Tea party Jesus, unlike Jesus of Nazareth, doesnt take his inspiration from the Hebrew prophets. Instead, he preaches using the sayings of the tea party. Tea party Jesus preaches on the national Mall, not on a Mount overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The text is a little different too:
Blessed are the mean in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for lower taxes, for their own pockets shall be filled. Blessed are those who follow my prophet Ayn Rand and disparage the merciful, for they shall never have to show mercy.
What is shocking about this video is that this appalling preaching is taken directly from tea party statements. The script on the Web site documents this with links to the actual material. What is even more jolting is the real Sermon on the Mount preached by a different cartoon Jesus at the end of the video.
This cartoon just beginning to pick up buzz online. Yet, with tea party favorites Michele Bachmann and now Rick Perry having dropped out, it is up to the likes of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, both conservative Catholics, to carry this dubious flag. Gingrichs support of child labor and Santorums tax plan that overwhelmingly benefits the 1 percent seem to fit the Tea Party Jesus perfectly, however. The blessings of being mean in spirit and hungering and thirsting for tax cuts is alive and well in this GOP primary race.
In an extraordinary presidential campaign season, with debates that have featured booing a gay soldier and cheering execution, and then the onslaught of the comedians, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, with their own Super PAC running ridiculous political ads, it is only logical that cartoons would be next.
Lets just sum up, shall we? None of what the tea party preaches has anything to do with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. If it takes a cartoon to drive that message home, so be it.