While some Tea Partiers may be racist or focused on eccentric themes – such as the validity of Barack Obama’s birth certificate – far more of them, those who were part of the original grass-roots effort, are focused on issues that have merit. If you actually listen to them, instead of just reading accounts transmitted through the distorting mirror of the mainstream media, you hear grievances that are profound, as well as some proposals that are actually ahead of their time.
事实上 ，那些嘲笑和驳斥这场运动的人可是要自食其果的。尽管部分茶党党员可能是种族主义者，或执着于一些古怪的问题 —— 诸如巴拉克奥巴马的出生证是否有效 —— 但他们中绝大多数都是些心怀底层民众信念的人，而且所关注的问题也都是有价值的。倘若你能用心聆听，而非仅仅从主流媒体的哈哈镜中来了解他们，你会听到一些有着深邃思想的牢骚，还有超越了时代的方案。