Tea Partiers’ Stunt Stolen From The Best

by James Frye

A deck of cards being sold by members of the Tea Party featuring some Democrats, but mostly Republicans (namely Congressman Joseph Cao and Senator John McCain, candidates they’re targeting), seems alarming at first.

Think Progress gives some background:

Around the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the U.S. government created a deck of playing cards showing “Iraq’s Most Wanted.” They were meant to “provide a reminder of key Iraqi personnel of interest,” who would eventually be captured or killed. Saddam Hussein, for example, was the military’s top target, and therefore given the Ace of Spades designation. Using these cards as “inspiration,” the Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots are now selling a deck with federal lawmakers on the cards.

The implication is pretty clear that these cards are yet another dog whistle call to harassment and violence from the Teabaggers against their opponents.

But hold the phone. Didn’t the left support the sale of  decks of cards similar to the Iraq War collection, featuring officials of the Bush administration?

Yes it did.

Were we claiming back then that card decks like this and this were calls for Democrats to bust GOP HQ windows and threaten Republicans?

No, we did not.

I enjoy giving the Teabaggers the bashing they bring on themselves and richly deserve but in this case the cry the righties usually use to defend what they do (“BUT…THE DEMOCRATS DO IT TOO!”) is accurate. Trust me, if I can remember that we had anti-Bush decks of cards back then, so will they.

It doesn’t do our argument a bit of good when our claims are as flimsy as this and we end up looking as ridiculous as the Teabaggers.

By: James Frye

Long time progressive activist in the Pacific Northwest and self-studying student of politics