Tea Are The World

by Sinfonian

In case you missed it last weekend – and if you have a life, or if you didn’t read any right-wing blogs or see the picture (right – FAR right) buried near the back of one section of Sunday’s Orlando Sentinel, you probably did – literally hundreds dozens a handful of wingnut musicians gathered in Deltona, Fla., to record a project called, without apparent irony, “Tea Are The World.” As described by organizer Lloyd Marcus of Deltona, the project was intended to feature “the diversity, unity and ‘We The People’ aspect of our incredible Tea Party Movement” (again without apparent irony), diversity that you undoubtedly can see just by seeing the picture of the recording session shown here (which I had to scan directly from the newspaper, being unable to find it online anywhere).

Marcus went on to muse, “what if unknown and famous conservative musical artists came together to record a song for a great cause in the style of the Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie 80’s hit ‘We Are The World[?]’ “ Well, essentially, you’d get exactly what you got – a handful of mostly old, almost completely white people waving the flag in their customary display of faux patriotism, yet again trying desperately to show that somehow they love America more than those nasty libruls. (The group did not adopt, rewrite, or parody the actual “We Are The World” song – instead, they recorded a song called “Take Back America,” although I’m at a loss to understand exactly when America was taken away from them.)

To be fair, Marcus himself is African-American – a term he disavows (his website banner describes him as an “unhyphenated American” on a picture of him superimposed over – you guessed it – a small group of gray-haired white people waving flags), but a status he trumpets as often as he possibly can in his valiant but ultimately feeble attempt to prove that yes, Virginia (and every other state), there are teabaggers of color:

As a black, conservative Republican, I ask, what is the GOP supposed to do, serve soul food at Republican events? … As a high-profile black member of the Tea Party movement, reporters are constantly asking me why the movement isn’t doing more to attract minorities.

…

And for the liberal mainstream media who persist in saying there are no blacks in the Tea Party Movement, I am black conservative singer/songwriter of the “American Tea Party Anthem” and unhyphenated American, Lloyd Marcus.

…

It was just before the 2004 presidential election. Not surprisingly for someone standing outside Republican headquarters, the man’s sign urged passers-by to re-elect President George W. Bush.

What was surprising – at least to those who don’t know Lloyd Marcus – was that the man holding the sign was black.

I don’t remember anyone saying that there are NO blacks in the Tea Party Movement, but even Mr. Marcus has to admit that they’re few and far between. I’ve seen it firsthand, and I’ve yet to see photographic evidence to the contrary.

Anyway, Mr. Marcus keeps galloping along on his highly symbolic quest to be the African-American … er, black … face of the Tea Party movement and now, as a recording entrepreneur, to desperately maintain the impression that the Tea Party is “the world” rather than what it really is: a fringe, minority element of the Republican Party whose bark is demonstrably far worse than its bite. But, you know, keep f***ing that chicken!

By: JT Orlando