ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: As we’ve discussed, the meaning of today’s anti-tax, anti-spending “tea parties” is being debated even as protesters make themselves heard at rallies across the country.
The portrait that’s emerging of today’s events puts them somewhere in between a genuine grassroots event and a so-called Astroturf (as in fake grass) display.
Perhaps the best way to describe them is Miracle-Gro — the real thing, but with some fertilizer sprinkled down from the top.
On ABCNews.com’s “Top Line” today, we got two different perspectives on what the events mean, from one of the events’ large number of organizers, and from a savvy observer.
Katie Favazza, who helped connect activists to each other through the Website Smart Girl Politics, told us that — despite support from some national conservative organizations — today’s events are “absolutely a grassroots effort.”
“I think it’s a good exercise for conservatives to get out there and to get active and, you know, we’re fighting an uphill battle,” said Favazza, who is the Website’s director of strategic events.
“We’re the minority in Congress and the people across the country are just fed up with the spending. And so I think that moving forward the effort is to get the politicians to pay attention and to understand that maybe the government like the families and businesses across the country should be looking at how to save some money.”
Favazza said the events could mark a turning point for conservative activists, who seem to have found a way to organize around social-networking sites.
“A lot of that has to do with the social media. I mean, without Facebook and Twitter and the blogs that have been so active in this, there’s no way that this kind of event could have been organized in the size and the scope that it has been,” she said. “So much of the motivation has just come from word of mouth, through Twitter, people signing up for Twitter that, you know, haven’t normally been very involved with the Internet or active online. It’s a new kind of activism and without the social media, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Click HERE to see our interview with Favazza.
Ana Marie Cox, an Air America host and Daily Beast columnist, said activists on the left have no reason to be concerned.
“The thing is, the progressives won,” she said. “I mean, there’s not a lot of counter-protest to these tea parties because the stimulus bill passed, you know. I mean, you don’t need — you don’t need to support something if you’re already in power.”
“So, I do think, I actually do support these people coming out and protesting and I think it’s actually kind of hilarious and great and fun,” Cox added. “I just think that we should not confuse, like, this outpouring with something that is a huge movement.”
We also chatted with Ana Marie Cox about President Obama’s recent speeches on the economy — and, of course, the First Puppy.
“Oh my God — soooo cute! And seriously, so like a bunch of reporters were kind of grumbling about it, but still — puppy. I mean, how can you not like the puppy?” she said. “I think they’re going to be able to milk the puppy for a very long time.”
Check out our full interview with Cox HERE.
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