Change They Can't Believe In : the Tea Party and Reactionary Politics in America / Christopher S. Parker, Matt A. Barreto ; With a New Afterword by the Authors.

Includes index.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: who is the Tea Party and what do they want? -- Toward a theory of the Tea Party -- Who likes tea?: sources of support for the Tea Party -- Exploring the Tea Party's commitment to freedom and patriotism -- Does the Tea Party really want their country back? -- The Tea Party and Obamaphobia: is the hostility real or imagined? -- Can you hear us now?: why Republicans are listening to the Tea Party.

Are Tea Party supporters merely a group of conservative citizens concerned about government spending? Or are they racists who refuse to accept Barack Obama as their president because he's not white? Change They Can't Believe In offers an alternative argument that the Tea Party is driven by the reemergence of a reactionary movement in American politics that is fueled by a fear that America has changed for the worse. Providing a range of original evidence and rich portraits of party sympathizers as well as activists, Christopher Parker and Matt Barreto show that what actually pushes Tea Party supporters is not simple ideology or racism, but fear that the country is being stolen from "real Americans", a belief triggered by Obama's election. From civil liberties and policy issues, to participation in the political process, the perception that America is in danger directly informs how Tea Party supporters think and act.

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