For a few generations now, White Guys in America have been hearing footsteps -- female and nonwhite footsteps advancing relentlessly on the White Guys' exclusive clubhouse. This sense of creeping white unease has manifested itself in various ways over the years -- Nixon-era "states' rights," Reagan's crusade against "welfare moms," anti-immigrationism, and on and on -- and been skillfully exploited by leaders on the religious and political right.
Recent events, though, have thrown the White Guys into a full-blown, potentially violent panic. It began when Barack Obama's election appeared imminent, and reached a head with the passage of health care reform legislation. And this panic has a name -- the Tea Party.
So what's it really about? And what if they took over? Blogger Chip Ward from TomDispatch.com joins Abe and Joe for a closer look at what's eating at the Tea Partiers, and postulate on what the world would be like were the Tea Party to gain ascendancy.