Raymond Johansen is looking for advice. Perhaps we can help.
Tim Phillips, lobbyist and chairman of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is in Europe and Oslo to endorse and teach the Norwegian right wing party (Fremskrittspartiet) how to organize so-called grassroots campaigns. But the grass root campaigns such as those the Tea Party Movement and AFP holds aren’t bottom-up crowds, but pure lobbying campaigns financed by billionaires with a clear political agenda.
When the financial crisis was a fact Mr. Phillips and AFP among others funded and organized campaigns to spread disinformation, fear and hatred. Crowds called the American president a Marxist to fight against government intervention to counteract the financial crisis. To the contrary Newsweek interviewed our Party Leader and Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg this week about the financial rescue that really worked.
The campaigns have also traveled the country with a bloody hand logo to deny poor Americans the right to health insurance, and launched the "Hot Air Tour" to claim that the climate crisis is conspiracy and carbon cap and trade is the expressway to national bankruptcy. These so-called grass root movements and Mr. Phillip’s salary is for the most part paid by the oil and gas company Koch Industries. This week he shared the podium with Party Leader of the right wing party Ms. Siv Jensen, called Scandinavia’s Margaret Thatcher by her own International Secretary. Next week he shares the stage with non other then the Tea Party queen herself, Sarah Palin, to fight their common goal of tax cuts and limited government.
Until now we in Europe have watched this absurd political theatre from afar, but now I truly worry that the right wing party will learn from these extremely reactionary forces and adapt the same strategies, in Norway and Europe. It represents a form of campaigning that the Norwegian Labour Party fears. I am truly afraid that our society will not be recognizable in 20 years if the right wing party comes to power, with the help of a speculative American lobbyist – far away from the real grass root.
I ask you American progressives and people from the real grass root movements. How can we disclose and prevent these pure lobbying campaigns financed by billionaire’s political influence? Please tip me on Twitter or Facebook.
Raymond Johansen, Party Secretary of the Norwegian Labour Party, which is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government, with Jens Stoltenberg as the current Prime Minister of Norway. The Labour Party has been the central actor in building the Norwegian Welfare State after the Norwegian Model post World War Two.
#teapartyfear
@raymondjohansen
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Raymond the first thing I can tell you, should the Teabaggers establish themselves in your country, is to be ready for an end to civility in politics. You will receive none from them.
The second thing you can expect is an end to honesty and integrity. The Teabaggers specialize in the big lie. No matter how absurd, they will repeat a lie over and over again until it sinks in. You will be tempted to ignore the big lie, because you will not think that anyone will believe it. We made that mistake here. At one point, over 25% of Americans actually believed that the health care reform Democrats proposed actually contained provisions for death panels to kill senior citizens. You must challenge every lie they tell, adamantly and forcefully, using unequivocal evidence, and keep up the challenges as long as they persist in the lie.
The third thing you can expect is outrageous behavior. They do it for media attention, and they will get it. I don’t know if Rupert Murdock has media outlets in Norway, but I know he does in other European nations. His outlets will promote the Teabaggers. Hopefully you can turn the behavior against them by holding it up to ridicule. Here I coined the term Teabuggery to label their more distasteful activities, including virtually everything they do.
The best advice I can give you is to start organizing authentic grass-roots opposition to them before they become established.
This morning, Leslie, aka Tnlib, who writes a fine blog, posted this video on Facebook.
This is the face of your enemy. Take him seriously. I know little of Norwegian politics. What I do know is good. Yet I have no doubt that you have a Quisling there, just waiting to embrace this foul philosophy, hoping to ride it to power.
I hope our readers will add to this advice in comments.
17 Responses to “Europe Fears Teabaggers”
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I believe the Norwegians, the overwhelming majority of them, will outright reject any attempt by teabaggers to export their hatred and bigotry and laissez-faire, pro-rich capitalism onto them. The Norwegian social welfare state is highly evolved and serves them very well. Not only that, but Norway suffered under right-wing Nazi extremism under Nazi occupation from 1940-1945, and, while that was long ago, it is still remembered by the current Norwegian population as having been a very bad thing. Mr. Johansen would do well just to remind his fellow citizens about what right-wing extremism truly represents.
As for that fanatical, raging Nicaraguan teabagger, he no more understands our Constitution or even our culture than did Hitler or Mussolini. He may well have served in the Marines, but it wasn’t for THIS country and what it represents! His intolerance and hatred will be institutionalized if teabaggers ever gain political control. That is why liberals and progressives must NEVER become so complacent or even so disgusted as to stay home from the polls and not vote. Even the proverbial lesser or two evils is far, FAR preferable to a teabagger or far-right conservative Republican!
Jack, I’d like to think you’re correct, and you probably are. But the second people start to take it for granted, there are always people ready to make us wish we hadn’t. Let us not forget that the German people ranked among the most sophisticated in Europe when Hitler took power.
TC & Jack are correct. If they start this crap unlike here there needs to be a quick and overwhelming response to the lies and BS. People “over there” tend to be a bit more aware so possibly this will not gain any momentum.
I think they are better equipped to deal with it. Their education system has not dumbed-down their population as ours has.
Good God, I wouldn’t wish the Teabaggers on anyone, even my worst enemy. Jack and TC are right. Stop them early and counteract any lies that they spout. And once the tundra twat opens her mouth, I’m hoping everyone listening to her leaves.
Lisa I’d love to see a Norweigian audience walk out on Palin.
Thanks, TC. They have every right to fear the Buggers. I like Jack’s historical perspective re the Nazis. Tea Buggers don’t know their history well enough to understand this. Lisa G, I know another Lisa that I’d happily sic some fascist goon on. ; – )
You’re welcome, Leslie. When I get something from another blogger, even indirectly, I consider it uncivil for me not to give due credit. If we’re thinking of the same person, she had the misfortune to commit Teabuggery at the old PP once. She made a fool of herself. Maintaining appropriate courtesy, I respectfully shredded everything she said. She has not been back.
Tnlib – just let me at her. Nothing would make me happier than to kick that bitch’s ass.
there are plenty of racists and teabaggers already in europe – only thing is they are very outnumbered and silenced – meaning they dont get the media coverage over there like they do here.
europeans lived through 12 hellish years of repression and racism under the the Nazis and a lot of europeans lived through the despotism of the communists in eastern europe. sure you see anti-burka laws and racist groups – but as a whole i think the europeans are far more advanced and welcoming of govt then this country
i hope i am right
DC, you make a good point. The only difference between European Teabaggers and our own is that we have the Republican party here, parroting their lies, supporting their racism, and using them as a vehicle to regain power. Before the GOP made Teabuggery respectable in Republican circles, the Teabaggers were afraid to come out unless they were wearing sheets and hoods.
Hi Tom,
Yeah, the teabaggers seem to not be that for real. John Ohara has just released a new book about the tea parties. He was just on Colbert and he seems like a right-winger posing as libertarian.
The man in the video almost seemed like he was acting to me. It was way over the top but he didn’t seem really angry. I think John Stewart calling out Fox for it’s hypocritical coverage was good.
Either way it allows the media to talk about politics without really talking about the issues, something they are very good at.
Keep on mother truckin!
Jason, that’s a good observation, except I disagree about the guy in the vid, He was so worked up his saliva was frothy.
The extremely scary thing about this is that there will be violence. The teabagger in this video is very close to being angry and unhinged enough to physically assault someone. But what the teabaggers need to realize in their anger is that the liberal left can be pushed only so far before they will start pushing back.. I have managed to live 68 years with nothing more violent in my life than the school yard tussle with, but I am increasingly disturbed at how many of my liberal friends are arming themselves against this kind of nonsense. Their attitude is that if the teabaggers want war, they will get it. Sadly, sometimes that is the only thing that will get their attention.
Charles, I agree that more violence is likely. Personally I believe in nonviolence as practiced by Gandhi and King, so I oppose my fellow lefties that want to take the Teabaggers on. Personal self defense is another matter.
Just a visit…All the comments were excellent. I must say I’m very dismayed at media, teadwezzles and our leaders response. I spend a lot of time reading their bullshit and listening to their hate. I do it cause I try and understand. I don’t!
Whatever happened in truth in media? I appreciate blogs like this and yours. You all take care..
Tim, in the old days, news media used to provide information. But as media concentrated into the hands of huge corporations, it devolved into infotainment and infoganda.