One can understand why "progressive" commentators would try to pin the "extremist" label on Tea Party activists; it's a way to deflect attention from the public protest against the increasing size and encroachment of government. But the mostly bogus theme of extremism also has been picked up in mainstream media that purport to operate on fact-checking standards.
It now turns out that Hutaree, the one actual extremist group that has had its members arrested--in Ohio and Michigan this week, operated out of run down trailer and sported at least one loyal Democrat in its tiny leadership. The party affiliation of other members, though voters, could not be ascertained. Any "Christian" connection, as headlines alleged, was strictly incidental, if not just false.
Meanwhile, the attempt of Nevada Democrats to accuse Tea Partiers of egging their own bus backfired, when it turned out that the main accuser may have done the egging himself. (Stories here and here.) This is in the spirit of age-old scapegoating.
Some right wing crowds undoubtedly do attract anti-social persons or just folks with an adolescent sense of humor (a picture of President Obama with a Hitler mustache, for example). Some fringies threw bricks at Democratic party headquarters in a couple of cities after the health care vote and left contemptible voice messages on the phones of Congressmen. But the one credible threat was to a Republican, Eric Cantor of Virginian, whose office was hit by a bullet and his life and his children threatened.
I have been witness to many left wing demonstrations that involved actual and serious mayhem. Some was outside our offices in the anti-WTO riots, "The Battle of Seattle," a few years ago. At that time, some in the media tended to sympathize more with the "anti-globalist" rioters than with the authorities trying to control them. If there was any media effort to investigate and expose who funded and organized the window smashing anarchists, the strong-arm abusers of WTO delegates, the elaborate parade puppets, the bands, the demonstration training camps, the buses that travelled to Seattle from British Columbia and California back then, I don't know of it.
So, okay, it would be instructive to add up all the bullying tactics of Left and Right and see what kind of folks generally most offend democratic decorum. But while it might be "instructive, it would not be very productive. We have always had individuals in this and every democracy who get carried away with politics and sink to unseemly behavior. The cowardly anonymous threats are the most reprehensible, but also mostly impulsive and unorganized.
What is somewhat new are the media-savvy Umbrage Takers who make it their business to unveil offense in their opponents' words--however those have to be twisted out of context or tone. It is these professional Umbrage Takers who attempt to substitute manufactured indignation for serious political discourse. The term "political correctness" did not appear on its own, or even on the Right.
Now, here is the dirty little secret about the people that are protesting higher spending, high taxes and government controls. They are almost all ordinary citizens who have little experience in politics. They may be ungrateful to their elected officials, but they tend to be better humored than their adversaries. They are remarkably weak tea partiers by historic standards.
If you want to find extremism among freedom agitators, go back to the original tea party--the famous Boston Tea Party of 1773. You will recall that in those days anti-tax Bostonians, disguised as Indians, dumped English tea off of ships in the harbor to protest a new British tax. Those folks, who have been lionized in American history as patriots, actually destroyed private property, didn't they? They broke the law.
Not only that, but in some incidents, angry protesters literally tarred and feathered representatives of the Crown. It was ugly, violent and sordid. Being stripped, dabbed with hot tar, feathered and ridden out of town on a wood rail was painful and damaging to one's health, not to mention one's dignity.
Today's tea partiers are more likely to serve tea than dump it and they aspire to run their Congressman out of office on election day rather than tar and feather the poor fellow.
That's the real truth about about current charges of extremism. Let's try to keep these things in perspective.
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