William H. Westermeyer - Back to America: Identity, Political Culture, and the Tea Party Movement

Anthropology of Contemporary North America

SERIES EDITORS

James Bielo, Miami University
Carrie Lane, California State University, Fullerton

ADVISORY BOARD

Peter Benson, Washington University in St. Louis
John L. Caughey, University of Maryland
Alyshia Glvez, Lehman College
Carol Greenhouse, Princeton University
John Hartigan, University of Texas
John Jackson Jr., University of Pennsylvania
Ellen Lewin, University of Iowa
Bonnie McElhinny, University of Toronto
Shalini Shankar, Northwestern University
Carol Stack, University of California, Berkeley

2019 by the Board of Regents of the
University of Nebraska

Portions of this book first appeared as Local Tea Party
Groups: The Vibrancy of the Movement in Political and
Legal Anthropology Review 39 , no S1 (2016): 38; and
Progressives Plantation: The Tea Partys Complex
Relationship with Race, in Political Sentiments and Social
Movements: The Person in Politics and Culture , ed. Claudia
Strauss and Jack Friedman (New York: Palgrave Macmillan,
2018), 6189.

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019013754

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Acknowledgments

I owe more than acknowledgment but deeply felt appreciation and gratitude to many people who made the completion of this work possible. The first acknowledgment must go to my father, Dr. Vaughn W. Westermeyer. Though his parenting skills left much to be desired, he instilled in me a desire for knowledge, a dynamic curiosity, and a desire to understand how things work and why things are as they are. Up until his death he still was attempting to steer me away from political work and toward graduate school. He would be amused to see how the two ended up complementing each other.

When I eventually entered academia, Dr. Nora Haenn opened my eyes regarding ways to study politics and social movements made possible by anthropology. Nora has continued to be a steady, encouraging mentor and a very good friend.

More than anybody else Dottie Holland, who passed away just prior to publication, made this work possible. My first meeting with Dottie was similar to countless meetings we had in the following years. Sitting in her office discussing my interests, Dottie asked the right questions, prompting me to expand my ideas and think in different directions, all the while showing patience and encouragement. In many ways Dottie was as interested in my research as I was, and we both lived a profound learning experience in the production of this research. Yet beyond the academics, Dottie and I shared many wonderful learning experiences, whether it was dinner and conversation or the many political protests and rallies that Dottie and I attended together.

I must acknowledge the guidance offered by Don Nonini. Don is a brilliant anthropologist who shared many of my interests and was also a strong motivation throughout the production of this book. I will never forget the afternoons of one-on-one time with him discussing core works of political anthropology. I realize now the large amount of time Don spent with me on these core works. Other faculty members in the Anthropology Department at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in their own ways were each instrumental in my education. Charles Price, a wonderful teacher and human being, offered numerous invaluable suggestions for improving the manuscript and its theoretical foundations. Jean Dennison was so enthusiastic about my research topic from the start and provided important suggestions regarding the fundamental direction of my argument. And Christopher Nelson challenged me to unwrap some of the more difficult theoretic and philosophical principles of anthropology.

Many others provided important feedback and encouragement throughout the research and writing: Jeff Boyer, Claudia Strauss, Jeff Juris, Jack Freidman, Peter Hervik, Sarah Dempsey, and the late Sandra Morgen.

Two other people deserve my deepest and heartfelt gratitude and love. My brother, Geoff, was a constant presence from two thousand miles away and was never lacking of support and love. I dont know where to start with Monica Montgomery Westermeyer. Monica always had the no-nonsense attitude that kept a lot of problems in perspective. Her kindness and regular conversations had a huge influence on making this project possible.

Several students in the University of North Carolina anthropology graduate program made this journey easier, more educational, and fun. Most important are Caela OConnell and Julianna Parks, whose love and friendship are beyond description. Yet I also want to thank Lindsay Bloch, Martha King, Claire Novotny, Emily Cubbon Ditto, Tomas Gallaretta Cervera, Andrew Ofstehage, Laura Wagner, Erin Stevens Nelson, and David Cranford.

The success of my research was largely a function of the years I spent as a political organizer and manager. I never worked harder than during those years. They were stressful, exhilarating, mundane, comical, and the best years of my life. Though I worked with hundreds of people, several have had and continue to have profound effects on my thinking, analysis, and perspective. Eric Hacopian, Charles Chamberlain, Klinton Kinder, Sihya Smith, Robert Grocholski, Debra Macisco, Heather Bennett, Dane Morgan, Amy Donaldson, Angelo Paparella, and our departed friend Michelle Joseall were brilliant and energetic friends with whom I shared the best and sometimes the worst of times. I learned so much from them. Among this group, special thanks go to Joan Mitchell, who read and proofed the manuscript, helping polish the final product.

So much appreciation is due to the people at University of Nebraska Press, especially Alicia Christensen and Abby Stryker, who patiently guided me through the initial peer review stages. Elizabeth Zaleski, Ann Baker, Tish Fobben, and copyeditor Julie Kimmel kept me on task and made the publishing process relatively painless. Much gratitude is reserved for the Anthropology of Contemporary North America series editors, James Bielo and Carrie Lane, and the faculty advisory board who saw the potential contribution of this book to the series and anthropology in general. Three anonymous peer reviewers provided useful, encouraging feedback that greatly improved the manuscript, making it attractive to an even wider audience.

Finally, I thank my Tea Party consultants, who placed their trust in me to translate their movement to a broader audience.

I feel indebted to all these people for the time and effort that theyve given me, and I feel a heavy but vitalizing responsibility to produce a work that all these people can be proud of.

Introduction

THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT AS CULTURAL POLITICS

The high school gym was hot, humid, and quickly reaching its seating capacity. It was, after all, August on the coastal plain of North Carolina, a time when air conditioners are running day and night. Several hundred voters from North Carolinas First Congressional District had gathered on that sultry night in 2009 for a town hall meeting organized by Democratic representative C. K. Butterfield, hoping for details about President Barack Obamas health care reform proposal that was being drafted by the Democrats. However, many in attendance were not interested in details; they had heard enough from media accounts and talk radio. Over the course of two hours, there were many questions and many accusations against the congressman. The tension was high, with jeers and boos for the congressmans answers and loud cheers for citizens expressing opposition to the measure. I assumed that many of the detractors were supporters of the emerging Tea Party, a loud and extensive protest movement that had been growing since the inauguration of President Obama six months before.