Howard Dean: tea party is 'last gasp' of generation that fears diversity
| Washington
Economic uncertainty and concerns about the country鈥檚 growing racial diversity are the two key factors driving the growth of the tea party, says former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean.
Speaking at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast for reporters, Mr. Dean said 鈥渢he fundamental driver is the economy. I think the unsaid issue that nobody wants to talk about is 鈥� and the Republicans get really upset when I mention this 鈥� is the demographic changes. There is no question about that.鈥�
Dean called the tea party movement, 鈥渢he last gasp of the generation that has trouble with diversity.鈥�
He argued that, 鈥淭he demographic changes we have all known were going to happen have happened and all of a sudden it is here for them and they don鈥檛 know what to do.... Every morning when they see the president, they are reminded that things are totally different than they were when they were born.鈥�
The former Vermont governor and presidential candidate said he tells college audiences that, 鈥測ou have all had friends of different races, different religions, and different sexual orientations, and you all date each other, that is not how I grew up. That is not how the tea party grew up. The tea party is almost entirely over 55 and white.鈥�
Now working for a Washington law firm, Dean argued that there are three tea parties. 鈥淭here is the racist fringe鈥�. There is the Dick Armey corporate tea party, which doesn鈥檛 have anything much more to do with the real tea party than the racist fringe. [Mr. Armey is a Republican former House majority leader now active in the tea party movement.] And then there is the real tea party 鈥� which is the vast majority 鈥� which are pretty socially conservative even though they try to mask that,鈥� Dean said.
Dean described the bulk of the tea party members as 鈥減opulists. They are not going to support free trade. They don鈥檛 mind taxing millionaires. And they really do want to balance the budget.鈥�
Incoming House Speaker John Boehner is well aware of the tea party鈥檚 different components and political concerns, Dean said. 鈥淗e is just trying to figure out how the heck he is going to make it work.鈥� I can鈥檛 wait to see which tea party really emerges."
