Everything Old is New Again

In yesterday's New York Times, David Brooks tries to build an argument that the Tea Party of today is much like the New Left of the 1960s.

All I could think of was a scene in the movie, Bob Roberts, a satire in which Tim Robbins plays a conservative running for office in Pennsylvania. It is a touching moment when he is on his campaign bus with a young woman who obviously is in thrall to him, both playing guitars and singing "We are marching for self interest..." as a kind of psuedo-folk song.

I think Brooks' argument is mostly ridiculous but it is fascinating to think that Tea Partiers might actually consider themselves akin to the movement that was pivotal to protesting the Vietnam war, civil rights and feminism only, you know, in a self-interested kind of way.

What's so crazy 'bout guns, greed and xenophobia?

I couldn't find a video clip of that particular scene, unfortunately, but here is another one in a similar vein.