And that resonates with ordinary people who just want government out of their lives.

The fact that normal, average day ppl have the same thing in common with filthy millionaires is utter bullshit. Making the working man a villian and private, rich corporations the saviors and heroes of the country. That's despicable.

We do have something in common, a desire to be left alone to live our own lives.

Thats why the Tea Party is a passing fad. Its based in racism, hateful and violent rhetoric and causing class warfare in this country.

A passing fad that's taking over congress.

The only class warfare I see is being caused by the stupid, irresponsible Wisconsin protestors who are pitting government union workers against tax payers. The Tea Party, as you even said, unites the working class and the business class. There are no classes in the Tea Party. Yet all the other side cares about is class. Just like all the other side cares about is race yet we are the racist. It's called projection.

Dauphin said:

rudedog said:

Hence why its not grassroots, it's astroturf. True grassroot movements are NOT corporate funded. In fact, they are anti-corporation. The Koch Brother may have not started it, but they OWN and FUND the movement now, create fake propaganda to manipulate Americans based in fear and anger. They use it to accomplish their agenda of a true Plutocracy in this country, nothing more. The fact that normal, average day ppl have the same thing in common with filthy millionaires is utter bullshit. Making the working man a villian and private, rich corporations the saviors and heroes of the country. That's despicable.

Thats why the Tea Party is a passing fad. Its based in racism, hateful and violent rhetoric and causing class warfare in this country.

The TEA Party is not a passing fad. It's been a movement for a long long time. Arguably, since the original Boston Tea Party. And rage against overtaxation has been a theme of most revolts throughout history. Robin Hood wouldn't be as effective a story if the Sherrif wasn't out overtaxing everybody.

Didn't the Boston Tea Party address taxation "without" representation? That's a little different.

Taxes have been raised going back several presidents so these guys are kind of late with their protests to say the least. In Obama's case, they were screaming for his head before a single proposal was even made.

Whether or not the current tea party is a trend remains to be seen but I do believe that the movement has been jacked almost to the same extent as the two major parties have. At some point we have got to leave the partisanship behind and come together, otherwise we, the people are screwed.

I really believe that they all represent the same beast at this point.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

DarlingDiana said:

It makes perfect sense that for every one really rich guy on the left there are ten on the right. The left-wing is mostly lazy free-loaders who don't want to work for themselves so they want the government to take money from those who do work. I don't know many of my friends who remained leftist/"liberal/progressive" after their unemployed college days smoking pot and listening to professors tell them about the corporate machine and how if you get a job you are selling out and becoming part of the system. Really it's just an excuse not to achieve, not to succeed, not to have ambitions, and just sit around talking about how unfair the system is and how those who work get all the money while you have to live off fruit roll-ups. That's why most rich people are on the right.

You are so fucking delusional Every single "leftist" here has a goddamn job!

Ha ha! TRUE! Saying it's "delusional" is kind, that whole statement is the most idiotic thing I have read on here in a LONG time.

Dauphin said:

rudedog said:

One question, are there more Unions than Corporations?

Obviously there are more Corporations than Unions. But there are more PEOPLE that make up Unions than there are people that make up Corporations (actually, I would argue that Unions are corporations themselves).

I have a problem with equating dollar donation as "free speech." Probably exactly for the reason you're hinting at. It's easier for 1 billionare to donate 1 million dollars than it is to get 1 million people to donate 1 dollar a piece. It's a reality that should not be overlooked.

It's a little different with unions in that the members can remove the president and board members which is something employees of a corporation can't do.

I agree that the free speech issue should be revisited and I appreciate your moderate approach in these discussions.