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Fear & Loathing on the Tea Party Express

In times of great economic uncertainty, populist sentiment and calls for change always percolate in equal measure to the degree of anxiety. Given the difficult times we are facing, the mood is especially critical. In early 2009 with the Republican Party reeling from the elections, the Tea Party movement began to take shape. Defined more by what they oppose than what they actually stand for, the movement is comprised of various politically savvy insiders, libertarians and fringe groups that are tapping into this populist sentiment. They are predominately white, older, educated and very conservative. However, this is a new type of conservatism, born out of the Reagan ‘80’s, an era that gave rise to the Federalists Society and a new breed of fundamentalist perspective: the strict constructionist. Less government, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, pro military, no governmental regulation, a literal interpretation to the Constitution.

On the ground level, this is a seemingly populist movement. But in the upper ranks, which is really what is driving this bus, are savvy political insiders who are building both a strong power base and great wealth. There is no one Tea Party group that is really in control. Instead, you will find a host of well-financed organizations all vying for control of the Tea Party message. This is where things are getting messy. Because there are competing issues – some are solely about economic conservatism, some are trying to bring in social issues – and a lot of money and power at stake, there is a power struggle to see who will come out of top.

In April of this year, I spent three weeks with one of these groups – The Tea Party Express – on a 7,000 mile journey across the country to see what they were about and who was showing up at the rallies. This edit is the beginning of a project to look at right wing fundamentalists groups in America and how they will seek to control the political dialogue.

 

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    Madre de Dios

    Daryl Peveto is a photographer with a passion for social documentary storytelling. He is a graduate of the Visual Journalism Program at Brooks Institute, where he interned at The Ventura County Star and the San Diego Union-Tribune. Over the last few years he has worked issues ranging from American nomads to the black market economies of Peru to active octogenarians, which has been recognized by Photo District News, College Photographer of the Year and the National Press Photographers Association. He lives in Southern California with his wife Jennifer and their son Finn Maddox. His clients have included TIME Magazine, Newsweek, FADER Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, AARP, Der Spiegel, Verdens Gang, The New York Times, MSNBC, NBC NIghtly News, ABC Television and Marriott Hotels.